George & Oudtshoorn

George Airport, gateway to the western Garden Route, plus Oudtshoorn, ostrich capital of the Little Karoo, with the Cango Caves and Swartberg Pass, Wilderness beaches and Mossel Bay, where Dias landed.

George & Oudtshoorn lies in the Western Cape of South Africa and is the gateway to the western Garden Route. George is the largest city on the Garden Route, with an airport that has direct flights to Johannesburg and Cape Town; it sits against the Outeniqua Mountains and about 10 km from the coast. Along the coast: to the east, Wilderness has a long beach, lakes and canoeing on the Touws River, and Dolphin Point and the Map of Africa viewpoint overlook the coastline; to the south, Victoria Bay and Herolds Bay are small bays for surfing and swimming; about 45 km to the west, Mossel Bay is where Bartolomeu Dias landed in 1488, with the Dias Museum, the Cape St Blaize Lighthouse and a cape trail, and you can take a boat to see Seal Island or try shark cage diving. About an hour over the Outeniqua Pass (or the 1847 Montagu Pass) you enter the arid Little Karoo basin: Oudtshoorn, the "ostrich capital", has ostrich farms, the feather palaces and the C.P. Nel Museum; to the north are the Cango Caves and the Cango Wildlife Ranch, where you can join a meerkat sunrise viewing in the early morning; farther north are the gravel Swartberg Pass and Meiringspoort gorge, which make a one-day self-drive loop. For big game, visit Botlierskop or the Gondwana private reserves on safari. Climate: the coast is mild and rainy year-round, with summer (December–February) the best time for beaches; the Little Karoo is hot in summer and cold at night in winter; wildflowers bloom in September–November; southern right whales can be seen at sea June–November. Getting around is mostly by self-driving (on the left), and cars can be rented at George Airport; it is about 4.5 hours by road from Cape Town. Plan 3–4 days: 1–2 days on the coast and 1–2 days for Oudtshoorn and the passes, and you can continue east to Knysna. Avoid long drives at night where possible.

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