ALadyNCal

Trying to nail down my Garden Route itinerary. One final thing to decide... Here is my tentative route ~~~

Cape Town 5 nights
Franschhoek 2 nights
Oudtshoorn 1 night
Knysna 2 nights
Port Elizabeth 1 night

Regarding Cape Town, we arrive in the evening on day one, so 5 nights results in 4 full days. Regarding Port Elizabeth, we will stay there one night before an early a.m. flight to Victoria Falls.

My ONE QUESTION: Should I leave the itinerary as is, OR stay two nights in Oudtshoorn instead of two nights in Franschhoek? Although Franschhoek looks great, it is very close to Cape Town. Would it be better to stop for two nights farther along at Oudtshoorn?

Thanks for any feedback

muzaway

Hi ALadyNCal,

I recently returned from my honeymoon in the area and would definitely recommend two nights in Franschhoek over two nights in Oudtshoorn - particularly if you enjoy eating and drinking!

In saying that, your one night in Oudtshoorn may end up being a bit of a rest stop as more than likely you will arrive in the early to mid-afternoon and be gone again reasonably early the next day. However I'm sure that with an early start you could fit in a trip to the Kango caves and an Ostrich farm.

Enjoy,

Muz

Kavey

I'd definitely give Franschhoek longer than Oudtshoorn...

Oudtshoorn does have the Cango Caves, the wildlife ranch and the ostrich places but Franschhoek is in such a beautiful landscape, offers great food and wine and is a great place to kick back.

napamatt

Franschoek definitely for two days.

ALadyNCal

Excellent. Thanks

Just wanted to run it by people who've been there and are better informed than me!

ivee

To create some confusion I have been to both and stayed only one night in Oudtshoorn and regretted it was not any longer .. in the beautiful estate 'Rozenhof'

MyriamC

I'd go for two nights in Oudtshoorn. Cango Caves and an ostrich farm are only part of what there is to see in the area. For instance, the magnificent Swartberg Nature Reserve (drive to Prince Albert over the Swartberg Pass and back through Meiringspoort). The Little Karoo is so different from the Garden Route and the Winelands. It's a very rough scenery, totally different from all your other destinations.

ALadyNCal

Well now that would put me back to square one.... Half think Oudtshoorn and half think Franschhoek... Maybe I should toss a coin?

muzaway

I guess you could say it's a 'Booze versus Views' showdown!!

(not that Franschhoek is all about booze)

Kavey

He he he what a dilemma!

ALadyNCal, we put in a night in Swellendam between the two so we arrived in Oudtshoorn fairly early on our arrival day and had time to do stuff then and on the day we left too so hence one night was plenty. We enjoyed the dry scenery Myriam describes during our drive to the town and whilst we didn't do the Swartberg Pass we drove some other ones in that area that Selwyn had mentioned to us. Winding roads through beautiful high canyons...

To be honest, I'm sure you'll enjoy either experience! Depends on whether you find the wine region more appealing or the more unusual semi desert landscape more appealing. It's all personal preference really!

Ostrich farm didn't appeal to us at all but we did enjoy the Caves and our visit to the Cango Wildlife Ranch.

MyriamC

The ostrich farm didn't appeal to us either. Same for the wildlife ranch. It's a zoo like there are so many zoos.
I loved the town of Prince Albert in the Karoo. It was so peaceful and quiet, with locals sitting on their verandas like in old-time movies. Really different.

ALadyNCal

A tie breaker! My Uncle used to raise emus -- so I've been to an 'emu farm'. Therefore I shouldn't need to visit an ostrich farm. ;-)

Kavey

Mym, oddly enough, I didn't expect to enjoy the Wildlife Ranch that much either - as you say, just a zoo and we were going on to spend 5 weeks on safari shortly afterwards but the highlight of this wildlife ranch for me was to be able to pet a cheetah...

Kavey

ALadyNCal
Where are your instincts leading you?
Isn't there a slightly stronger pull in one direction - either to a slightly European winelands tour with fine dining, wineries and lush landscapes or to an arid desert-like landscape with caves, mountain passes and the like?

MyriamC

Kavey, did you really actually PAY to pet a cheetah? I thought this was the worst rip off I had ever experienced (it may be clear that we didn't pet the cheetah baby).

Kavey

Of course I paid - why would they give it to me for free for no reason? I appreciated the chance to get so close to a cheetah that I could really see (and feel) what it's fur was like, how it's eyes glinted and so on.
Clearly the experience didn't appeal to you but is it really necessary to imply that those who don't share your opinion are being ripped off?
One person's rip off is another person's great deal - it's all about personal tastes. I'm sure many of the things you choose to spend your money on I might think are a complete and utter waste of time in my opinion but I do appreciate the fact that we all have different preferences and try and show some respect for that.

colind

Add an extra week to your trip and stay 2 days at both.

You can then also visit then Tsitstikamma and Addo National Parks and visit one of the big 5 Game Reserves.

ALadyNCal

At this point, I am leaning toward two nights @ Franschhoek. I might have time in a week or so to do some additional reading and change my mind to Oudtshoorn. Thanks for all the feedback