Alternative Garden Route

Ever heard the phrase, “a world in one country”? Well, Cape Town is a world in one city! Surrounded by craggy mountains, ocean, plenty of lush greenery and rolling countryside, but also a bustling city scene, vivacious cultures and history, you won’t be short of things to do. We recommend starting in the city with a guided tour. Choose your focus from history, food or art (or all three), and discover the spots away from the guidebooks. If a guide isn’t your thing, wander the streets and seek out your own gems. Follow it all up with a connoisseur gin tasting and dinner in an award-winning restaurant and you have Cape Town in a nutshell.

Then there’s the great outdoors. Table Mountain dominates the landscape and with several hiking routes to choose from (guided or un-guided), and the cable car, there’s no excuse for not reaching the top. Other highlights around the city include the Southern Peninsula, home to African penguins, cliff-carved roads, lighthouses and incredible views, and the sun-kissed beaches of the Atlantic Seaboard. And we haven’t even started on the markets, paragliding activities, surfing or shopping yet…

Sitting pretty in the heart of the Karoo desert, Prince Albert is serene, quiet and… well, very peaceful! A stay here will have you embracing the countryside charm of small-town South Africa, complete with Saturday morning visits to the local market and evening strolls along main Church Street to admire the Cape Dutch architecture and chin-wag with the neighbours.

If you fancy playing the tourist card, pop into the Fransie Pienaar Museum for a quick dive into the history of the town and life over the years, as well as the Albert Mill. Foodies will enjoy an olive oil or wine tasting on one of the picturesque farms hidden in the countryside, and there’s even a dairy in town, where cows moo happily in the garden and cheeses are piled high, ready for tasting (and purchasing). Also recommended is a drive along the Swartberg Pass, an astonishing feat of labour in a time when machinery was non-existent and every zig-zag and hairpin bend was carved out the rock by hand. Just wait till you get to the top…

South Africa’s Eastern Cape is wild and wonderful, from its undiscovered beaches to the collection of fantastic reserves. Depending on the lodge, you could aim to see members of the Big Five on game drives (Kwandwe’s impressive numbers of elephant and black rhino make it a firm favourite), visit a rhino or big cat sanctuary, or explore the terrain on a walking or horseback safari. Along the way, you could spot giraffe, zebra and antelope and, should the reserve offer night drives, porcupine, aardwolf and aardvark.

Just before Eastern Cape reaches KwaZulu-Natal, find yourself hiking epic mountain trails and searching for dolphins surfing the waves. For something completely different, hop over to the town of Graaff-Reinet. Nestled in the heart of the Karoo, the fantastic local food and breweries are sure to entice you.