{waking up at 4:30 am to watch wild meerkats}
Though none of us were quite ready to leave Cape Town (can you blame us?), we had other things on the agenda so we reluctantly packed our bags and off we went. During my research prior to our departure, I kept reading about The Garden Route: a series of small towns dotting the coast that are each, in their own right, well worth a visit.
We decided to embark on a mini road trip of sorts, taking in the (glorious) sites along the route over the course of three days. Before I dive in to some of our favourite moments, I must say that the trek is long, and arduous at times, but well worth it. The vastly different landscapes you get to witness along the way make the trek worthwhile. From deep red desserts, to luscious, overgrown jungles, to winding routes up and down mountains, literally minutes apart, you never really knew what was waiting for you around the corner. It was quite impressive!
{I’m going to venture a wild guess and say this is an antelope skull}
On the first night of our road trip we made a slight detour making our way off the typical path to visit the ostrich capital of the world: Outdshoorn. No, none of us were particularly interested in ostriches (though I won’t deny they do amuse me!), the reason for this detour was for one reason only: the Meerkat Adventure. Basically, it’s just as it sounds. You wake up at the crack of dawn (literally) to hike into the bush and watch wild meerkats wake up and begin their daily activities mere feet away from you. We must have watched them for two hours and it was, honestly, the experience of a lifetime. One I will not, ever, forget!
{necessary at 4:30 am in the middle of the desert}
{road trip!}
{views along the garden route}
{at a craft market in Knysna}
Next on the agenda: a trip to Monkeyland (obviously!) Located just outside of Plettenberg Bay, this sanctuary acts as a respite for monkeys who have been in captivity for most of their life (either in labs, or kept as pets in some capacity). Being unable to release them in the wild once they’ve been “domesticated”, it’s here that they can roam around freely for the rest of their days. You get to walk through the jungle as monkeys cross your path, swing on trees and go about their business. It was, without a doubt, one of the coolest places EVER.
Lastly, it wouldn’t be right for me to not mention the dinner we had on the beach at Enrico’s in Plettenberg. Truly, one of the best meals of my life. With dollar beers as you wait for a table, the loveliest setting in the entire world, and a selection of fish that was caught earlier that day, it was utterly perfect. (In fact, if you book early enough, you can go out with Enrico each morning as he catches the fish for the day!)
{a stroll along the beach}
{the view from dinner at Enrico’s}
{monkeyland!}
{luscious views en route}
{South Africa’s longest rope bridge}
{scenes from our cute hostel}
{beautiful Plettenberg Bay}
{views from breakfast}
{shantis en route}
{coming to the end of our road trip}
Images Original to Lark & Linen.
South Africa, Part I | Part II
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