The Ultimate Garden Route Road Trip: Cape Town to Port Elizabeth in 5 Days

South Africa is blessed with extraordinary road trip destinations, but none captures the imagination quite like the Garden Route. Stretching approximately 800km from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha) along the southern coastline, it traverses diverse landscapes from wine country to coastal cliffs to ancient forests. We completed the route over five days in a BMW X3 xDrive20d — a sensible choice for long distances given its 5.8L/100km diesel consumption. **Day 1: Cape Town to Hermanus (120km)** Leaving Cape Town via the N2 before turning off at Somerset West for the R44 coastal road is non-negotiable — the mountain backdrop over False Bay is extraordinary. Hermanus remains the world's best land-based whale watching destination from June to November; we arrived in October and saw three southern right whales from the cliff path. **Day 2: Hermanus to Knysna (320km)** The longest day covers the N2 through the Overberg, stopping at Swellendam (founded 1746, third-oldest town in South Africa), George and the spectacular Wilderness beach before reaching Knysna's famous lagoon. The Outeniqua Pass from George provides mountain panoramas that justify a photo stop. **Day 3: Knysna (rest day)** Knysna deserves its own day. The Knysna Heads — two sandstone cliffs forming the entrance to the lagoon — are best experienced on a boat cruise at sunset. The Waterfront area offers excellent restaurants; Ile de Pain is worth the early-morning queue for outstanding pastries. **Day 4: Knysna to Tsitsikamma (120km)** The Tsitsikamma National Park section of the Garden Route is the most dramatic — the N2 threads through indigenous forest above rocky coastline. The Bloukrans Bridge bungee jump at 216m is the world's highest bungee. We watched three brave souls jump but politely declined ourselves. **Day 5: Tsitsikamma to Port Elizabeth (200km)** The final day passes through Storms River — kayaking the gorge is highly recommended — before the N2 flattens out through the Eastern Cape toward Port Elizabeth's waterfront. **The Car** The BMW X3 xDrive20d was outstanding for this purpose. Comfortable seats, excellent lane-keeping assistance for highway sections and diesel economy that kept running costs manageable. We averaged 6.1L/100km across the 800km route.