Hello fellow divers and adventurers,
My wife and I (both in our early 30's) are planning a trip to the vast and beautiful Africa this coming January.
Our trip starts with hiking Kili and a 4 day safari in Tanzania, followed by a 3 days stop to visit the Blyde River Canyon, then 9 days to self-drive the Garden Route and visit Cape Town. We were hoping some fellow divers and adventurers would have suggestions for our 9 days on the Garden Rout and visiting Cape Town.
We will arrive in Port Elizabeth and are planning to rent a car at the airport. Currently we thinking of spending:
- 5 days on the Garden Route
- 4 days in Cape Town
(These are 100% flexible of course)
The problem is: I am having a hard time choosing between all the possible stops along the Garden Route.
We are both certified advanced open water Scuba Divers with over 60 dives logged. We've done two LOBs and day trips while vacationing in Thailand then Turks and Caicos, day trips everywhere else, and we are accustomed to cold water wet suit diving locally in Canada. We would love to do some REAL diving (i.e. no cage diving) along the Garden Route if possible. We both enjoy hikes, nature, good wine, and even a relaxing day on the beach from time to time
So far we are thinking of basing ourselves around Storm River for a couple of nights. (any idea of unique hikes/ things to see would be greatly appreciated!)
Then maybe spend a night in either Plett or Knysna?
Then drive to Wilderness national park, and pay Oudtshroon a visit and spend the night at Mossel Bay?
Then drive to Hermanus and either spend the night or just continue to Cape Town?
The next challenge is getting a taste of Cape Town. Does anyone think we should drive ourselves around Cape Town? Is it safe/simple? Or is public transit easier and recommended? I haven't had a chance to even begin planing the Cape Town portion yet, so any suggestions as to which part of the city to stay in and what to visit would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much in advance to anyone with anything to share! We can't wait to hear your feedback!
My wife and I (both in our early 30's) are planning a trip to the vast and beautiful Africa this coming January.
Our trip starts with hiking Kili and a 4 day safari in Tanzania, followed by a 3 days stop to visit the Blyde River Canyon, then 9 days to self-drive the Garden Route and visit Cape Town. We were hoping some fellow divers and adventurers would have suggestions for our 9 days on the Garden Rout and visiting Cape Town.
We will arrive in Port Elizabeth and are planning to rent a car at the airport. Currently we thinking of spending:
- 5 days on the Garden Route
- 4 days in Cape Town
(These are 100% flexible of course)
The problem is: I am having a hard time choosing between all the possible stops along the Garden Route.
We are both certified advanced open water Scuba Divers with over 60 dives logged. We've done two LOBs and day trips while vacationing in Thailand then Turks and Caicos, day trips everywhere else, and we are accustomed to cold water wet suit diving locally in Canada. We would love to do some REAL diving (i.e. no cage diving) along the Garden Route if possible. We both enjoy hikes, nature, good wine, and even a relaxing day on the beach from time to time
So far we are thinking of basing ourselves around Storm River for a couple of nights. (any idea of unique hikes/ things to see would be greatly appreciated!)
Then maybe spend a night in either Plett or Knysna?
Then drive to Wilderness national park, and pay Oudtshroon a visit and spend the night at Mossel Bay?
Then drive to Hermanus and either spend the night or just continue to Cape Town?
The next challenge is getting a taste of Cape Town. Does anyone think we should drive ourselves around Cape Town? Is it safe/simple? Or is public transit easier and recommended? I haven't had a chance to even begin planing the Cape Town portion yet, so any suggestions as to which part of the city to stay in and what to visit would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much in advance to anyone with anything to share! We can't wait to hear your feedback!