Cape Town & the Garden Route

One of my best holidays :-)

This was an amazing trip on so many levels.
I have come back feeling energised, invigorated and really sad to leave…testament to a great hol!
I was travelling on my own and apprehensive. I needn’t have been. My group were so welcoming and friendly. We got to know each other quite quickly and had such a laugh together. We are hoping to meet up again in the New Year.
The itinerary was so varied, there was never a dull moment. Ideally 14 days would be preferable as you are packing so much in.
Animals and birds- so much to see, recommend doing Schotia game drive and whale watching. Penguins at boulders beach were brilliant.
Flora-beautiful flowers, shrubs and trees and a chance to visit the botanical gardens in Cape Town.
Food-Wow…such a variety , huge portions and cheap. Recommend the ostrich, but so many other dishes to choose from( meat or veg)
Wine-fabulous and cheap. I loved the chenin blanc. I enjoyed the afternoon in Stellenbosch too.
Landscape-absolutely stunning..Tsitsikamma, Cape of Good Hope, ocean drives and more!
Activities- so varied and you have the opportunity to choose the activities you want to do at various locations.
Guide- Marco was great on every level. He was informative, professional, catered to everyone’s needs and kept us safe.
Accommodation – I particularly liked Tsitsikamma oceanette as right by the ocean. Got woken up at 5.30am by baboons jumping on the bin outside:-). Loved House Martin and the Windsor Hotel.
Cape Town-beautiful. I visited Robben Island, 2nd half of this tour was particular good as we were shown around by an ex inmate. I didn’t get the chance to go up Table Mountain as I had to leave early. There is so much to see and experience that I will definitely return.

Beautiful Scenery Along South Africa's Garden Route

This was a wonderful tour showcasing the beautiful scenery along the coast from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town. Accommodation was great throughout our tour other than a very musty cabin at Storms River, however, the scenery there was stunning. Petro was a wonderful guide …was well organized and had excellent people and communication skills. The knowledge she shared of her country along the way including the names of numerous animals and birds was really appreciated. Highlights for me included: Schotia Game Drive, our stay at De Rust that included home cooked meals, and finishing with Table Mountain, Boulders Beach, and Cape of Good Hope in Cape Town. I had done a Langa Township tour prior to our tour starting and didn’t do the one organized by Exodus, however, I’d recommend doing this type of half day tour as well as it shows you a different perspective.

Cape Town and the Garden Route review

A tour of 15 people. Everyone got on well. Some queries with the itinerary. We passed by fabulous beaches without stopping such as Jeffrey’s Bay and Wilderness, yet stopped at service stations for lunch. This actually happened three times; once shortly after Knysna which would have been far preferable. The rooms were not always very good. In Tsitsikamma the room was very good, but it was at least a mile walk each way for breakfast. I’m fit, but this was classified as a leisurely tour. The rooms in Hermanus and Cape Town overlooked car parks. Our room in Hermanus also had no air conditioning. I expected better accommodation quality from Exodus based on personal recommendations. I would say it is comparable to mid range G Adventures. There were no whales (not the season) but also the waterfall in Karoo had dried up and Storms River was very low water also: Our tubing became bouldering. Cape Town and Cape of Good Hope were magnificent. Food provided or purchased throughout was consistently of high quality. A quite expensive trip when excursions, tips and food is added but we probably got what we paid for. A few simple tweaks could have made things better. Enjoyment – 8 out of 10. VFM – 7 out of 10. I regret not seeing some of the wonderful beaches on-route.

The Garden Route to Cape Town

This was a particularly enjoyable holiday where everything came together to create a fantastic experience. Good weather, a friendly group, an excellent tour leader and a well-constructed itinerary that took us to some wonderful places. The accommodation was of a good standard throughout. The “oceanettes” at Storms River Mouth with their incredible views were outstanding (a pleasant surprise having seen previous travellers’ comments on the wooden cabins there). We very much enjoyed staying in House Martin Guest Lodge too.
–South Africa was thought-provoking and very different to our expectations in so many ways. Like Jill Chaloner (previous review), we found it hard to get a Black perspective on the country, and mention of apartheid was largely restricted to our visit to Robben Island, which was a sobering reminder of South Africa’s recent past.

A varied and enjoyable trip along the Garden Route from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town

An enjoyable and interesting insight into South Africa with varied landscapes and experiences. Three game drives at the start with lots of wildlife – elephants, lions and many other animals to see in beautiful locations. We enjoyed stunning mountain and semi-desert scenery, the wild cape coast and the city life and scenery of Cape Town.

Accommodation was good throughout the trip– clean, good facilities and well located in each location. The accommodation and food at House Martin Lodge was excellent. We used a large minibus which was spacious enough for our needs and was safely driven by our guide. Our couple of long drives but the scenery helped and regular stops were arranged.

Meals and food were varied and good throughout the trip and we were able to experience different types of South African food.

Feb 2024

Tour of the Garden Route and Cape Town

Enjoyable introduction to the wonderful landscapes and wildlife in this stunning country.

Well thought out tour of the Cape, taking in such varied landscapes and experiences. Highlights were the Schotia Game Reserve, the drive through the Little Karoo to the Cango Caves and the trip to the Cape of Good Hope. Touring was on a mini bus, which was spacious enough for our tour group of 13. Most drives were reasonable, but there was one very long day of 7 hours with only a couple of short stops. Accommodation was spacious, clean and with comfortable beds. All of a generally good standard.

Cape Town and the garden route

Places visited were picturesque enough and accommodation very good throughout. However a major criticism I would make is that only white (Afrikaans) were encountered directly and entire trip dominated by their view of South Africa. Black South Africans were encountered only as fulfilling menial roles (in hotels etc) and their view and perspective was not only missing but it is as if it had been airbrushed away and no mention whatsoever was made of the apartheid issue and long struggle to overcome it. While people do not come on holiday for political education mention of salient facts about a country are essential in the tourist narrative especially if they are recent and ongoing and to give context to what is being experienced. it was only in the Robben Island trip ( only 2 of us did this) that non Afrikaans South Africa was glimpsed and the guides there were excellent presenting things in a straightforward and unemotional way that commanded attention.

Most Inspirational Moment

Favorite was the safari trip near the elephant reserve where we saw pretty much every animal that could be seen some quite close up (lions elephants and zebras particularly).

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very pleasant and friendly in personality and very helpful and reliable when there were problems or setbacks. in terms of information about the country I found him extremely limited in scope.

Advice for Potential Travellers

No.

Reply from Exodus

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, Jill. Whilst we were pleased to read that you had a great holiday overall, we were very sorry to hear about your concerns. Exodus is an open and diverse B Corp company, and we aim to give our customers a deep understanding of the countries we visit. We have not received similar feedback in the past; therefore, your comment has been taken on board, and has been shared with the relevant managers for careful consideration. If you wish to discuss this further, please feel free to email us at customerservices@exodus.co.uk, and we will be more than happy to address your concerns directly.

What an amazing holiday

One of the best holidays I ever had, with a wide range of differing experiences, wildlife, scenery and guest houses. The trip superbly blends the best that South Africa has to offer, from the game reserves with the Big Five, to the beauty of the Garden Route and coastal footpaths, the rugged interior, and then into Cape Town. Very well put together with something for everyone.

Beautiful South Africa - Excellent

Brilliant introduction to a beautiful country, great break from the English winter..