GARDEN ROUTE WITH THE ANTONIA GROUP -- OCTOBER 2018

GARDEN ROUTE WITH THE ANTONIA GROUP -- OCTOBER 2018
Peter Giddy Guided Tours
peter.giddy@gmail.com

I shared a magical 5 days with Antonia and her group.... Husband, Roberto with friends; Fiorella; Luisella and Marilda.
Antonia had contacted me directly and we had managed to agree on the tour arrangements:  I meet the group at the Port Elizabeth Airport on Wednesday 3rd October to dropping off in Sea Point, Cape Town on Sunday 7th.
The following is a brief summary of this tour.

1. Meet and greet at the Port Elizabeth Airport. Addo Elephant Park viewing of Elephant; Buffalo; Zebra and Antelope; Plettenberg bay Castleton and Seafood supper at Mobys on the beach. 
2. Plett -- Jukani Wild Cat Reserve;  Mungo Linen Factory; Walking with Elephants at the  Knysna Elephant Park; Beach walk on Beacon Isle. We end the day with a Braai followed by Malva pudding for supper. 
3. Plett -- Sunrise Beach; Storms River Mouth and Suspension Bridges; Bridge walk at Storms River Bridge; Segway in the Tsitsikamma Forest; Lunch at the Rock n Roll Pink Restaurant;  Watching people do the Bungy Jumping off the Groot Rivier Bridge; Beach walk on the Lookout Beach. Special treat of Italian Pasta for supper.   
4. Plett to Hermanus -- Sunrise Beach walk on the Robberg; Knysna Heads; Wilderness Dolphin Lookout; Sedgefield Farmers Market; Aloe Ferox Factory visit; Hermanus whale watching; Rugby in a Pub and Seafood dinner overlooking Walker Bay
5. Hermanus to Sea Point -- Betty's Bay penguins; Mountain Drive and more whale watching; Gordons Bay, Devils Peak, Table Mountain and Sea Point; V & A Waterfront. 

 A special time is being close to these animals in the wild.

Meal time in Addo.  A picnic lunch at Jacks.
Day One.  Wednesday 3rd October 2018. 
Our tour began with me meeting the group at the Port Elizabeth Airport at 9am.  Prior to this they had spent a few days touring the KwaZulu Natal area.
We spent the day in the Addo Elephant National Park where we were fortunate with our animal sightings... Especially Elephant, which we experienced really close to the car. After a lunch at Jacks, we left the park and drove through to Plettenberg Bay where we had arranged for a self catering home.  We arrived after 8pm and struggled to find our unit.
Once we were settled in we went out for a delicious Seafood Dinner at Tobys on the beach front.

 Jukani Wild Cat Sanctuary with a variety of animals which are still reasonably active first thing this morning.

 The Mungo Linen Factory and shop.  Here you can purchase some really good quality cotton and linen products.

 Lusiella; Marilda and Fiorella examine the merchandise in Mungo.

 Lunch is at the restaurant next to Mungo.

We are able to touch and walk with the Knysna Elephants. 

 Antonia and Lusiella have to walk fast to keep up with the elephant.

 Lusiella walking with the elephant at KEP.

We end the day with a walk to the rocks on the Beacon Isle Beach

This evening I set up the Braai on the outside verandah ... Here I have Sosaties; Wors and Porkers.
Day two of the Garden Route Tour with Antonia and her group. 
Thursday 4th October 2018
We leave from Castelton at 8.30 and make our way to Jukani -- the Wild Cat Sanctuary.  A Sanctuary, in South Africa, generally refers to a place of safety for rescued animals.  In this case it is mainly big cats which have been brought to Jukani from some kind of captivity.  A closed down Zoo, unwanted pet or rescued from poor living conditions. No breeding is allowed and these animals cannot be put back into the wild.  So the large enclosures are the best option for these animals.
We visit the Mungo Linen Factory and shop.  All around Mungo are a variety of shops which take a couple of hours to inspect each one.  We have a lunch and then move on to the Knysna Elephant Park where we are taken on the Shosholoza express to where the Elephants are waiting in anticipation of being fed.  We are able to walk with the elephants which is a real treat.  At the end we walk back to the restaurant area.
This evening ends with a beach walk on Beacon Isle Beach and ends with a Braai of Wors; Porkers and Chicken Sosaties. We have this with a Green and a Potato Salad completing the meal with Malva Pudding and Custard.

Enjoying the rocky beach across the Suspension bridge.  We find a whole lot of wooden artefacts which could easily be seen in shops or markets and sold as art pieces.

The Original Storms River Suspension Bridge was built in 1969 --- nearly 50 years old and still attracting thousands of international visitors every year.

The more recently built Storms River Bridges were built in 2009

The waves crash onto the rocks at Storms River Mouth. 

 Segway in the Tsitsikamma Forest.

 Sassi points out the Wild Pear tree. She then gives us a history lesson on this road.

 Antonia with the Wild Pear Ghost tree.

 Lunch is at the Rock 'n Roll pink restaurant in Storms River Village.

We end the day with a walk to the Lagoon on the Lookout Beach.

 Each evening the group would sit at the table updating their scrapbooks with pics and notations of the activities and discoveries of the day.

 I was fortunate to enjoy a Sunrise Morning run to the end of the Robberg Beach

The colours of this sunrise starts the day in a really special way.

Day Three of our Garden Route Tour.  
Friday 5th October 2018
Today is another active day for us.  We have been quite fortunate with the weather as our days are planned for outdoor activities and we need clear skies for this.
We leave from Castelton at 7am and drive in an easterly direction.  Our first stop is the Storms River Mouth -- Tsitsikamma National Park.  A beautiful morning with some spectacular waves crashing on the rocks makes for a great start to this adventure.
We walk along the boardwalk to the Suspension Bridges.  Roberto comments that coming here makes his whole trip from Italy worthwhile. Unfortunately Marilda is not feeling her best and skips the walk.
After Storms River we firstly look at the Zip Lines and there is a common decision to skip this activity in favour of Segways. So after a stop at the Storms River Bridge we pull in at Storms River Village and sign up for the Segway Tsitsikamma Forest Experience.  Sassi is our guide and we are a group of 13 people.  Antonia is at first very nervous but Sassi is a no nonsense person and takes charge of Antonia.
We ride to the Wild Pear Tree with the face and then back to the offices.  The roads have been eroded after recent heavy rains.  Today our lunch is at the Rock 'n Roll restaurant.
We stop off at the Bungy Jumping before going back to Plett for a beach walk on the Lookout beach where we walk to the Lagoon and back.
Antonia makes us a wonderful Homemade Italian Pasta Supper and we manage to finish off some of the Braai leftovers and a second helping of Malva with custard.

  Before leaving for Hermanus we take a walk on Robberg Beach.  Unfortunately the clouds make seeing a sunrise impossible.

 Roberto takes his camera and pictures of everything.

 We stop to look at the Knysna Heads and Lagoon.

 On the way to Hermanus we take an hour to do some shopping and eating at the Sedgefield Farmers Market.

 The Market is full and there are some amazing eats to be had.  Also some not so good snacks such as the breakfast roll I had and what I thought was fried chicken turned out to be mash potato fritters.

 Antonia and Roberto with arms full of their purchases.

 The Wilderness Dolphin Lookout point

 In Hermanus we are able to clamber over the rocks at the Old Harbour in Walker Bay to see the whales up close.

 Lucialla; Antonia and Roberto enjoy this special moment.

 Looking from the viewpoint the whales below seem to be putting on a show for the large numbers of visitors.

 Below us a group of people sitting on the rocks and just below them a whale pops her head out.

 Rugby at a pub in Hermanus.  We were fortunate to find this place as the bars seems to be full this afternoon.

Dinner of Hake and Vegetables was exactly as we liked it .  The fish was grilled to succulent perfection.

Garden Route with Antonia's Group -- Day four.
Saturday 6th October
I had been fortunate the previous day to see a wonderful sunrise.  This morning we were not so lucky but nevertheless we started the morning on the Robberg Beach. A little chilly but a good start to the day.
After a coffee we leave for Hermanus. We make our first stop in Knysna to look across the Heads and lagoon.  The sun has come out and we are treated to some amazing vistas.  As it is a Saturday we are able to experience the Wild Oats Farmers Market in Sedgefield.  I give everyone an hour which is just enough to buy more than we need and have a look around this colourful Saturday market.
My guests comment on the Hippies -- I realise that they are referring to the Older Generation Hippies.  Retirees and singles who no longer have children at home and who are free to live their lives as free beings as they had done in the 1950's.
Our next stop is the Dolphin Lookout at Wilderness.  And then on, past Mossel Bay to Albertinia where we stop at the Aloe Ferox Factory shop.
Our drive to Hermanus is fun as the group is enchanted by every aspect from the Wheat and Yellow Canola fields to the Ostrich Farms on the side of the road. The mountains and rock slides are as spectacular as ever. Finally we see the Atlantic Ocean and find our house in Hermanus (Voelklip).

We immediately drive to the waterfront where a minute after we find our parking, are treated to whale sightings right next to the promenade.  We do some rock climbing to get best views possible and then onto the main lookout point where we again see Balena (whales) right next to the rocks.  The later afternoon is spent in a bar watching Springbok Rugby where SA lose to NZ at Loftus.  So sad as SA was leading for the entire match until the final whistle when they converted a try to give them a lead of 32-30.

This evening we have a supper of Hake and veg in the Lemon Butter restaurant overlooking Walker Bay and the old harbour.

 The Combi is a versatile vehicle and I was able to pack all the luggage into the boot.

 We are the first onto the boardwalk in Betty's Bay and literally surrounded by Penguins

 There are something like 1200 penguins in Betty's Bay.  The colony seems to be healthy and growing.

 Betty's Bay from the promenade

 Stopping on the Mountain Drive to Gordons Bay we are treated to another Whale Sighting

Driving through Du Toits Kloof after the Hugenot Tunnel.
Day five -- Our final day together on the Italian -- Garden Route Tour
Sunday 7th October 2018

We leave Hermanus reasonably early at about 7am.  We have a full morning planned and so make our first stop at Betty's Bay where we are first on the walkway.  The Penguins are active walking from the Gardens and road towards the bay.  Under and across the walkway. Many are sleeping in the morning sun (although there is a cold easterly blowing) and others appear to be moulting.  But many are active walking from their nests.  The distinctive Donkey like Braying is also to be heard.  The sun comes out to warm us up and we continue around Betty's Bay and onto the Mountain Drive towards Gordons Bay.  We stop on the road and are treated to another whale sighting just below where we have parked and close to where the surfers are catching waves.

We drive past Gordons Bay and back onto the N2, around Devils Peak, past Table Mountain and find the Hyde Hotel below Signal Hill.
After unpacking and some sad / but happy, goodbyes, I drop the group off on the V & A Waterfront where they spend the afternoon exploring before going back to the Hotel to meet up with their larger tour group. Their plan is for a few days in the Cape Town area and then they will continue to Mpumalanga for some Game Viewing Safaris.

I take the N1 to the Hugenot Tunnel and Du Toits Kloof; Worster and then across the mountains to Swellendam where I get onto the N2 and drive home to arrive at about 8.30pm.

To experience this and other tours
Contact Peter at Peter Giddy Guided Tours     peter.giddy@gmail.com

Other tours include --

• Addo Elephant Park Day tours
• Addo Elephant Park combo tours with Kragga Kamma; Daniel Cheetah or Seaview Lion Park
• Ocean and Beach Safari's
• Mountain Zebra Park in Cradock
• Day tours to Tsitsikamma Forest Area with a variety of activities such as Zip Lines; Segway; Bungy; Forest walks; Black Water Tubing; Big Tree walk; Storms river Mouth and Suspension Bridges. 
• Morning Hikes around Port Elizabeth -- Two to three hours with Locals. 
• City; Historical; Cultural and Township Tours of Port Elizabeth. 
• Flowers of Namaqualand -- This is an Historical and Cultural tour as well as views of the best possible flowers.