Garden Route and E Cape
 

Planning July trip CT - Garden Route - Eastern Cape- Riversdale-CT
Accommodation booked CT (3 NIGHTS) Zingela (Hartenbos) 1 night, Wilderness (1 night)Eastern Cape (own accommodation 1 week+)and Riversdale - 1 night on return journey.
Looking for info. on Knysna Oyster Festival events and sanity of perhaps staying there during this period (Tonquani?)
Would also appreciate recommendations on day visits to Game Reserves - Buffalo Hills/Kragga Kamma/Shamwari/Pumba/Amakhala/Kwantu - so much choice but given the price, don't want to make the wrong one.
Also, I know drive CT - Garden Route is boring - any suggestions for good stops for food/activities?
Any advice appreciated.

not sure who advised you or if you had a typo, but where did you find out that the CT garden route drive was boring?
This it is certainly not, the landscape is dramatic and if you take the time to get off the N2 and drop into a few of the coastal towns, you will find the journey quite entertaining.

I had read that the drive between Cape Town and the start of the Garden Route was long and unexciting - thanks for putting me right on that. Any suggestions as to good stopover points welcomed (p.s. we have previously visted Hermanus)

you seem to have your overnights already planned, or am i misreading your post?

1) to avoid some of the monotony of the sector Hermanus to Mossel bay (here I agree the two hours of wheatlands can be dull, but only compared with the rest of the route which is spectacular. I suggest that you kick off your drive going through paarl, hex river mountain pass top worcester, there pick up the r60/62 for calvinia or deviate down to swellendam. If you opt for the latter, take some time out and drive down to the mouth of the breede river, there is a hotle down there for o/night plus of course a beautiful beach.

You need to study a map, look at the time you have available and decide what sort of stretches you want to drive. the rest will fall in place, believe me it is all stunningly beautiful.

Thanks. Overnights are mostly planned. We do not plan to have an overnight stay between CT & Hartenbos but will certainly want to take a few food and rest breaks. Thanks for the 'get off the N2' recommendation, I will look at the map of the area in question and get planning. Thanks again.