Top 10 Garden Route family activities
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
You’d expect such a well-loved family holiday destination to have plenty of things to see and do, and you’d be right. Set in a malaria-free landscape of sandy beaches and rolling mountain ranges, Garden Route family activities range from whale watching and interactions with friendly elephants to white-knuckle adventure sports and cultural experiences. Younger children will find plenty to do as well – there are animal sanctuaries & easy walks to enjoy – and older ones can join you on a mountain bike trail or the golf course.
Many Garden Route family activities are easily experienced and don’t require a guide (although it is useful to have your own car if you are planning to do a lot of things); other family activities are fully guided with transport and food provided. You can book most activities when you are on the Garden Route but availability could be a problem on the day; we recommend booking the more popular activities in advance to avoid disappointment.
We’ve listed our favourite Garden Route family activities below – talk to us about including them into your holiday itinerary (some activities are seasonal) and we’ll take care of the rest.
GARDEN ROUTE FAMILY ACTIVITIES
Go Whale Watching in Hermanus (All ages)
Whale-watching town Hermanus is closer to Cape Town than the Garden Route but is often included on a Garden Route itinerary – it’s a friendly little place with plenty of accommodation & the best land-based whale watching in the world. You can take whale-watching boat tours too & Hermanus is close to shark-cage diving & an excellent penguin colony – it’s a must-do destination during the August – November whale season.
Time Required: 3-4 hours
Contact: www.southernrightcharters.co.za
Stroll along the Hermanus Cliff Walk (All ages)
Whether you’re in town during whale-watching season or not, the Hermanus Cliff Walk always makes a great activity for families who love an easy, nature-filled walk. The Indian Ocean views are wonderful – you may see dolphins or seals – & the vegetation is full of flowers & endemic birds at any time of year but especially during whale season when the path becomes a great whale-watching spot.
Time Required: 3-4 hours
Contact: www.hermanusonline.mobi
Explore Featherbed Nature Reserve - Knysna (All ages)
Complete with a return ferry ride across picturesque Knysna Lagoon, the Featherbed experience is one for all members of the family: you’ll enjoy great views, a 4X4 ride & a lovely lunch in the shade of a coastal milkwood forest. There’s great birdlife in the reserve & the chance to spot animals like tortoises & small antelope plus a short hiking trail to see the natural details of this premier eco-reserve.
Time Required: 3-4 hours
Contact: www.featherbed.co.za
Visit Birds of Eden – near Plettenberg Bay (All ages)
The world’s largest free-flight aviary & home to 220 different bird species, Birds of Eden places an emphasis on African birds but you’ll see plenty of other types as you wander along two kilometres of raised walkways that thread through the forested interior. Many of the birds have been rescued from small cages & confinement but now fly freely; it’s a bird-lover’s paradise & with over 60 kinds of parrot, there’s plenty of colour too.
Time: 2-3 hours
Contact: www.birdsofeden.co.za
A Forest Walk at Monkeyland – near Plettenberg Bay (All ages)
Created primarily to care for neglected animals, Monkeyland is the world’s first free-roaming, multispecies primate sanctuary: gibbons, lemurs, howler monkeys & capuchin monkeys are among the stars of show, running free through the forest. You can go on guided tours for a closer look at the primates & get into the forest canopy on a suspended walkway for eyeball to eyeball views.
Time Required: 2 hours
Contact: www.monkeyland.co.za
The Elephant Sanctuary – near Plettenberg Bay (5+)
Interaction with animals doesn’t get any bigger than this: spending time with friendly, habituated elephants who seem to enjoy the meeting as much as the humans do. Experienced guides & elephant handlers safely walk you through the whole experience & there are different experiences available, from a ‘hand-in-trunk’ walk with an elephant to a full day spent in their company.
Time Required: 2-3 hours
Contact: www.elephantsanctuary.co.za
Go on an Ocean Safari - Plettenberg Bay (6+)
The coastal waters off the Garden Route are bursting with bio-diversity & a boat tour gives you & your family an opportunity to see for yourselves. There are migrating whales to see between June & November as well as dolphins between December & May but these rich waters have plenty of resident wildlife too – sharks, seals, penguins & stiff-winged pelagic seabirds.
Time: 2-3 hours
Contact: www.oceanadventures.co.za
Treetop Canopy Tours - Storms River Village (9+)
An aerial playground set in a forest framed by mountains & waterfalls, Canopy Tours is a system of elevated platforms connected by ‘zip-line’ cables along which you travel, harnessed in & overseen by professional guides. It’s thrilling, safe & fun & also your chance to learn about the local forest ecology – there are rare birds to spot & ancient monster-sized trees to see.
Time Required: 2-3 hours
Contact: www.canopytour.co.za
Hike Robberg Nature Reserve - Plettenberg Bay (6+ for hiking)
A sliver of land that reaches out into an aquamarine ocean, Robberg is not just a beautiful place to visit but a great hiking destination too. There are a couple of short & easy walks for families with young children but it’s the 11 km (7 miles) circuit around the peninsula that adventurous families will want. It’s a great place for indigenous flowers & birds & make sure you keep an eye out for marine life as you walk along Robberg’s beaches & cliff paths.
Time Required: 2-3 hours
Contact: www.capenature.co.za
Marvel at the Cango Caves - Oudtshoorn (6+)
A series of underground chambers carved out of ancient limestone & decorated with the most amazing dripstone sculptures, it’s hard to believe that the Cango Caves are entirely natural. The caves lie inland & away from the Garden Route coast but the detour is worth it – choose between an easy tour & the adventure experience – plus you have Oudtshoorn’s famous ostrich farms nearby to complete the day.
Time Required: 2 hours
Contact: www.cango-caves.co.za
