After a night in charming Swellendam, it was time to continue toward the east. It was this day that we would enter the Garden Route. This is a route that stretches from Mossel Bay in the west to Storm River in the east. It passes through towns such as George, Knysna, and Plettenberg Bay. It was also in Plettenberg Bay that we were going to spend the coming night.
Mossel Bay
About an hour’s drive from Swellendam we arrived in Mossel Bay. A small and quiet town with around 59.000 inhabitants. It offered us some time to have a look around and relax before continuing our drive. After a light lunch, we took the car to Cape Saint Blaize. We were once again walking along the coast, admiring the sight of the Indian Ocean. Sadly we did not take the opportunity to enjoy the view from the Cape St Blaize Lighthouse up on the hill. But walking along the waterfront was for sure good enough.
Knysna
We soon continued east from Mossel Bay. We decided not to stop in George, instead, we wanted to go directly to the town of Knysna. Another hour of driving and we arrived in a town without much movement. We drove along the waterfront and Knysna Quays until we arrived at Thesen Island. It felt like it was low season for the tourists due to the small number of people on the streets. The town has 51.000 inhabitants and it was difficult to imagine that those numbers would be accurate.
Eventually, we gave up on Thesen Island and continued to the center of the town to refill our water storage. Then we saw it. There were people everywhere and we had come just in time for the afternoon rush. It was a nice difference from the numb feeling of Thesen Island.
Garden of Eden
Between Knysna and our final destination of the day, Plettenberg Bay, we found the Garden of Eden. This part of the Garden Route National Park was something we almost missed. A small sign along the road turned out to be a beautiful walking path in the forest.
Plettenberg Bay
It was starting to get dark once we arrived in Plettenberg Bay. Luckily Google was able to guide us directly to our accommodation at the Ocean Watch Guest House. We checked in, enjoyed the view, and eventually got outside again to try to find a place for dinner. There was for sure no lack of options, but it is not always easy to satisfy Susann. We were walking around, deciding against most of the places we passed by because of various reasons. Then eventually we ended up at the restaurant just next to the guest house. No problem with that, we were more than satisfied with our pizzas.
Plettenberg Bay marked the end of the second day of the driving between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. One more day of driving was left before we would start to get ready for the long trip back home. Plettenberg Bay did offer the possibility to relax that’s always nice to have at the end of a vacation.
Ocean Watch Guest House
There was no other accommodation during our two weeks in Namibia and South Africa that could offer a view like the one at Ocean Watch Guest House. The only sad part was that we did not have time to spend a day at the swimming pool enjoying the fantastic view over the Indian Ocean.
This was another easygoing guest house, something that seems to be so much more common in this part of the world compared to Europe. The next morning we had the chance to take in the view once more, while we enjoyed our breakfast out on the terrace.
Join Us in Exploring Southern Africa
Here are all the posts belonging to the series about our trip to South Africa and Namibia. Read the parts by clicking on the links below:
- Part I: Doha, Qatar
- Part II: Johannesburg, South Africa
- Part III: Traveling To Namibia
- Part IV: Otjiwarongo, Namibia
- Part V: Cheetah Conservation Fund, Namibia
- Part VI: Etosha National Park, Namibia
- Part VII: Omaruru, Namibia
- Part VIII: Okahandja, Namibia
- Part IX: Windhoek, Namibia
- Part X: Cape Town, South Africa
- Part XI: Castle of Good Hope, South Africa
- Part XII: Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, South Africa
- Part XIII: Two Oceans Aquarium, South Africa
- Part XIV: Mariner’s Wharf, South Africa
- Part XV: Groot Constantia, South Africa
- Part XVI: Boulders Beach, South Africa
- Part XVII: Cape Point, South Africa
- Part XVIII: Chapman’s Peak Drive, South Africa
- Part XIX: Table Mountain, South Africa
- Part XX: Swellendam, South Africa
- Part XXI: Plettenberg Bay, South Africa
- Part XXII: Birds of Eden, South Africa
- Part XXIII: Port Elizabeth, South Africa
- Part XXIV: Good Bye Africa!
- Part XXV: Trip Summary
Join us as we explore Southern Africa
