Chas Everitt - Property in Garden Route South Africa

Dramatic river cut gorges, beautiful beaches, rocky headlands and deep tangled forests are the quintessential Garden Route images. Stretching from anywhere between SitlBaai and Mossel Bay in the west, to Stromsriver or Port Elizabeth (PE) in the east, it's a gorgeous stretch of coastal paradise strung out along the N2. Purists will squash it up between Mossel Bay and Stromsriver but, as the popularity of the Garden Route grew and small towns at its edge realized the marketing potential, it just seemed to spread. No problem - it spread to some cool places.

Nature's Valley - The scenic drive is worth it on its own, an additional reward is fresh fish at Rafiki's, on a deck on the beach, with a sundowner to end the day.

Plettenberg Bay with its magnificent unspoilt Robberg and Lookout Beaches is a popular seaside town. Great whale spotting in winter with jet-setting polo playing in summer. Hike the Robberg trail or walk magnificent unspoilt beaches. The Arts and Crafts route includes visits to The Heath and The Potter.

Rheenendal - Outside Knysna, Bush pig Fabrics on the road to Rheenendal, do fabric painting and screen-printed T-shirts. Nearby, visit Millwood the original site of early gold mining.

George - For steam lovers, take a ride on the famous Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe which travels from George to Knysna. This authentic steam train chugs along a charming scenic route on the rugged coastline and across the lagoon to Knysna.
Sedgefield - When the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe stops at Sedgefield, buy homemade pies from the Sedgefield Station for "padkos". On Saturday morning visit the Wild Oats Community Farmers' Market for farm fresh produce, where everything from biltong to biscuits is sold - the best place to enjoy breakfast.

Stilbaai - Famous fish traps, dating from the early Strandlopers, may be seen on the beach. From the official whale watching point, Lappiesbaai Restaurant, watch whales wave their tails. Stop off at the Matchbox, a charming country coffee shop offering stylish gifts and a farmyard for the kids.

Climate and Weather

Garden Route Climate | Garden Route Weather: The Garden Route has a Mediterranean Maritime climate, with moderately hot summers, and mild to chilly winters. It is one of the richest rainfall areas in South Africa. Most of the rains occur in the winter months, brought on by the humid sea-winds from the Indian Ocean. The Garden Route's temperate weather falls between two climatic regions of summer and winter rainfall so it rains mostly at night which keeps the area perennially green.

Spring: You can feel spring in the air by the end of August and into September. October can be quite mixed because just when you think summer has arrived, another cold front moves in.

Summer: The months of November to March are warmer, with December to February seeing mid-summer daily temperatures of about 24-30ºC.

Autumn: Temperatures start cooling down from about April but it can still be very pleasant until June.

Winter: June, July and August are the winter months. The days may be bright and warm, but it gets cold in the evening.

Garden Route Mountain Passes

Part of the scenic beauty of the Garden Route, is the mountains and mountain passes to the Klein Karoo. Mostly tarred, but some with rustic gravel roads, like the Swartberg Pass, considered to be one of the most amazing and breathtaking passes in Africa - a tribute to Thomas Bain, who built it.

The Swartberg Nature Reserve lies in the Oudtshoorn district between the Great and Little Karoo and encompasses 121 000 ha of mostly state-owned land. The nearest towns are Oudtshoorn (± 40 km), De Rust (± 5 km) and Prince Albert (± 5 km).

The road to Gamkaskloof, "The Hell", is accessed from the peak of the Swartberg Pass. Gamkaskloof was for more than a century the home of a self-sufficient farming
community..Meiringspoort, also in the Swartberge and one of the more spectacular routes between the Central and Klein Karoo, snaking along the river beneath towering red rock cliffs for some 27 km.

Most of the Garden Route is overlooked by the Outeniqua Mountains. Various passes cross the mountains. The old road between George and Knysna (still in use) offers a 82-km very beautiful scenic drive. Known as the "Passes Route" it links various small settlements and forest stations.The Outeniqua Mountain Pass between George and Oudtshoorn is considered to be one of the world's most beautiful railway passes. If you cannot do it by rail, the road linking the towns will expose you to some of the picturesque beauty of the area.

The road from Knysna to Avontuur leads through dense forests via the Prince Alfred's Pass into the fruit-producing valley of the Langkloof.There are also number of other lesser known passes to cross which will definitely enhance your visit to the Graden Route area - of which the Old Bloukrans Pass at Storms River is probably the the most scenic.

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Garden Route Property