The Garden Route can be driven in either direction; coming from the West, travelers usually begin in Cape Town (which is how we did our trip), or coming from the East in Gqberha (Port Elizabeth). This means you can also rent a car from one end and drop off at the other end, flying into and out of different locations.
The suggested itineraries below are all out-and-back from Cape Town as this seems to be the most popular jumping off point for international travelers.
Suggested itinerary for 1 week on the Garden Route:
Day 1: Drive Cape Town > Mossel Bay, stop in Hermanus for lunch
Day 2: Hike the St. Blaize Trail, drive Mossel Bay > Wilderness
Day 3: Hike the Giant Kingfisher Waterfall Trail, check out the Timberlake Farm Village for lunch, dinner at Serendipity
Day 4: Drive Wilderness > Plettenberg Bay, stop in the Garden of Eden for lunch, visit the wildlife sanctuaries or do some hiking in Nature’s Valley or explore downtown and go to the beach or go wine tasting at Bramon Wine Estate, dinner at Emily Moon River Lodge or Simon’s Bar
Day 5: Pack a picnic and hike the Robberg Peninsula, dinner at Barrington’s
Day 6: Kayaking and Lilo tour in Storms River Gorge, hiking around Tsitsikamma National Park or do the Bloukrans Bridge bungy jump (if you dare!), drive Storms River > Knysna
Day 7: Breakfast at Il de Pain, take the ferry to Featherbed Nature Reserve for some hiking & lunch before you return, drive Knysna > Cape Town
Suggested itinerary for 10 days on the Garden Route:
Day 1: Drive Cape Town > Mossel Bay, stop in Hermanus for lunch
Day 2: Hike the St. Blaize Trail
Day 3: Drive Mossel Bay > Wilderness, hike the Giant Kingfisher Waterfall Trail, check out the Timberlake Farm Village for lunch, dinner at Serendipity
Day 4: Drive Wilderness > Plettenberg Bay, stop in the Garden of Eden for lunch, spend the afternoon exploring Plett Bay, dinner at Emily Moon River Lodge or Simon’s Bar
Day 5: Pack a picnic and hike the Robberg Peninsula, dinner at Barrington’s
Day 6: Kayaking and Lilo tour in Storms River Gorge, hiking around Tsitsikamma National Park or do the Bloukrans Bridge bungy jump (if you dare!)
Day 7: Drive drive Plettenberg Bay > Knysna, spend the day exploring Knysna or hanging at the beach, catch the sunset from East Knysna Heads
Day 8: Breakfast at Il de Pain, take the ferry to Featherbed Nature Reserve for some hiking & lunch before you return
Day 9: Rent bicycles and bike from Thesen Island all the way to Leisure Island and back, spend the afternoon at the beach or enjoying watersports
Day 10: Have a slow morning and drive Knysna > Cape Town
Suggested itinerary for 2 weeks on the Garden Route:
Day 1-2: Hermanus
Day 3-4: Mossel Bay
Day 5-6: Oudtshoorn
Day 7: Wilderness
Day 8-11: Plettenberg Bay/Tsitsikamma National Park
Day 12-14: Knysna