Route 62 and Garden Route at beginning of April

My partner and I and our two children (11 and 7) are planning a trip to Capetown and the Garden Route for the beginning of April. I have a couple of questions based on our proposed itinerary below:

Day 1: Arrive in Cape Town - drive to accomodations in Green Point; explore Cape Town
Day 2: Cape Town
Day 3: Cape Town
Day 4: Cape Town
Day 5: Drive (route 62) to Oudsthoorn via Franschhoek. Overnight in Oudsthoorn
Day 6: Ostrich farm, Cango Wildlife Ranch and Cango Caves
Day: 7: Drive Swartberg Pass and on to [ ]
Days 8-10 [ ]
Day 11: Evening flight from Port Elizabeth to Capetown
Day 12: Capetown and evening flight to Tel Aviv:

My two questions are whether it is too ambitious/tiring to drive Capetown/Franschoek/Oudstoorn in one day. Should we skip Franschoek? I had planned the drive that way mostly for beautiful scenery.

I am also bewildered as to how we should spend our time on the Garden Route following the Swartberg Pass. Clearly there are things we want to do with our kids like Knysna Elephant Park, Birds of Eden; Monkeyland, but I am bewildererd as to where we should base ourselves and what else would be fun for the kids as well as us! Any suggestions are more than welcome! My partner and I are great fans of natural beauty, and of course, the kids enjoy doing "kid" things...
Thanks!

I think your itinerary looks good and varied. Its about 6 hours to drive from Cape Town to Oudtshoorn via Franschhoek, so yes, its doable. Assuming that you will want to stop on the way for lunch, to take pictures, and to maybe visit a winefarm etc., and considering that the sun sets around 6:30pm in April (and you dont want to drive after sunset), you will want to set off not later than 9am from Cape Town.

For natural beauty, the Swartberg Pass is amazing. In 6 trips to South Africa, if I had to choose my favourite for natural beauty, that would be it. Prince Albert (on the other side of the pass) is a very scenic town, and definitely worth a visit.

For your day in Oudtshoorn, if you dont mind to get up early, consider adding a meerkat experience (for example at Buffelsdrift or De Zeekoe). Its really fun and interesting to observe those animals. Wilgewandel Holiday Farm close to the Cango Caves, is a nice place to stop for a drink or lunch and there are plenty of activities there that might be fun for your kids.

As for where to base yourself on days 8-10: I would probably go for Knysna, and do and see things from there. I dont like moving every day, and I think that is especially true so when travelling with kids. Besides the places you mention, I would probably include a day trip to Tsitsikamma NP, for dramatic coast lines and natural beauty.

The only thing missing from your itinerary is spending time in a national park to enjoy wildlife. If you can add 1-3 days to your time in South Africa (or skip something else), spending 2 days in Addo NP just 80kms away from P.E. is a must in my opinion. Addo is malaria free and is especially great for large herds of elephants, but also very rich in other animals.

Thank you, Natalie.
I considered Addo, but I wondered whether my kids would have the patience to potentially sit hours in a jeep waiting to see animals. On the other hand, it is of course, a quintessential African experience.
Perhaps I should do the Swartberg Pass on Day 6 (say instead of Cango Wildlife Ranch) and then on Day 7 go straight on to Birds of Eden, Monkeyland, etc. That would give me two additional days around Kynsna, and then we could spend Day 10 in Addo. What do you think?

Addo is really great and of course there is no guarantee, but its really really unlikely that you would have to be stuck there for hours without seeing animals. On the other hand, I really liked the Cango Caves, so skipping the day in Oudtshoorn wouldnt really be an option for me either. I would probably cut down on the time in Knysna tombe able to include Addo, but thats me and there is no right or wrong.

It's a tough call, but you are beginning to persuade me. :)

Hello there Yossi2,

As Nathalie said, your itinerary looks very varied and exciting! Knysna is nice to use as a base but it's quite a big town (in Garden Route terms). If you really feel like relaxing in a small town with a huge beach and loads of things to do, neighbouring Wilderness is your place to go! I have spent 4 months there last summer and I absolutely fell in love with the place.

Have a good trip! SA will amaze you!

Thank you! Actually, since it looks like I will take Nathalie's suggestion and make Addo the last stop on our trip, I am thinking of finding a place near the Crags for 3 nights before heading on to Addo. Any suggestions?

I have only stayed at one place in the Crags (and will stay there again when I return because it's simply fantastic) and that is Wild Spirit Lodge. (http://www.wildspiritlodge.co.za/) They cater mostly for backpackers but you can also get private rooms on their stunning property. Camping is also an option. It's a green and environment friendly place and they offer the best dinners! Really worth checking it out!

Thank you! Will check it out.

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