One of the most famous road trips in the world, South Africa’s Garden Route is an absolute must for anyone visiting the country. Situated on the southern coastline from Mossel Bay to Storms River, with plenty more in either direction. For 300km, the route runs along some of the most gorgeous coastline. With beaches, coves, and gorges galore. There are a huge amount of activities too. From more relaxed things like river cruises, animal rehabilitation centers, and of course countless beaches, to a huge array of active adventures like kayaking , zipline tours, ATVing, and getting your picture taken with a cheetah. It’s also an adrenaline junkies paradise! You can go skydiving, cliff jumping, shark/cheetah diving, and bungee jumping off the world’s highest bungee bridge, just to name a few.

All that being said, with so much to see and do, the recommended trip time is two weeks or more. For many people a trip so long can be tiresome and expensive. Whilst you can do the garden route far faster, you’ll be rushing it with anything under a week. That’s why I’m here to talk about Plettenberg Bay.

Plettenberg Bay (Plett for short) is one of the many seaside towns along the Garden Route. Tsitsikamma is a National Park known as the “Garden of the Garden Route”. For many people, these two are the highlights of the garden route. Thrilling activities, stunning scenery, and beautiful laid back beaches. Whatever you want, it’s there. And you can reach it all from one base! 

This list is my personal top five things to do in Plett. Of course, there are countless things to do in the area so definitely do your own research as well. But frankly, this intro has been long enough, so let’s dive right into the list with number five…

Whale and Dolphin Watching

This is a great way to start your Plett trip! Unless you have motion sickness, the feeling of gliding across the ocean and skimming over the waves with the wind in your face is enough to satisfy anyone. But when your guide slows the boat down and turns to show you the incredible view, it really is astounding.  The seaside town, flanked by the beautiful Robberg peninsula (more on that later) on one side. And the lush green mountains and ravines of Tsitsikamma, with the clouds spilling over their peaks. It truly is a sight straight out of a dream. 

Then, of course, there is the sea-life. During different seasons, different species are seen in the bay. From June to early February, whales frequent the bay, with dolphin season in the gap. Seals are common year-round, as are the Bryde Whales. During the winter you may even get to see a Great White Shark (we saw two!). Of course, as with any animal sighting activity, there are no guarantees, (we only saw seals and sharks) so you might want to call before to see if they’re expecting sightings. At the end of the day though, just the boat ride itself with the amazing views make it the experience worth it.

Duration: Two hours

Cost: R850 during whale season. R570 during dolphin season

Waterfall Trail

The waterfall trail at Tsitsikamma is a short hike along the coast to a stunning waterfall and pool. The trail starts off very simple as you walk through the forest, but gets slightly harder as you scramble over the many shaped boulders. Throughout the hike you can see the ocean, as it crashes against the rocks. The waterfall itself does not disappoint. There’s a natural pool under the falls that makes for a refreshing swim. (The water gets very cold during the winter.)

The trail is three miles long and takes around two and a half hours to the falls and back. While in the forest the trail is easy to follow but once on the rocks  look out for the yellow arrows to guide you. In the winter it can get quite chilly, especially with the coastal wind, so dress accordingly.

The trail is actually the start of the multi day Otter Trail. If you want to try it out you’ll have to book and apply for permits months in advance as it’s an extremely popular hiking trail.

Duration: Three hours

Cost: R200 for entrance to Tsitsikamma

Robberg Nature Reserve

Just 3km away from Plett, Robberg Nature Reserve will take your breath away. With many magnificent views, its beaches, dunes, and the huge colony of seals perched along the cliffside, you will leave Robberg relaxed and with an album’s worth of pictures. 

There are three options for hiking at 2km, 5km, and 9km. So whatever fitness level you’re at and however much time you have, there’s a hike for you. The entrance fee is very low at R50 (around three dollars).

Duration: Anywhere from a couple hours to full day

Cost: R50

Bloukrans Bungee

It’s a 217 meter jump off a bridge! Need I say any more? Your stomach will be curling hours before you even get to the bridge, but as the sign on the bridge says “5 seconds of fear or a lifetime of regret” Well it might be more than five seconds of fear and it might be something more like shear terror but I guarantee you that you make that leap, you’ll be stuck with a sort of maniacal grin for far longer than the fear lasted. If you hype yourself enough, your excitement may even overpower your fear. The energetic crew definitely are a huge help with that. 

At R1400 (around 100 dollars), it’s relatively cheap for bungee and more than worth the money for the experience of a lifetime.

Duration: Approx. 90 min

Cost: R1400. R450 for pictures and videos

Storms River Kayak and Lilo

Keeping something like Bloukrans bungee off the top spot is no easy task, but for me, there was only ever one winner. Already from land, the Storms River Mouth is one of the most beautiful sights you’re ever likely to see, but it’s when you’re cruising down the river on kayak that you are truly blown away. The first twenty minutes or so are spent at sea, as you navigate from the small bay to the river mouth. Going under the picture worthy suspension bridge and entering the gorge, the waves have stopped and it becomes much easier to paddle. It’s a good thing too, because all you’ll be doing is staring wide eyed at your surroundings. There are a plethora of words I could use to describe this magical place, with its towering, sleek cliff faces surrounding you with their caves, caves and dripping moss. The words that come to mind are surreal and jaw dropping.

After around half an hour you reach a pile up of rocks where we leave the kayaks and transfer to lilos. We go further up the river as the gorge becomes even narrower until we reach a second pileup. We rest up here for a few minutes, take some pictures, then it’s back the way we came from. On the way back we stop for a bit of cliff jumping ( far scarier than bungee if you ask me) Going back towards the bay, the view is now of the ocean magnificently framed by the limestone cliff sides. 20 minutes of battling the ocean later and we’re back, tired but wishing you go again. 

After drying up, take the easy path to the suspension bridge, and if you have the energy, take the short but steep path to the lookout point for an absolutely brilliant view. (Lots of stairs here)

Storms River is an absolute gem and if you don’t have the time to visit, make the time!

Duration: 3 hours

Cost: R700 + R200 for park entry

For something even more unique, check out this blackwater tubing excursion down the same river.

That concludes my list of the five five top things to do in Plett. They’re so many other things to do but I feel like these are the five best experiences I had.

Enjoy!