ClaireP

My boyfriend and I are flying into Cape Town, arriving 5 October.
At the moment, our itinerary is planned as follows:
2 nights - Stellenbosch
1 night - Montagu (head out on Route 62)
1 night - Knysna / Storms River
3 nights - Addo Elephant Park
1 night - en route back to Cape Town (perhaps Knysna, or further back along the N2)
We have a cottage rented in Bakoven from 13 Oct for 11 nights (I spend alot of time away on business for work, staying in hotels, and don't want to spend too much of my holiday living out of a suitcase).

Our main concerns are, having read a few of the postings, whether we are going to flog ourselves on the driving, with this kind of schedule, and whether we should take another day coming back from Addo to Cape Town. We can't add in more time on the way to Addo, as these were the only dates we could get accommodation in the park for.

We are happy to drive around 5 hours a day (i.e. aim to leave our accomodation around 10am, drive a couple of hours, stop for lunch/break, then drive on a few more hours, and hopefully arrive by 5pm to next overnight stop). We have done a few driving tours in Canada and the US, and are aware that us Brits often underestimate how long it can take to drive from one part of the country to another, as we simply don't have those kind of distances on our little island. Some realistic advice would be appreciated.

Also, if you are suggesting places to stop en-route, which break the journey into manageable chunks, can you please suggest accommodation? We're not too bothered about anything too fancy, but like somewhere welcoming and comfortable.

Many thanks for any suggestions.

Kavey

Here is our report for that journey: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34511049

Selwyn_Davidowitz

ClaireP,

In terms of your driving plans I feel it is definitely possible to do what you are proposing. It is a bit of a pity that you cannot allocate another day to Knysna but I suppose thats the way it goes.

In terms of accommodations along the way there is a wonderful little gem in Montagu called Aasvoelkrans. See more at http://www.aasvoelkrans.co.za Fabulous little whacky place where the artist owner/host is a wonderfully warm person under whose roof to stay. Highly recommended.

In Knysna I always suggest Overmeer as a place to stay. http://www.overmeergh.co.za/ Very reliable and well run guesthouse with fabulous views of the lagoon. Well priced too.

If Overmeer does not satisfy your needs then go take a look at Heron Water lodge. http://www.heron.co.za/ Great guesthouse with wonderful hosts in the form of Franc and Penny. Right on the Knysna Lagoon. Another well priced venue.

If you go down to the Tsitsikamma please dont miss out on the Treetop Adventure. It is very worth the ride and you should be able to make the ride as well as arrive in Addo timeously on the day. http://www.treetoptour.com .

If you do decide to stay in the Tsitsikamma then take a look at the Tsitsikamma Village. Try and book one of the two honeymoon rooms. They are dirt cheap and are wonderfully laid out. http://www.village-inn.co.za/accom/index.html

Hope this all helps you to enjoy the Western and Eastern Cape when you visit us.

Very proudly part of the wonderful nation of South Africa

lynn100

We did a similar route to yours sept/oct this year. I would recommend you spend more than one night on the way back to CT from ADDO - it is a long distance. We drove Addo to Mossell Bay 2nights, then Bettys Bay 2 nights - this was then an easy drive to airport along some stunning scenery of the coast road.

lynn100

P.S. Bettys Bay was very quiet but Mossell was a bigger and lively town.