If you had eight days to get from Bloemfontein to Cape Town and see CT and its surroundings, would you think that this plan sounded good?
Day 1: Drive Bloemfontein - south to Addo Elephant NP. Can anyone recommend any interesting (brief) stops en route?
Day 2 and 3: Addo (two nights, one full day)
Day 4 and 5: Garden Route to CT
Days 6, 7 and 8: CT, Robben Island, Table Mountain. Doesn't look like we'll have time to tour the wineries...
I had wanted to do the Wild Coast so much (not to mention spend more time in CT!), but it just doesn't look like we can fit it into our plans. Grrr.
drpepper
2
rudik
TC - That is really only a 6-hour drive, though. Done very comfortably too.
Depending on the route you take after Middleberg, you could stop at Graaf-Reinet (an historical town with many national monuments and some lovely views from the Valley of Desolation) and before that you could also visit the Owl House at Nieu-Bethesda. Then after graaf-Reinet take the R75 via Jansenville to Kirkwood and then on to Addo. Alternatively, if you take the N10 you could ahve a look at the Mountain Zerbra National Park and have a look around Cradock.
I would do the former and stay over at Graaf-Reinet, then spend the next day and night in Addo.
3
tc_sebba
@ Rudi - a 6 hour drive might be not long for a South African, but imagine coming from a small European country. Then driving for 6 hours can be quite a lot....
seb
5
rudik
Seb, DrP says she's a Canadian chick. Now Canada is just a teeny-weeny little bit bigger than SA. And your country is not exactly the smallest I have seen either (or are you based in Lichtenstein?). Heck, on Thursday my wife and I drove down to Bloemfontein and back just to have lunch there - had to forego the wine, though.
7
drpepper
LOL ... it's a valid point if I came from Lichtenstein. But we're fairly used to Canadian distances, so I think we'll be okay. Last summer we drove from Toronto to Cape Breton (22 hours) without stopping to sleep. We'll be there in July, so there should be about nine or ten hours of daylight to do the drive.
Thanks a lot for the suggestions, guys. Graaf-Reinet looks like a good place to stop, check out, and then head into Addo from there. peterscot, are there any wineries or vineyards in particular you recommend?
Thanks again!
8
peterscot
Drove 22 hours without sleep? You should fit in well with some SA drivers......
Dr Pepper - I've been once to the Winelands. Would love to spend a month there. I picked a couple of vineyards that had some interest to me or had been recommended, but there are dozens. There's been some very good posts on here about them.
Also, the roads around the Winelands cross some wonderful passes and through stunning mountain scenery, so another reason for an all-too-brief detour.
The 3 main towns (Paarl, Franschoek and Stellensbosch) are only a few miles apart. If time short, I would skip Paarl, and drive through Franshoek to Stellensbosch for lunch (no problem if you don't follow this advice).
Or have lunch at one of the more scenic vineyards. I went to Boschendal, which, as well as being the former home of Cecil Rhodes (important figure in SA history(!), who could have chosen anywhere), also provided picnic lunches on their lawns. Enjoy
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