We left Cape Town and drove to George which took us about four hours, we had originally booked into a hotel in George as it had been recommended to us. We stopped off at Witsand on the way which is a small beach town en route and it was very pretty. We also saw some whales from the beach. We had booked into the Protea Landmark Lodge Hotel in George. The Hotel reception area was nice but the rooms were very basic and not very nice, they did not look like they had been cleaned.
We drove around George and decided it is not the place we thought it was, as it was just an industrial town, so went to get something to eat while deciding where to go instead.
We had booked into the Hotel in George for 4 four nights and was definitely not staying for that long.!!!! Our one and only evening in George was spent at the Casino in Mossel Bay which had lots of restaurants in it. We decided on Knysna and booked into the Graywood Hotel for three nights (we would spend the first night in George and move to Knysna in the morning!!!!).
The Graywood Hotel was lovely and resembled a ski lodge. The Hotel is only a 3*, but it is nicer than some 4* Hotels I have stayed in!!!. The people were friendly and the rooms were lovely and clean and the Hotel has a secure covered car park. Knysna has a nice waterfront with shops and restaurants. It reminded me of a smaller version of the V and A waterfront at Cape Town. We booked a boat trip to do some whale spotting and although the heavens opened while we were on the boat, we did see some. That evening we went to the African Restaurant across the road.
The weather was mixed while we were there for a couple of days it poured and at one point Knysna lost electricity, fortunately for us the Graywood had a generator so we were ok. The next day had beautiful sunshine all day as we drove to Ootdshorn to visit the Cango Ostrich farm and Cango Caves. The farm is privately owned and offer tours and the opportunity to ride or feed the Ostrich's. The tour takes 45 minutes and is worth going. The cost of the tour is ZAR50.00 for adults and ZAR25.00 for children.
The caves are also worth visiting and there are two tour on offer which are the Standard Tour which cost ZAR55.00 and the Adventure Tour which cost ZAR70.00 and take 60 minutes on the standard and 90 minutes on the adventure tour. The caves are stunning and should not be missed. That evening back in Knysna we went to JJ's restaurant at Knysna Waterfront. They offer a varied menu including seafood, delicious steaks and South African Game among other items. My sister had the Chocolate Fondue as a desert and it was the most delicious thing I have ever tasted (there was so much I had to help her finish it....)
The next day we headed to Knysna Elephant Park which is rehabilitation centre which offers tours, walks and rides and also has accommodation. The rates are ZAR145 for adults and ZAR75 for children. You can also buy buckets of food at ZAR25 and feed the elephants. The elephants are orphans rescued from culling operations or abandoned. The tours can take up to an hour but you can stay at the park for as long as you wish. We then headed to Plettenberg Bay and booked an Ocean Safari for more whale watching.
The rates are expensive but there are only two companies including Ocean Safaris that are licenced to offer tours. There are two types of tours being the Discovery Cruise ZAR300 and the Premium Cruise ZAR500. The discovery cruise is operated on boats without a licence and are legally obliged to stay 300 meters from the whales, and the Premium is a Close Encounter tour which is permitted to approach whales up to 50 metres. We booked the Premium Tour as we decided if we were going to book a tour we might as well do it properly.
We were not disappointed and saw loads of whales, seals and dolphins and they were really close. Unfortunately I was not quick enough with my camera to get good shots... Plettenberg Bay is in the heart of the Garden Route and is close to Ootdshorn and Knysna. The beaches are lovely and the sea is warmer as it is the Indian Ocean.
Although it had been warm and sunny all day, when we got back to Knysna in the evening it was raining and cold so we did not want to go too far. Just a few minutes from our Hotel was a South African pub called Oldes. South Africa were playing rugby and it was being shown on the big screen, so it was really busy and there was a great atmosphere. There was a spit roast which was free for customers. We had a great night there and the people were friendly.
The Graywood Hotel only offered a bed and breakfast basis although there is a Hotel bar and it is in a great location and is walking distance to the Waterfront. We had heard about the Outeniqua Choo Choo Steam Train which used to operate between Knysna and George, but while we were there part of the track and bridge was damaged due to bad weather so it was was not running. We had come to the end of our stay in the Garden Route and I would recommend Knysna as a base to explore.
The day we drove from Kysna to Cape Town was a nightmare as there had been a landslide because of the bad weather, which meant instead of a four hour drive, it ended up taking us nearly seven hours. Because of the Land Slide, part of the main motorway (N2) collapsed at Wilderness so we had to use the back road through the Mountains. Apart from this mishap, we had a great time in this area of the country and will have to go back as we did not get chance to explore the area as much as we would have liked....
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