Here lies one of the prettiest bays along the coast. Two bluffs, called the Knysna Heads, guard the passage to the ocean.

Knysna offers great hikes, bike rides and water sports. You will also find a broad selection of great restaurants, vibey bars and top end shops. A stream train will take you along the coast to Wilderness and George.

This was our favorite spot along the Garden Route. Why? It was remote, isolated, quiet, undeveloped, had a large lagoon and the weather was perfect.

The lagoon is quite large and you can rent canoes or just swim in the sun-warmed waters. There is a nice beach that stretches several kilometers. Hikes will take you up the mountains, along the craggy coast or along meandering rivers.

The Baz Bus also stops at the world’s highest bungee jump. At 216 meters of free fall, this will give you a full 7 seconds to review your life. Clearly for mad dog adrenalin junkies only.

This is home to some of the finest surfing in all of Africa. It has been featured in several surging movies, including “Endless Summer”. It was dark when the Baz Bus stopped here, so I couldn’t see what all the excitement was about.

Whether you are traveling to Durban or Cape Town, you will arrive in PE in the evening and head out in the morning. If you stay for a few days you may want to visit the Port Elizabeth Museum, one of the best in the country.

Just north of town is the Addo Game Park. Here you are guaranteed to see numerous pachyderms at close range. Once we had to quickly move our car when a mother charged us. We had gotten between her and her child.