The Garden Route is one of the world’s great coastal road trips, a 300-kilometer stretch of jaw-dropping scenery that winds along South Africa’s southeastern coastline between Mossel Bay and Storms River. This narrow ribbon of road threads through a constantly shifting mosaic of ancient indigenous forests, dramatic sea cliffs, golden beaches, tranquil lagoons, and fynbos-covered mountains that together create one of the most biodiverse corridors on the planet. The route earned its name from the lush, evergreen vegetation that persists year-round, nourished by rivers that tumble from the Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma mountain ranges down to the Indian Ocean. Key stops include the charming town of Knysna, nestled on a glittering lagoon guarded by dramatic sandstone headlands, the old-growth forests of the Garden Route National Park where 800-year-old yellowwood trees tower overhead, and the wild, spray-lashed coastline of Tsitsikamma where suspension bridges cross deep river gorges above crashing turquoise waves.

Adventure seekers will find no shortage of thrills along the route. The Bloukrans Bridge bungee jump, at 216 meters, is the highest commercial bungee in the world. The Cango Caves near Oudtshoorn offer guided tours through spectacular underground chambers, while ostrich farms in the semi-arid Klein Karoo provide an eccentric detour. Between June and November, the coast becomes one of the best places on Earth to spot southern right whales, which migrate here to calve in the sheltered bays, with Plettenberg Bay offering particularly rewarding boat-based encounters.

Pro tip: Allow at least five days to drive the Garden Route properly rather than rushing through in two. Base yourself in Knysna for a couple of nights to explore the lagoon and forests at leisure, and save Tsitsikamma for last, as the dramatic suspension bridge hike along the Mouth Trail is the perfect grand finale.