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5-Day Coast To Karoo Tour From George
  • Tour Category

    Group Tour

  • Tour Types

    Nature, Culture, Eco Tourism

  • Duration

    5 Days

  • Activity Level

    Medium

  • Language

    Afrikaans, English

Description

Embark on this 5-day journey to experience the beauty and open spaces of the Little Karoo with incredible mountain and scenic backdrops. Sip wine, taste olives, attend live shows, go for hikes, and enjoy bird watching, surfing, mountain biking, skydiving, bungy jumps, cooking retreats, and art.

Highlights
  • Explore the scenic Garden Route, known for its lakes, forests, and beautiful beaches
  • Discover the ostrich capital of the world in Oudtshoorn and visit an ostrich farm
  • Immerse yourself in the history and charm of Prince Albert, including a ghost walk
  • Enjoy activities like paragliding, canoeing, and stargazing in Wilderness
  • Day 1- Arrival - Village of Wilderness expand_more
    • After being collected from the airport in George, transfer you to your accommodation overlooking the lakes on the Garden Route. The Garden Route is a mix of modern golf courses, ancient forests, secluded artists' communities, retirement estates, modern malls, craft centres, mountain hideaways and beach holidays. A large number of interesting and creative people are drawn to this magnificent stretch of coastline, and many of them now call it home.
    • The main highway through The Garden Route, a highlight on most visitors' itineraries, is the N2 stretch running from Heidelberg in the Southern Cape to Storms River Village on the Eastern Cape border.
    • While the scenery is enough to make you stop and stare, it is the hidden gems that can be found on the sides of the roads that are the real allure of the Garden Route.
    • Visit the special village of Wilderness, the lakes and the thick tropical forest on the Indian Ocean. 
    • Wind conditions permit perhaps to go tandem paragliding. Canoe the river or do a small hike to the waterfall.
    • Pick from a variety of exceptional restaurants that serve up brilliant cuisine in the area, all within walking distance of each in the village.

    Overnight in the Wilderness.

  • Day 2- Coastal Touring expand_more
    • The day begins with exploring the Garden Route, examining why this is called the Garden Route. The Garden Route National Park, which connects the existing Tsitsikamma National Park's ancient forests and wild coastline with the Wilderness National Park via a chain of lakes and preserved sections of Fynbos, is a fascinating and enchanting mix of ecosystems. This park is also famous for its secluded little bays and its year-round holiday frame of mind, and it's conveniently accessible from Cape Town.
    • While you’re exploring all the nooks and crannies of the Garden Route, don't forget to cast an eye out to the sea, where you can see the Southern Right and Humpback Whales, Bottlenose and common dolphins and even Killer Whales that have been known to frolic close to the shore, especially near Plettenberg Bay. Whatever your pleasure is, you’ll find what you’re looking for on the Garden Route, even if it’s just to lose yourself in one of the most beautiful parts of South Africa, if not the world.
    • Experience the lakes, forests and beaches of the area.

    Overnight in the Wilderness.

  • Day 3- Finding Ostriches expand_more
    • Travel to Oudtshoorn.
    • Visit an ostrich farm, lunch and then through the Meiringspoort Pass and onto Prince Albert, where we spend the next 2 nights. Oudtshoorn (the ostrich capital of the world) also calls the Garden Route home, and for those who are interested in history, both early inhabitants and elephants have been crossing the Outeniqua Mountains, from Oudtshoorn to the coast for many centuries. When Queen Victoria agreed in 1845 that a tiny village in the Karoo should be named after her consort – his Royal Highness, Prince Albert. The lovely Karoo village of Prince Albert has a history dating back to 1762. No wonder then that ghosts are believed to haunt its old buildings, streets and pavements. When you join the Prince Albert Ghost Walk, expect an encounter of the spooky kind.

    Overnight at Dennehof.

  • Day 4- Explore Prince Albert expand_more
    • Explore Prince Albert and the surroundings of the Little Karoo. Prince Albert is ringed by vineyards and fruit and olive farms. Local history exhibits in the Fransie Pienaar Museum include fossils and a working moonshine distillery. The nearby 19th-century Swartberg Pass runs through Swartberg Nature Reserve and has dramatic mountain views. The reserve is dotted with caves featuring San rock art.
    • Visit the local dairy where cheese is made, and go olive oil tasting for a difference. On Saturday mornings, the market is on. 
    • Explore the Karoo Looms Weavery. 
    • Catch a movie or watch a show at the Showroom Theatre.
    • Wine tastings are on offer at the local cellars.
    • Stargaze at night with a powerful telescope, an expert joins us to point out the stars and planets.

    Overnight in Prince Albert.

  • Day 5- Departure expand_more
    • Depart Prince Albert and travel back to George Airport via the Swartberg Pass. Thomas Bain worked on the Swartberg Pass with 200 convicts and lots of gunpowder. He eventually finished ahead of time and under budget. But his real accomplishment lies in the fact that even today, more than a century after it was built, the Swartberg Pass has stood the test of time. The natural divide between the plains of the Great Karoo and the lush valleys of the Little Karoo has always been the imposing Swartberg Mountains. There was a time when these crags were impossible to breach, and people had to take circuitous routes to get to their destinations.
What's Included
  • All accommodation
  • All transport
  • All entrances
  • English-speaking tour guide
What's Excluded
  • Drinks
  • Items of a personal nature
  • Certain meals
  • Gratuity
What to bring
  • Hat
  • Light Windbreaker
  • Sun Screen
  • Towel
Know before you go
  • Wilderness is a charming holiday village. With its long golden beaches, extensive waterways and lush indigenous forest, it is a nature lover’s paradise. Wilderness lies 15 km east of George, nestled between the Outeniqua Mountains and the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and is an ideal base from which to explore the world-famous Garden Route. As far back as the late 1800s, the reputation of Wilderness was established as an ideal destination for seaside holidays. A seaside boarding house was started in an old homestead − and so began the tradition of hospitality which has made this small resort town world famous.

  • The winter climate is splendid with sunny days and temperatures that rarely drop below 8°C. The annual rainfall averages around 700 mm, spread all year round, meaning that the winters are as warm and sunny as the summertime. The balmy weather creates an outdoor style of living that draws locals and visitors alike to the long stretches of sandy white beaches throughout the year.

  • Should you wish to venture off the beach, there is a wide variety of eateries, craft stalls, shops and art galleries to explore. Wander through the quiet forest where giant Yellowwood trees rise towards the skyline, follow Bushbuck and Duiker along quiet forest paths or watch out for the brilliant flash of crimson as a Knysna Lourie is startled from its resting place.

Prince Albert

  • Originally known as Albertsburg, when it obtained municipal status in 1845 it was renamed Prince Albert in honour of Queen Victoria's consort, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg. Prince Albert was historically part of the Cape Colony. During the latter part of the century, a nugget of gold was discovered on a farm in the area. Due to the fact that a similar occurrence had led to the Gold Rush in the Witwatersrand, this new discovery precipitated a similar population boom. However, the prosperity up North was not to be shared in Prince Albert and the gold mined turned out to be minimal. Due to its location, Prince Albert became a British garrison during the Second Boer War in 1899. The town became the site of several clashes between the English and the Boers during this period.

Oudtshoorn

  • Oudtshoorn, the "ostrich capital of the world", is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Two ostrich-feather booms, during 1865-1870 and 1900-1914, truly established the settlement. With approximately 60,000 inhabitants, it is the largest town in the Little Karoo region. The town's economy is primarily reliant on the ostrich farming and tourism industries. Oudtshoorn is home to the world's largest ostrich population, with a number of specialized ostrich breeding farms, such as the Safari Show Farm and the Highgate Ostrich Show Farm.

Meeting Point

George, South Africa

Cancellation Policy

For cancellations upto 2 days before the tour -

Refund of 50% of the tour price.
Price Details
Persons
1 To 15 ZAR 8895 Per Person

This is a group tour

Private Tour Price ZAR 10995
Maximum no. of people 2
Starting From

Fromss

see details
USD 495 / person