“One of the Most Famous Road Trips in the World”: Tourist Shares Full Garden Route Itinerary

• A travel content creator shared her full 12-day Garden Route itinerary, covering everything from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth
• The route took her through some of South Africa's most loved destinations, and she included details to help other travellers plan ahead
• Some corrected her pronunciation, and others urged her to come back and explore even more

A travel content creator, @OkayKaraTravels, has shared a detailed breakdown of her Garden Route road trip on the internet. She posted her full itinerary video on 21 March 2026, saying she struggled to find useful content online before her own trip and wanted to change that.

She and her travel companion spent 12 days on the road, picking up their car in Cape Town and dropping it off in Port Elizabeth before flying out.

The Garden Route itinerary breakdown

On day one, instead of taking the coastal road through Hermanus, she chose Route 62 through the mountains towards Oudtshoorn, and said it had some of the best views of the entire trip. Along the way, she stopped for coffee in Worcester, where a cup can cost anywhere from R14 to R55 depending on the spot, and had lunch in Montagu, where a sit-down meal runs from around R120 to R355 per person. She spent one night in Oudtshoorn, where guesthouses and hotels range from about R800 to over R2,000 a night.

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From there, she drove through Mossel Bay and settled in Knysna for two nights. Accommodation starts at around R1,100 per person. A short 40-minute drive then brought her to Plettenberg Bay, where she spent three nights and said it ended up being one of her favourite stops. Stays there range from about R600 to over R6,000 a night.

She then spent one night in Tsitsikamma National Park, where options range from SANParks huts at around R1,000 to R1,500 a night to premium lodges at R2,000 and above. Two nights in Jeffreys Bay followed, a relaxed surfer town where budget backpackers start at around R280 a night and guesthouses average R800 to R1,500.

Her final stop was Addo Elephant National Park, where she spent two nights and said a full-day, safari is an absolute must. Conservation fees are R492 for international visitors and R110 for South African citizens.

Watch the Facebook clip below:

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Travellers love the Garden Route itinerary

Viewers had plenty to say about the itinerary video Facebook user @OkayKaraTravels shared:

@John Cross joked:

"With town pronunciations like that, I'm glad you didn't have to ask for directions! Just kidding, lovely to see familiar roads again. By the way, Oudtshoorn is pronounced Oats-hoorn."

@Beth Pentz said:

"You need to take the coastal route next time. Just as beautiful, but different, as Route 62. This itinerary begs a revisit."

@Carmiya Camy Jordaan added:

"If you think the views on Route 62 are nice, you will be mind-blown by the route along the coast to Hermanus. The views are so incredible it feels like you're in Norway or New Zealand."

@Victoria Charters suggested:

"Wilderness and Sedgefield are also definitely worth a visit between Mossel Bay and Knysna. Stunning beaches and forests, kayaking, hiking, paragliding."

@Con Raadi said:

"Fortunate to call George in the Garden Route home. 🇿🇦 Safe travels."

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More South African travel and tourism stories

• Briefly News recently reported on a KZN man who built a tourism empire in the Drakensberg after a past that nearly cost him everything.
• A viral video of a Durban beach with no waves at all left locals and viewers deeply unsettled.
• A South African entrepreneur ranked the cheapest cities to live in and the city that came out on top left him even more surprised.

Source: Briefly News