Oudtshoorn | Mosselbay | George | Wilderness | Sedgefield | Knysna | Plettenberg Bay | Tsitsikamma 

20 Unmissable Things to Do on the Garden Route in 2026

(The Definitive Bucket-List – Updated November 2025)

I’ve lived on the Garden Route for fifteen years and guided more trips than I can count. Every year friends ask me the same question: “If we only have one week, what should we actually do?”

This is the list I give them — the 20 experiences that, year after year, make people say “that was the best day of the entire holiday”.

1. A sunset boat trip to the Knysna Heads Hands-down my #1. Nothing else comes close. You leave Thesen Harbour as the light turns golden, glide across mirror-calm water while someone shucks fresh oysters and pours chilled bubbly, then slip between the towering sandstone Heads just as they catch fire at sunset. I always send people to Knysna Charters — new boats, smallest groups, and the skippers have been doing this for decades. Guests consistently say it’s the single best evening of their whole South Africa trip. Book the 90-minute sunset cruise or splash out on a private charter — both are worth every cent.

2. Bloukrans Bridge bungee — 216 m of pure insanity Still the highest commercial jump on earth. The free-fall lasts seven seconds. You’ll scream the whole way.

3. Kayak & lilo up Storms River gorge Paddle under indigenous forest canopy, then lie back on inflatable lilos and drift with the current. Magical.

4. Hike Robberg Peninsula at sunrise 4–9 km loops, empty beaches, seal colony, and the chance of whales just offshore.

5. The Adventure Tour at Cango Caves Squeeze through the Devil’s Chimney and the infamous Postbox. You’ll emerge dusty, shaking, and grinning like a kid.

6. Tsitsikamma – walk the suspension bridge & otter trail day hike Iconic views, dolphins below, zero chance of staying on the bridge when it sways.

7. Whale-watching from a boat (June–November) Plett and Knysna now rival Hermanus — sometimes you shut the engine off and just listen to them breathe.

8. Stand-up paddle through the Knysna Lagoon’s hidden channels Early morning when the water is glass and the fish eagles are calling.

9. Oudtshoorn day trip — caves + ostrich farm lunch + meerkat sunrise (if you’re keen) My favourite full-day escape from the coast.

10. Featherbed Nature Reserve — 4×4 to the top of the Western Head The view over the lagoon and Heads is ridiculous.