Day 1
Road transfer
Cape Town, South Africa to Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, Gansbaai
Collect your hire car in Cape Town. About 140 to 160km depending on where you start, roughly two hours. Grootbos is on the R43 between Stanford and Gansbaai.
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Photo: Grootbos Private Nature Reserve · Source ↗
An Explore Africa journey
Garden Route Self-Drive: Walker Bay to a Malaria-free Safari
Ref EA2026022·Indicative from A$5,400 per person (varies by season)·7 nights
About this journey
Seven nights by hire car from Cape Town to the Eastern Cape, designed to follow the Rovos Rail journey to Cape Town or to stand on its own. Drive about two hours to Grootbos above Walker Bay for two full-board nights of fynbos walks and, from about June to November, southern right whales close to shore. Then take the N2 east to Lily Pond Country Lodge on the edge of Tsitsikamma National Park for three nights of forest, coast and Plettenberg Bay. Finish with two nights at Kariega, a family-owned, malaria-free Big Five reserve, with game drives, a river cruise and guided bush walks, before returning the car at Gqeberha airport. Drive times are approximate, so allow extra for stops.
When to go
Southern right whales are in Walker Bay from about June to November, and Grootbos names October and November as the best whale months. The Garden Route and Kariega's malaria-free reserve suit travel all year.
Your country folio
What to know before you go
Practical notes are grouped by destination so each border, currency and season is easy to distinguish.
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South Africa
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Photo: Lily Pond Country Lodge · Source ↗
South Africa is the great all-rounder: Big Five safari, Cape Town, the Winelands, dramatic coastlines and an extensive visitor network in one journey.
Entry requirementsConfirm passport validity, visas, digital entry forms and transit rules with Smartraveller and the destination's official immigration authority before travel.
HealthAsk a travel-health professional for advice specific to this itinerary. Kariega describes its reserve as malaria-free.
CurrencySouth African Rand (ZAR); cards are widely accepted in established visitor areas.
Getting aroundThis route is planned for a hire car, collected in Cape Town and returned at Gqeberha airport. Distances and drive times in the itinerary are approximate.
Best timeSouthern right whales are in Walker Bay from about June to November. The rest of the route can be travelled all year.
Before you travel
Australian Government travel advice
South Africa
Level 2: Exercise a high degree of caution
Last updated
Read the full advice on Smartraveller for South Africa (opens in a new tab)
Source: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Smartraveller (smartraveller.gov.au), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Summarised and shortened by Explore Africa; read the full advice on Smartraveller.
The journey
Day by day
Whales, forest and a Big Five finish.
Indicative price: the from-price covers the three stays only, per person sharing, at each lodge's published rates for November 2026 to April 2027. It includes full board and the included activities at Grootbos and Kariega, breakfast at Lily Pond, and the Grootbos and Kariega conservation fees. Grootbos includes soft drinks, tea and coffee; other drinks there, and drinks at Kariega and Lily Pond, are extra. Car hire, fuel, flights and extra activities are not included.
Days 1–2
Grootbos Private Nature Reserve
Overberg · South Africa · 2 nights
Why we picked itFull-board suites in a private fynbos reserve above Walker Bay, with guided walks, reserve horse riding and a 4x4 flower safari in the rate. Southern right whales gather in the bay from about June to November.
In the area
Booking guidance
Day 3
Road transfer
Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, Gansbaai to Lily Pond Country Lodge, The Crags
The long driving day: about 460km, roughly six hours plus stops, east along the N2. Lily Pond is 3km down the R102 Nature's Valley road, off the N2 about 20km past Plettenberg Bay.
Days 3–5
Lily Pond Country Lodge
Garden Route · South Africa · 3 nights
Why we picked itA small guest house in quiet gardens on the edge of Tsitsikamma National Park, close to Nature's Valley and Plettenberg Bay. Breakfast is included, and the hosts help plan forest walks and coastal days.
Booking guidance
Day 6
Road transfer
Lily Pond Country Lodge, The Crags to Kariega Main Lodge, Kariega Game Reserve
About 340km, roughly four hours, east on the N2 past Gqeberha, then towards Kenton-on-Sea. Kariega is about 10 minutes from Kenton-on-Sea.
Days 6–7
Kariega Main Lodge
Eastern Cape · South Africa · 2 nights
Why we picked itA family-owned, malaria-free Big Five reserve near Kenton-on-Sea. Meals, morning and evening game drives and other game activities are in the rate, including a Kariega River cruise and guided bush walks.
In the area
Booking guidance
Day 8
Road transfer
Kariega Main Lodge, Kariega Game Reserve to Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) airport
About 130km. Kariega gives the drive from Port Elizabeth as about 80 minutes. Return the hire car at the airport for flights to Johannesburg or Cape Town.
For whales on the way, travel between about June and November, when southern right whales are in Walker Bay. Grootbos names October and November as the best months.
The route
How to book this trip
This is a plan you can book yourself, directly with each lodge. Here’s the order of play:
- 1Camps first. Contact each camp below to confirm availability and rates, and book with them.
- 2Then transfers & regional flights. Arrange these once your camp dates are locked.
- 3International flights last. Booked separately from Australia, once the ground trip is confirmed.
Grootbos Private Nature Reserve
South Africa · 2 nights
Contact Grootbos Private Nature Reserve directly ↗ (opens the lodge's website in a new tab)Explore Africa doesn't take bookings or quote prices. For rates and availability, contact the lodge directly or ask your own African travel specialist.
Safari packing checklist
If your trip includes light-aircraft flights, pack a soft duffel, not a hard case, and check the weight limit with your operator. Spare lithium batteries and power banks go in cabin baggage only. Neutral colours, and layers for cold mornings.
Documents & money
- Passport (check validity and blank-page rules)
- Visas / e-visas as required
- Travel insurance details
- Vaccination certificates
- Cards + some USD cash
- Copies of key documents
Clothing: neutral tones
- Lightweight long sleeves & trousers
- Warm fleece / layer (cold dawns)
- T-shirts
- Swimwear
- Sleepwear
- Smart-casual for dinners
Footwear
- Closed walking shoes
- Sandals / camp shoes
Gear
- Binoculars
- Camera, spare batteries (cabin bag only) & cards
- Sunglasses & wide-brim hat
- Headtorch
- Small daypack
- Reusable water bottle
Health & toiletries
- Antimalarials (if advised)
- Insect repellent (DEET)
- High-SPF sunscreen & lip balm
- Personal medication
- Hand sanitiser
- Basic first-aid kit
Make it longer
Combine with
Journeys that pair well with this one. Each opens in a new tab; ask us to join them into one trip.
Want this route tailored to you?
Love this route but need it to suit your group? Age rules for children, malaria precautions and extra stops vary by property, so plan your own version or ask Explore Africa to check and adjust it with you.
This itinerary is a planning tool: indicative, not a quote or a booking. Price lines include only the items they explicitly identify. Transfers, activities, meals and flights are excluded unless stated. Availability, rates and flight times change, so please confirm them directly. Explore Africa doesn't take bookings, so nothing here creates a reservation: book each stay directly with the lodge or through your own African travel specialist.
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