South African Flag

Write blog articles on Cape Intern by registering as an author

Garden Route Trip (1/7): Mossel Bay

  • by benjo,
  • 11 May 2011
  • Posted in Traveling Garden Route

I wrote this blog post to share my Garden Route experiences from April, 24th to April, 30th with you and to remind myself of all the fantastic adventures that came true. If you are interested in or are planning your own Garden Route trip, this might be the right post for you to inform yourself …

Day 1: Good Day to Leave Cape Town

Our trip started in Cape Town where we live and work. We left Cape Town on Easter Sunday early afternoon. To escape the rainy weather was definitely the best idea. When we started we couldn’t even see further than 20 meters because of the fog surrounding us. So the hope to face better weather somewhere else, accompanied us the entire way.

1st Destination: Mossel Bay

This day’s destination was Mossel Bay. Mossel Bay is approximately 400 kilometers far away from Cape Town and it takes about 4 hours to get there by car smoothly. Mossel Bay was our starting point to discover the Garden Route, as we had just 7 days of vacation and wanted to see as much as possible. During our journey the weather fortunately changed and became sunnier with each further driven kilometer. So, our wish was fulfilled.

How to Avoid Accommodation Trouble

Actually we wanted to spend the 1st night at the famous Santos Express at Santos Beach but foolishly we didn’t book two beds before. So they were fully booked this day. To make sure we would have had accommodation for this night, we first decided to find a Backpacker’s before discovering the city. Our travel guide was very helpful in terms of this issue. It didn’t take a few minutes when we finally arrived at our hostel for the day – Mossel Bay Backpackers. Here we also found a fantastic Backpackers guide called From Coast to Coast. There are all main backpacker destinations summarized with recommendations and activities close by. Hence the perfect item to ensure a bed at your next stop. Furthermore, we decided to change our Backpackers strategy and to give them a call one day before we would stop there. Highly Recommended!!!

Mossel Bay

Discovering Mossel Bay

After checking in, we went to the beach to enjoy the coastal environment and to collect some shells. This is a definite MUST, when in Mossel Bay! The promenade near the Point is very nice with guest houses and lodges for vacation. You even have the possibility to surf here. But I would recommend swimming at Santos Beach.

Afterwards we had a nice dinner at the Point and explored the main road – but there is not that much to explore. When we came back to our Backpackers we relaxed the rest of the evening and planned the following day because the time had passed by quickly.

Further Things to Do in Mossel Bay

Pity we didn’t have enough time to experience something more. But here are some further activities you can enjoy in Mossel Bay:

  • Seal Island Cruises
  • Shark Cage Diving
  • Skydive
  • Take a Ride on the famous Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe Steam Train

If you have also been to Mossel Bay maybe in summer or spring and you want share your experiences feel free to tell me your opinion in the comment section.




Post your thoughts, experience and recommendations here

Name:
Email:

Your email is never shared.
Comment:
Verification:

* please type the number.
 
Loading... please wait.

2 comments:

Alex said: (Posted 10 May 2011, 11:05)
That is a great tip robert
Robert said: (Posted 09 May 2011, 09:05)
You should definitely take your surf board when travelling to Mossel Bay There a point break in Mossel Bay and the drive to Jongensfontein or Stillbaai isnt too far either