Garden Route, go or not?
 

I will be in South Africa in July, 2017. I´ve read although it´s winter, it´s still very beautiful and warm. My plan is to stay 5 days in Cape Town, 2 days in the Wine Country, one day to go whale watching in Hermanus, that gives me 2 extra days until my flight back home. I wonder if it´s worth it to go by plane to George and explore the garden route for 2 days, including some elephant interaction. Are there any short scenic drives? This is our plan for our second week. The first week we will spend 2 days in Johannesburg and 4 in Kruger. Any suggestions on our last 2 days?
thanks
Georgia

Please no animal interactions. Those poor elephants (or lions, cheetahs, etc) are treated very poorly and suffer for our entertainment. Please rethink that.

July is a very good time for game viewing, though it can be very cold at night. Take layers!

Have you booked your arrangements yet? I would start with a flight to Port Elizabeth, drive the Garden Route to Cape Town/winelands. I think 4 nights is plenty in Cape Town so add a night on the Garden Route (or safari). It's pretty all year round (but a little tame for me - I'd spend the time in KwaZulu Natal!). The water will be cold so no beach time. (The Indian Ocean is warm and beautiful on the KZN coast!).

Then fly direct from Cape Town to the Kruger airport nearest your lodge and get a road transfer (or rent a car and drive yourself). After your 4 nights, fly to JNB. If you can add more nights on safari, I highly recommend it. It's the highlight and doing 6 nights at 2 different lodges would be better than 2 nights at one. There are lodges in every price range, so adding nights doesn't have to blow your budget. Here's a map of many of the lodges adjacent to Kruger. I don't recommend Thornybush or Kapama Reserve lodges as they are fenced from Kruger. The more expensive lodges add luxury, not better game viewing.

http://assets.sunsafaris.com/Map-of-Kruger-Camps.pdf

I recommend that route because there are the fewest connections through JNB and less transit time. I also like to save the best for last - and safari is the highlight of any trip to S Africa. If the first week is already booked, then fly Kruger to CPT and end in Port Eliiz, fly PE to JNB for flight home.

Sorry, I didn't really answer your question. "Worth it" is subjective. Yes, the Garden Route is pretty.

Hi christabir! Thanks for your reply. I thought Knysna Elephant Park was a nice experience...isn't it?
I´ve already booked two nights in JNB and 3 nights in a lodge in Kruger. With 4 nights in CP and 2 in the Wine Country that leaves me just 3 nights for the wine route that-s why I thought taking a plane to and back from George, instead of driving all the way there. Any thoughts?

I meant garden route not wine route.

Just see the wildlife in the wild. The more tourists who do animal interactions, the more there will be. It's a horrible life - chained up and worse. Even the "good" ones.

I don't know. I'm a safari girl. With two weeks in S Africa, I'd spend half or more on safari. I'm not the best one to try to give advice on the GR. I'd fly to PE and go to Addo! Or add three nights at an affordable lodge in greater Kruger. I've slept more than 100 nights out in the bush and can't wait to go back.

You could do a one way flight to George (or Knysha or Port Eliz) and drive back to CT. The problem being I hate one night stays in each place because it feels like a "drive by". The Garden Route can feel like that unless you have a lot of time.

It's still really early - you can change the dates of the reservation in Kruger if there is availability at no cost. They aren't unreasonable.

Thanks a lot!