How do you choose which stops to make in a country that covers 470,000+ square miles? With a little research and a lot of help from friends. That’s how we pulled together our surf and safari dream trip to South Africa, only five weeks before our departure.

California to South Africa is a long haul (22+ hours of flying time), and we both wanted to get the most out of our time away. So, Mr. Vacay headed out one week early to get his surf gills sufficiently wet before I arrived. These are the notes of our two-week road trip together, across the southern tip of Africa.

Day 1 – Jeffreys Bay

After flight delays and missed connections, I arrived travel weary and a bit delirious. So Mr. Vacay, his jetlag long gone, collected me from the Port Elizabeth airport for the 1-hour drive back to Jeffreys Bay (J-Bay)*. All I needed to feel right again – a hug, a sleep, a meal, and a shower!

J-Bay, tranquil and uncrowded, was a great place to start our trip. We stayed on the northern edge of town near Supertubes. Drive south, and you’ll find surf shops, boutique stores, and dining options. We even found a quaint mini-spa (Ubuhle Wellness Spa) where we both got epic massages – deep tissue for him after a week spent surfing and relaxation for me after three days in London.

Mr. Vacay rented a waterfront beach cottage for our stay – it had multiple levels and countless decks, all designed to capitalize on the ocean views. We lazily started our days in bed watching the sunrise over the ocean with a “cuppa” (a new carryover morning tea habit from my London visit). After that, we moved to the patio table for breakfast, again, with a view. And because it was the start of their winter, the living room fireplace was the perfect backdrop for after-dinner desserts and winding down. The location was perfect – we were around the corner from a popular restaurant, a market, and laundry services. Even better, we had private access to the beach, which went on and on forever in both directions; good for long walks, shelling, and tide pooling.

Memorable meals in J-Bay:

  • Nina’s Real Food – for dinner – pad thai & short ribs, or for market style pre-made meals to heat up at home.
  • Brewhaha Craft Beer – for the beer sampler, battered mushrooms, duck tacos, and cell phone jail. Literally, mini cages are used to lock up your phone, forcing you to take a digital break. Brilliant.
  • InFood Bakery and Deli – for a patio lunch of chicken salad, a deli sarmie (toasted sandwich), and vegetable soup. They also have a market packed with specialty items for gifts and snacking.

Day 4 – Paterson

With the rental car loaded, and a to-go bag of biltong (the regions dried meat delicacy found at none other than the J-Bay Biltong Shop), we left the beach and made the two-hour drive into the bush. The safari was an adventure all on its own, and the details warrant their own post (read more about it over here).

Day 6 – Knysna

After our safari adventure, we drove south and west, passing through the Tsitsikamma National Park. We saw lush green forests of towering pines, rolling hills, and the Southern Ocean in the distance. It reminded me of the US’s Pacific Northwest. If you’re a thrill-seeker, exit the N2 highway at Bloukrans Bridge, to enjoy the view, stretch your legs, and watch younger and braver kids bungee-jump from a launch pad below the interstate (this is one of the tallest bungee bridges in the world).

Our first full day in Knysna was an unusually warm (80 degrees Fahrenheit!) winter day, which locals said “always” happens before a big rain storm. So we headed out in search of a beach, surf, sun, and sand. We started at Victoria Beach – a quaint spot, but there was no swell for surfing. We moved on to Klienkrants – a massive, beautiful beach, with countless big waves for Mr. Vacay and uninterrupted views for the rest of us. I spotted a pod of stunning black & white whales breaching just beyond the surfers and a group of 10+ dolphins catching waves together closer to shore. Our final stop was Buffalo (Buffels) Bay – a gorgeous rocky point with a small bay and a snack shack.

We stayed at Elephant Hide in Knysna, a family-run boutique hotel overlooking the Knysna River. Don’t be misled by the name. There are no roaming elephants. We had a comfortable room with attentive service and made-to-order breakfast each morning. A note about the accommodations near the water in South Africa, almost every bathroom had trace amounts of black mold. It wasn’t a problem for us, but it could be a challenge for anyone with allergies – so pack an antihistamine!

Memorable meals in and near Knysna:

  • Tsitsikamma Gardens Restaurant – a cute spot and the perfect midway stop on our drive. We had a quick lunch of meat pies and hearty vegetable soup.
  • 34 Degrees South – part of the Knysna Waterfront development, we had a dinner of delicious Knysna tempura oysters, line fish (blue fin) espaltada, white sweet potatoes and roasted veggies. It’s a fishery and a market too, so we bought milk tart and carrot cake to go.

Day 8 – Cape Town

We left Knysna and made our way through the Garden Route, enjoying the coastline and the artisan craft markets. This four-hour stretch of driving also took us through the countryside, with fields and farms of cows, sheep, and ostriches. The last two hours of our road trip on the N2 highway hugged the mountain-side cliff edges to our right, and was punctuated by an occasional baboon perched on the side of the road or walking the lane dividers. That was when we could see. It was pouring for part of our drive, and visibility was minimal*.

With the rain storm following us, we opted to have our laundry done and food delivered while searching for indoor activities. We started at The National Gallery, then tried the Maritime Museum – unfortunately, both were closed unexpectedly. We ended up at the Waterfront, and wandered into the dry shelter of the “Diamond Museum,” which is really just an educational entry to a diamond store – it’s a stop you can likely skip altogether. We were much happier passing our time in the nearby Art Gallery Store, where we bought locally made gifts for friends and quality art pieces to bring home.

When the rainclouds parted, we headed to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. It was great to be outside, enjoying the clean, crisp air, with plants all around us, and Table Mountain as our backdrop. And on the clearest days, we walked. Head southeast along the coastal Promenade, past the Clifton Bays, then on to Camps Bay Beach. You’ll find restaurants and shops, and you can gawk at the massive hillside homes with stunning ocean views, all wrapped up in electric barbed-wire fencing*. Head northbound, and you’ll get to see the oceanside community swimming pools – what a GREAT place to learn to swim!!!

We capped our visit by riding the cable car to the top of Table Mountain. It’s geographically unique because of its size, formation, and its proximity to the never-ending coastline, downtown, residential areas, and the agricultural wine land, AND it offers epic vantage points to enjoy it all. We walked the trails of the flat-top crest for as long as we could until the wind and the cold eventually forced us back down the mountain, directly to the warmth of our hotel hot tub.

About our hotel – the O on Kloof in Sea Point. The location was great, the room (with a styling nod to the 1980’s) was large, clean, and comfortable, and the service was a treat. We were among their few guests (South Africa was still reeling from an earlier Covid variant spread), so we got to know the staff, while enjoying their attentive care over breakfast, and again at the days-end when we returned from our excursions. An added perk, they were gracious with a late checkout, allowing us to leisurely pack for our evening flight.

Memorable meals in and near Cape Town:

  • Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia – we managed a last-minute, late afternoon lunch reservation. They offered an epic tasting menu with wines to match, and it was all capped with a beautiful sunset overlooking the vineyard.
  • GOLD Restaurant – recommended by the manager of our hotel (who also made a reservation for us), the restaurant serves a 14-course African tasting dinner plus a stage performance with singing, dancing, and audience-participation drumming!
  • Mojo Market – a food hall, walking distance from our hotel, that served it ALL, including live music and sporting event broadcasts! We sampled beers alongside a lamb roll, Asian slaw, savory rice, and topped off with ice cream (the best way to end a vacation).

It was an unforgettable trip, the kind that you talk about long after it is over. If you are thinking about traveling to South Africa, make it happen. Go. And when you get there, spend time getting to know the people, listen to their stories, appreciate their skills, and learn about where they came from. We hadn’t pre-planned our itinerary, and we enjoyed every encounter and every stop on our journey.

*When we returned home, many people asked if we “felt safe” in South Africa. The only time I felt unsafe-ish was when we were driving on the N2 highway. It was basically a 10-hour road trip, split up into 3 legs. The N2 is, at times, a 2-lane interstate with no barrier separating you from oncoming traffic other than divider lines painted on the asphalt. And for an added thrill, we were driving on the opposite side of the road and the opposite side of the car (from which we are accustomed to). Toss in baboons, rainstorms, passing traffic, and a lot of pedestrians. It was a perfect formula for stress-inducing adventure-fun that tested the limits of feeling “safe.”