Since we moved to South Africa, we have been wanting to take a trip through the garden route. We knew we would need a good chunk of time to complete it, and we don’t get many of those. Last year, we decided to make that our Christmas vacation for 2019. We don’t like leaving the dog at Christmas, or ever, really. South Africa has presented us with our greatest challenges for traveling with Q. As such, we had to plan our trip a year out because most places do not allow dogs – even for camping. So, with three weeks to play with, we made a plan. Of course, this was a glamping trip.
We left Joburg the day after school got out and headed south. I should explain now that we had both cars, our caravan, and a rooftop tent that one of our friends kindly let us borrow for the journey. This trip was full of exploring the countryside and lots of day trips. We clocked over 2500 miles.
The first day we drove for six and a half hours to reach our first destination, our halfway point in Colesberg. We got in after dark, so we did a very basic setup, had dinner, and went to bed. The campground was River Destiny Lodge. It is right on a river and was a really nice campground. We explored it further on the way back because it was also our halfway point going home. We were up early the next morning and back on the road to Worcester. Worcester is 45 minutes north of Franschhoek and wine country. We stayed at the Riverplaas campground, and were supposed to be there for three nights.
Riverplaas is on a working farm, with no electric at the sites. Normally, this isn’t an issue because we have solar. Unfortunately, the sites were so shady that it quickly became a problem. To make matters worse, the water pipe broke in the ablutions the first day and the bugs were so bad they were going to carry us away. We stayed one night and found a different place the next day. Riverplaas was an interesting experience and one that I would not recommend. Fortunately, it was our only “miss” of the trip.
The replacement campground was Silverstrand and it was right on the Breede river. I would happily return! We got settled in and started our day trips. The first destination was Franschhoek. I’ve been to Franschhoek and Stellenbosch a couple of times now and my favorite winery is Rickety Bridge. They are dog friendly and I had to take the family. We had a great day exploring the area.
Franschhoek valley 
We ended the fun day with some cards against humanity and a bottle of wine. The next day we had a strange front come through of really strong wind. The places we had planned to visit were all closed, so we stayed and enjoyed the campground amenities. It was too windy to kayak, so we swam in the river and the pool. It was a relaxing day. The rain came the next day, just as we finished packing up. Due to the change in campgrounds, we were now only an hour from our next destination. We split up the group and headed out. Reid took Q and the caravan and headed to the next campground because he was concerned about the weather. The kids and I headed to Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa. As we left, we had to cross this crazy narrow bridge. Glad no one was coming the other way!
Yikes! 
As low as you can go 
The weather was kind of crazy and the sea was rough, so we could not see the usual “line” where the two oceans meet. It was still beautiful and we thoroughly enjoyed the little town of Agulhas. After a delicious lunch of fish and chips, we left to go join Reid and help with the rest of the setup in Swellendam. I did stop at a fresh fish shop on the way out of town and pick up dinner. Fish for days….
Yummmm 
After two hours on a low heat braai
From here we would start to explore the actual garden route, which begins in Mossel Bay. The campground was a place called Umshanti and it was on a lake formed by a dam. There were only three campsites and this was a dog friendly place. We really enjoyed the campground and were there for four days. I was glad we had day trips because we quickly learned why many places don’t accept dogs. Yeah, we didn’t have the most responsible dog owner neighbors…. But, we did meet some nice people and Q made some friends!
That view tho! 
Our site 
Umm, let’s go… 
Play time!
Even with a bazillion dogs running all over the place and barking at all hours, it was a beautiful area and the people were all really nice. We had day trips galore. Here are some highlights.
Rolandale farm padstal 
Kasselshoop Dairy 
Cheese tasting 
Beer and cheese, yes please 
Inverroche distillery 
Gin tasting 
Craft beer pub 
Breakfast at the butchery 
Exceptional butchery
After five days and four nights of fun and sun, we headed off to drive the garden route in it’s entirety – ending up in Tsitsikamma national park. The first half of our trip was over. Time for the beach!
Part two, coming soon…