The Gorgeous Garden Route on the BokBus

  Knysna, Western Cape, South Africa
Wednesday, January 3, 2007

I leave Cape Town with my gang of pals from Germany, Scotland, England and Team Estonia with our fantastic South African guide Hans, who teaches history when he's not driving tourists around. We head along the N2 through Swellendam into Albertinia to a luxury game lodge for a sunset safari.

Garden Route Game Park, Albertinia

We get into the huge open air monster safari truck to see springbok, black wildebeests,

Black Wildebeests, RSA

lions, a pair of huge black rhinos, and even a few elephants.

Black rhino approaching

Dinner at the game lodge was incredible with the carnivores pigging out on springbok and ostrich, while I feasted on the luscious grilled Cape salmon, fresh salads and roasted veggies. The next day we travel from Mossel Bay to Wilderness, stopping at the famous Cango Caves, where a few days before a large lady got stuck for eleven hours! I decided to go the adventurous route but stayed away from "the chimney" which you had to clamber up on your knees with rocks in your back. After lunch we headed to the Cango Ostrich Ranch to see the funny birds. It is so hot the birds need to go in the shade, so we go to another wildlife park to see some more critters.

Dawn trying to cool off

Awwww

We spend the night at Backpackers Paradise in Oudtshoorn, where I end up playing the pool game Killer and winning a day's outing for two back to Cape Horn National Park. The following morning, we go canoeing on the Wilderness Lagoon and then watch our Scottish pal Glen jump off a bridge at the world's highest bungy jump (216m)at Bloukrantz. We see the most amazing waves and walk a gorgeous trail along the coast at the mouth of Storms River at Tsitsikamma National Park.

Storms River entering Indian Ocean, RSA

We spent the night and had a great BBQ dinner at the Didge Backpackers in Stormsriver Village, then we head out to a bar in the townships, where we dance and hang out with local villagers who work at the park.

View from hanging bridge, Storms River

They teach us local songs and the evening ends way too soon as we head out into the pouring rain after hugging them good bye. We spend the following day at a private farm with hills and lakes that look like Scotland, with another tremendous dinner and wind down the evening with a few beers. The next morning at the last minute I decide to join adrenalin junkie Glenn and go Shark Cage Diving at Gans Bay but they are full. After telling my self oh well, at breakfast Hans gets a call saying there's an opening so I get whisked off to the boat and my heart starts thumping. All I can say is why didn't I take a damn video??? Even so, I got some great photos of a super 9 foot great white. Along the route back to Cape Town, Hans saved some of the best scenery for last as we approach stunning False Bay. With good company, great food and fantastic scenery and adventure, these five days were an amazing eye-opener to the beauty, diversity and charm that is South Africa. I will definitely be back.