Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/604206
the garDen route (5 Days/4 nights) ESCORTED lUXURy ITInERARy DAy 1: At the airport, where your local guide will meet you for your transfer to Oudtshoorn. Travel along the scenic Route 62; en route, stop at Van Loveren vineyards for a wine tasting. Arrive at Oudtshoorn, situated at the foot of the majestic Swartberg Mountains, and check in to the Rosenhof Country House. The afternoon is at your leisure. DAy 2: After breakfast and check-out, meet your guide for a tour of Oudtshoorn. Visit the Cango Caves, which are among the biggest stalagmite formations in the world, and the Safari Ostrich Farm, where you can test the strength of the ostrich eggs by standing on them—a great photo opportunity. Then, it's on to the town of Knysna, one of the Southern Cape's best-known coastal vacation destinations. Here you will visit "The Heads"—two great sandstone cliffs guarding the mouth of the lagoon that connects the estuary with the sea. Stand on the lookout on the Eastern Head, and drink in spectacular views of the lagoon, Leisure Isle, and Knysna. Tonight, stay at the luxurious Conrad Pezula. (B, L) DAy 3: Depart after breakfast for the Featherbed Nature Reserve, a breathtaking example of ecotourism. Drive to the top of the Western Head in a four-wheel drive Unimog with trailers, stopping at a magnificent viewing point. Take in the unsurpassed views of the lagoon, mountains, and Knysna while your knowledgeable guides explain the history and ecology of the Reserve. After the drive, a knowledgeable guide will take you on an optional 1.4-mile downhill walk, finishing off with a buffet lunch at a popular Knysna restaurant under the milkwood trees. Return to the hotel. Spend the rest of the day exploring on your own. (B, L) DAy 4: After breakfast and check-out, drive to Monkeyland, a unique sanctuary that caters to several species of monkeys, where they can freely and peacefully move about the forest. Your enthusiastic ranger will take you out on a monkey safari certain to leave you with a whole new grasp of the primates of the world and the problems they face. Next is a visit to the Birds of Eden, the world's largest single-span aviary, located east of Plettenberg Bay on the Garden Route. This enormous two-hectare dome is home to some 100 species of incredible African birds—a few of which are endangered—in an array of exotic colors. Continue to the Garden Route Game Lodge; an afternoon game drive in the reserve will be followed by dinner and overnight at the lodge. (B, D) DAy 5: Take one final morning game drive before returning to the lodge for a hearty breakfast. Prepare for check-out, then meet your driver for your return transfer along the Garden Route to Cape Town for your departure. (B) Meals: B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner 12 | The Garden Route