Groovy Routes

I am once again posting about something in the not so distant past, but better late than never, right? Last month, I finally had the chance to see the lovely Garden Route that I had heard so much about. The Garden Route is comprised of a hand full of adorable little seaside towns (think Laguna Beach or Santa Cruz) with the furthest point being about 10 hours away. So, after a sick Avicii concert to kick off our break, Karina, Holly, Shannon and I loaded up our gear and spent Spring Break on the coast!

 Everyone does the Garden Route their own way, but if you ever find yourself out that way, let me give you a few hints..

Say YES to...

1. Staying at Wild Spirit Backpackers in the Crags (pictures 2,3, and 4). If you have a bit of vagabond gypsy in you, you'll love the organic breakfasts, amazing views, roaming family pets and general vibe of this hippy haven. Make sure to spend a day at the lagoon in Nature's Valley and hike Pigs Head for a 360 view of the area!

2. Bungee Jumping in Tsitsikamma! At 216 meters (708 feet) it's the world's tallest commercial bungee. I'm desperately afraid of heights, but it was really fun to watch the crazies fly and be around all the adrenaline.

3. Making a trip to Jeffery's Bay (pictures 5 and 6). It's a world renown surf spot so there are really cheap lessons everywhere. That also means that it's got quite the population of fun kids that want to surf by day and get ultra rowdy by night. We stayed at Island Vibe the first two nights, which was great because it's known for its parties and locals hang out there all the time. But, for our third night, we opted for a cleaner, quieter place called Hard Rock Backpackers which was also awesome with an insanely friendly owner.

4. Going to Addo (pictures 7, 8 and 9)! Addo National Elephant Park was by far my favorite part of the trip, and a highlight of my entire year. It was amazing to see the freedom that the animals and the visitors had, as there are no gates, fences, anything between you and the animals. We were lucky enough to see 3 out of the 12 lions in the whole park, and although we didn't see as many elephants as other trips I've heard of, the hand full that we saw were up close and personal. Quite honestly the most humbling experience I've had in a long time.

5. Staying at the Fairy Knowe. This was our last stop before Cape Town, and even though it was raining and miserable out, I loved this place. It was a great deal for a private, 4 person room, they have 2 friendly stafford bull terriers that wanted to play all day, and it was in the midst of the beautiful town of Wildnerness which hosts quaint shops, amazing eateries and hiking/kayaking adventures of all kinds.

Say NO to...

1. the drive to Oudtshoorn. Now, maybe I'm a bit biased because our experience was not great, but the drive to Oudtshoorn did not seem worth the time. It's home to the Cango Wild Life Ranch and the Cango Caves, which both seemed pretty cool at first. But, in all actuality, the ranch was a hardly glorified zoo and we didn't even make it to the caves because they were even farther out of the way. However, I have heard that it's basically just a guided tour and it's not natural or adventurous at all. 

2. Stopping in Sedgefield. It's just past Wilderness, and it's where we spent our first night. The backpackers was okay, but the town had nothing else to offer besides being on the beach. I would suggest either stopping in Wilderness or powering through to the Crags which is only about an hour more!

3. Saying no! My biggest lesson from this trip is to say yes! We didn't do a few activities because we thought something better would come along that we would rather do. But, by the end of our trip, we felt like we hadn't done much at all. Of course we had fun, saw amazing sights and enjoyed the trip, but we didn't do much. Raft, hike, zip line - just do!

Live positively,

KG