Join One Of Our Award-Winning Garden Route Group Tours

The Garden Route is one of the world’s most rewarding road trips; a scenic stretch of coastline beginning about a 4-hour drive east of Cape Town and running over 1,000km toward Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). In a matter of days you’ll travel through indigenous forests, along dramatic sea cliffs, past lakes and lagoons, and into the semi-arid Klein Karoo, with opportunities for hiking, big game viewing, adrenaline activities, and great small-town food and hospitality. It’s a brilliant way to have a big range of scenery and experiences in a short amount of time.

Joining a group tour is a great way to travel solo, as a couple, or with friends while still having built-in company, a knowledgeable local guide, and all the logistics (accommodation, most meals, and transport) organized for you. Costs are also shared across the group, which generally makes it more affordable than travelling privately. The trade-off is flexibility: our group tours run to a set itinerary and schedule, in a shared vehicle with fellow travellers, so there’s less room for detours or a slower pace. If you’d rather set your own schedule, our private tour options offer complete flexibility instead.

The Garden Route begins about a 4-hour drive to the east of Cape Town. We recommend spending 5 or 6 days exploring the Garden Route. The route also works very well as a one-way drive, beginning in Cape Town and ending in Gqeberha (or vice versa), allowing you to explore its full length without backtracking.

This is a small group tour, with group sizes ranging from 4–12 people per vehicle. Ages typically range from 18 to 65, with an average age of around 33. We can accept guests as young as 14 if travelling with a parent or legal guardian, and guests older than 65 as long as they’re fit and healthy enough to keep up with the pace of the tour.

All Earthstompers group tours are conducted in English. .

This tour covers a significant distance, taking in over 1,000km of the South African coastline. Driving times generally run 3–5 hours per day, with stops along the way for meals, attractions, restroom breaks, and coffee at some of our favourite local spots. Please see the day-by-day itinerary for specific driving times each day.

We arrange all accommodation along the route, at places we’ve selected over the years for their cleanliness, unique setting, and atmosphere. Guests can choose between backpackers’ lodges, which offer mixed-gender dorm rooms (ranging from 2–12 beds) as well as private en-suite rooms, or guest houses, where all rooms are private en-suite. Single, double, and twin rooms are available at both. Backpackers have more of a social vibe and suit younger travellers looking for atmosphere — they usually have a bar or bonfire area, and although they’re the budget option, the standard of backpackers’ accommodation in South Africa is generally very high. Guest houses offer a more private, quieter, and more luxurious experience. About 80% of our guests choose backpackers and 20% choose guest houses.

Backpackers and guest house guests travel together in the same tour vehicle throughout. On Day 2 and Day 4 of the tour, both groups overnight at the same location — a working game farm near Oudtshoorn (Day 2) and a working citrus farm near Addo (Day 4) — with backpackers guests in more basic rooms and guest house guests in more luxurious ones. While we use the same accommodation most weeks, we can’t guarantee a specific property every time, due to availability and group size.

All bedding and towels are provided; please pack your own toiletries. A beach towel or quick-dry towel is a good idea for spontaneous swims in the sea! Please note that heating and air conditioning aren’t standard at the backpackers or guest houses, since they’re generally not needed in this part of South Africa — just ask your guide for a fan or extra blankets if you need them.

We’re foodies, and good food is an important part of the tour. Breakfast and dinner are included every day except Day 5, with breakfasts typically featuring fruit, muesli, eggs, toast, yoghurt, and cereal, and dinners showcasing traditional South African dishes like potjie (stew) and braai (barbecue). Lunch and drinks are on guests’ own account. We can cater for vegetarian and vegan diets, but not strict gluten-free, lactose-free, or halal diets — please let us know about any dietary requirements in advance. Dinner for all guests, including those staying at guest houses, is usually served at the backpackers.

We’ll pick you up on Monday morning at a location of your choice in central Cape Town (CBD, Camps Bay, Sea Point, Green Point, Observatory, or Rondebosch) or at Cape Town International Airport — just let us know your pickup address.

If you’re staying outside this range, we ask that you meet the tour bus at one of the following points on Monday morning:

• Bootlegger Coffee Company, 185 Bree St, Cape Town City Centre (closest for Bloubergstrand or Milnerton)
• Vida e Café, 41 Main Rd, Rondebosch (closest for Hout Bay, Muizenberg, or Constantia)
• Woolworths Waterstone Village, corner of R44 & Main Road, Somerset West (closest for Stellenbosch)

Pickup is generally between 6:00–7:30am in Cape Town and around 8:00am in Somerset West. We’ll confirm your exact pickup time and address, along with your guide’s details, the weekend before departure — please allow 15 minutes either side of your pickup time, as Monday morning traffic in Cape Town can be unpredictable!

We drop off at the end of the tour in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) at approximately 1:00–2:00pm on Friday. Please check with us before booking outbound flights from Gqeberha on Friday, to make sure the timing works.

Wear clothes you’re comfortable in — this tour includes several hikes and walks, so comfortable shoes are essential (no special hiking boots needed), and a small backpack is handy for day hikes. Bring a rain jacket, a sweater or jacket for cool evenings by the sea, and a hat, as the African sun can be intense. If you’re joining the early-morning Addo game drive, bring a hat and gloves too — the open game-viewing vehicle can be chilly, especially in winter.

Each passenger has space for one suitcase and one carry-on-sized bag (a laptop bag, backpack, or similar). Suitcases are limited to 67cm x 45cm (26in x 18in), and carry-ons to 48cm x 32cm (19in x 13in); both hard and soft suitcases are fine. There’s generally no porter service, so your luggage should be a size and weight you can manage comfortably yourself. If you have more or larger luggage than this, please contact us in advance, as our luggage trailers are designed to fit one suitcase per person within these dimensions.

No — this tour takes place in a malaria-free area, so no anti-malaria precautions are necessary. We’d still recommend bringing insect repellent, particularly in summer.

Yes, our group tours are ideal for solo travellers. You’ll have the chance to meet people from around the world, and your guide will be with the group throughout the tour to help ensure a safe and smooth journey.

Tipping is entirely at your discretion and not expected, though it’s a lovely way to say thank you and always appreciated. For group tours, gratuities typically range from R75–R250 per guest per day. Read more about tipping here.