Thoughts on Western Cape trip

You are traveling too much and wont have time to enjoy.Choose 2 destinations and work around that.You could on your way to Oudshoorn drive through Montagu or on your way to Knysna drive through Franchhoek .It all depends what you want to do . Cape Town to Knysna is about 5hrs traveling

I agree with Johan, your trying to do to much in such a short time, unless you like sitting in your car for the entire day?
I visited most places mentioned in your itinerary.
Knysna was far too touristic in my point of view so i'd rather stay there for one night.
Cape town is great, i would personally change Franschoek into Stellenbosch were you really have to go on a wine tour!
Outdshoorn is nice, totally different from the sea side places.
Plettenberg is the same as knysna only a bit better though (a lot of activities in this area...)

Hi,

yes I had the same concern myself re the over travelling - the only thing is there are so many great places to see and I don't want to miss any! Point taken about soending too much time in the car though. If I had to trim my stops down which would you prioritise?

Cheers,

James

I would just drive through Knysna (like the others said, it's very touristy--sort of your typical holiday seaside town) and spend those 2 nights in Cape Town, making it 4 total. There's a lot to see there.

I never heard of Arniston.

You said you're not sure about Oudshoorn, but it really is worth it because it's more Karoo (desert) and less seaside than the rest of the places you're visiting. It has a totally different look and feel.

"Itineray: Cape Town 1 night; Franschoek 1 night; Montagu 1 night; Outdshoorn 1 night; Plettenburg bay 2 nights; Kynsa 2 nights; Arniston 1 night then back to Cape Town for 1 night."

That gives a total of 10 nights, 11 days.
I would also spend more time in Cape Town - 4 nights is probably what you should aim for as a minimum - otherwise you will be missing out on great places in and around the peninsula. One of the things you should do when in the Cape Town area is a wine route tour. This you would do on the day you leave Cape Town, thereby ending up at Franschoek or Stellenbosch. I would then count Franschoek as the 4th of your nights in Cape Town. (Is that contorted logic?). Franschoek is a lovely spot and less than 1/2 hour from Stellenbosch. It does not matter one iota in which you stay as long as you have found yourself some nice accommodation.
I would take the road to Villiersdorp and then take the R43 to Worcester, but that is your choice. From Franschoek it is less than a couple of hours to Montagu and unless you have a reason for staying over there, I would continue to Oudtshoorn (226 kilometres - about 3 hours - on from Montagu) for night 5.
Next day you could visit Highgate Ostrich Farm (have a meal there and ride on an ostrich) and visit the Cango Caves. then drive through to Plettenberg Bay for nights 6 and 7.
On the way back you can stop at George and Knysna and Mossel Bay - I don't hink you will want to spend too much time in any of them. In Knysna you could have a look at the waterfront; in Mossel Bay the Post Office Tree and the Maritime Museum are worth a visit if you have the time. Night 9 in Arniston is a great choice. The Arniston hotel used to be a good hotel and the fisherman's cottages are still suypposed to be very picturesque. Of course you will be visiting the southernmost point of Africa at Cape Agulhas. just around the corner.
Then back to Cape Town for night 10. Travel via Hermanus, stop and look at the penguin colony at Bettie's Bay, drive the coastal route via Gordons Bay and the Strand to meet up with the N2 again.
That's my two-pence worth. Others will have other ideas.
Enjoy

If this is your first visit, Agreeing with some others here I think 2 days in Cape Town (and above all split into 2 visits - start and finish) is very little time to see much, while you plan 4 days in Plettenberg Bay and Knysna area which is very close together. Your itin. could make sense if you have seen Cape Town before and use it more as a gateway to spend time in the forest of the Garden Route and explore some lesser places.

Just remember also that Christmas is very much national tourism high season, and places like Plet, Knysna and Cape Town are very conjested requiring even more time (in traffic or for example the Table Mountain Cableway - nothing like in the old days of the 1990s with a tiny slow cableway but I am talking of my personal experience 2006 Xmas, it was packed with upcountry visitors). Heading for a slightly more remote forest place might be a relaxed change from that. The Karoo is hot but maybe slightly less tourists.

hm, as everyone else is saying, relax a little bit more and enjoy your time in SA rather than rushing through the WC...

seb

I'm no expert (one visit), but I don't see much of Western Cape in there. Head for the Cedarbergs..........

Plettenberg is/was a major place for university kids to party over Xmas holidays and IMO a place to sit on the beach or hike, I prefer Knysna. Oudtshoorn will be hot as hell and mostly a place to see the caves or ostriches. Don't bother stopping in George. Franscheok is a small town in a pretty valley only an hour or so by freeway from CT. It is a long twisting climb up the mountains going out towards Oudtshoorn. Cape Town is easily worth more of your time than you are allowing. My plan would be 4 or 5 days in CT then east to Stellenbosch and on to Willderness (you can hang-glide), Knysna (see the Heads, lagoon-cruise,kayaks, oysters,fish,local beer,hike). From Knysna you can do a day trip to Oudtshoorn if you want (if the road is fixed from last year flood) which is a very beautiful drive up the mountains. Around Knysna explore Buffalo Bay (easy surf, amazing rocks), Sedgefield, Plett if you want.