Route 62: Elephants, Ostriches and Wine

The first stop on our Eastern Cape holiday is the town of Addo. If you're arriving from Port Elizabeth it will take you about 45 minutes to reach the Addo Elephant National Park. The area is quite spread out and flat, allowing you to see the elephants from far away. Keep your camera ready, you never know what you'll see, and you'll want some great reminders of your South Africa holiday to take home. There are some small hills in the park, but you shouldn't have any problem driving through the park in a compact car. You'll spend the night in a guest house in the quiet town of Addo, just outside of the park. After your visit to the park you can relax in the garden or take a dive into the swimming pool to cool off.

On day two of your Eastern Cape holiday you'll have an entire day to spot wild animals in Addo Elephant National Park. The roads in the park are sandy, but fine for driving your own rental car to spot wildlife. The park is especially well known for elephants, however besides these large animals you can also spot rhinos, bush bucks, kudus and zebras. If you're lucky, you may even see a hyena or lion sneaking up on its prey through the grass. Keep your camera ready, this is an excellent place to take pictures. Several years ago there was only a small group of elephants left in the park. In an effort to protect the elephants, all poaching was prohibited and the area was declared a national park. The preservation of the elephants was a success. The park's eco-system has been restored and there are now upwards of 450 elephants in the park, perfect if you want to spot one of these gentle giants on your South Africa trip. The elephants are really hard to miss. There are plans to expand this 164,000 acre park to about four times its size. If you want, you can join an organized game drive in the nearby Schotia Game Reserve in the evening. Ask for more information at your accommodation. 

After breakfast, it's time to drive to your next destination on your Eastern Cape holiday- Oudtshoorn. You'll take the Route 62 out of Addo and you'll pass through the mountains on your way to the arid region of Small Karoo. After about 4 hours you'll reach Oudtshoorn. Oudtshoorn is the world capital of ostrich farming. You'll get a pretty good idea about what it takes to breed ostriches (or Volstruis as they are known in South Africa) while staying on an ostrich farm. Ostriches are actually ridden like horses by very light volstruis-jockeys. If you would like to ride one, hang on tight..... it's hard to stay on their backs, but it would surely be an experience on your South Africa trip. Naturally you can also try the popular ostrich steaks or sample a mega ostrich egg omelette. Depending on what time your ostrich farm tour starts and whether you feel up to driving a bit further, you'll have time to visit the Cango limestone caves (30km from Oudtshoorn). Many tourists visit these limestone caves; however despite being a tourist-magnet, they are spectacular enough to visit. There are tours every hour and you can choose a 1-hour or a 1.5-hour tour. You'll spend the night just outside of town, amidst ostrich farms, in our cosy guest house with pool. Breakfast is included.

On the fourth day of our Eastern Cape holiday you'll travel from Oudtshoorn to Stellenbosch. The route will take you through rugged mountains and past vineyards and paddocks filled with ostriches. You'll also pass through a few small towns, some of which are really fun to visit. Of course you'll enjoy an opportunity to stretch your legs, but you may also want to look around these traditional towns or to have something to drink. Calitzdorp is one of the towns you'll pass through; it's well known for its Port. One of our favourite stops on route is Swellendam; a town with broad, oak-lines streets and historic houses that bring back an atmosphere of days gone by. Once you reach Stellenbosch you may want to park your car and explore the area a bit. In the evening you can go for a relaxing walk through the vineyards and soak up the atmosphere. You'll stay at our charming guest house in a room with all necessary amenities. The guest house also has a swimming pool and breakfast is included during your stay. In the evening we can reserve a table for you in a private gazebo at the Moyo restaurant on the Spier Estate. This open-air restaurant has several buffets with the most delicious dishes where you can go back for seconds, thirds or more. Visiting this restaurant alone is quite an extraordinary experience on your South Africa trip.

Today on your Eastern Cape holiday you'll have plenty of time to explore Stellenbosch and the surrounding area. Stellenbosch is one of the best preserved VOC towns, the Dorpstraat being the best example of this. You'll see quite a few houses built in the historic Cape Dutch style, such as the house in which the famous 'Oom Samie se Winkel' shop is located. This is an old Dutch store where they've had the same assortment of products for ages. It's fun to browse through the store and see some of the products used in the past. Other attractions in this area are the 'Braak' and the market square, where you'll find the Burger House (Civilian House), the VOC-Powder House and St. Mary's church. No single trip to this area would be complete without quite a bit of wine tasting which was a definate highlight of our South Africa trip. One of our favourite vineyards is 'Blauwklippen'. This wine estate is located about 4km south of the beach, on the road to Somerset West. They produce the popular Cabernet Sauvignon here. The vineyards are located close together in a stunning environment. In between wine tastings, this area offers plenty of spots to throw down a blanket and enjoy a picnic.

Your Eastern Cape holiday will end after breakfast on Day 6. After visiting the wine country, you can continue travelling towards Cape Town. Cape Town is a vivacious metropolis with so much to do and see that you could spend a lifetime here. For instance, you could choose to visit Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was held captive) or spend a few days of pure relaxation on the coast.