Our Cape to Capital Road Trip
Long distance relationships suck. Not the relationship, but the separation anxiety that starts long before the goodbye is even said. Fortunately, all the free time that could be spent on dinner or movie dates is channelled into planning the next reunion. My boyfriend, M, and I were apart for 8 months in 2022 while writing our thesis for university. He was stationed in Plettenberg Bay and I was 2 642 km away in northern Mozambique. A trip to visit each other would consist of 3 flights or a 31 hour drive, not including boarder stops or potholed roads. Out of our 3 years of long distance, it was the most time we had spent apart. We got sick and tired of the how was your day? and I miss you conversations so we dedicated our calls to planning a road trip from George to his family home in Pretoria once our internships were over. It was a kill two birds with one stone idea as he needed to get his car and all his belongings back to Gauteng anyway. Be warned, the journey is long, tiring and may include a squabble or two, but boy is it worth it. So pack your hiking boots, charge up your camera and wear your comfiest car clothes, you do not want to miss this.
Outeniqua Mountain Range
there is not much to do. However, the photographer in me was on cloud 9. We spent no more than 15 minutes there before hopping back in the car and beelining for the market, but it is a memory and place I will cherish forever.
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We made it to the market and it was just as wonderful my second time around. I grabbed some eggs, fresh ciabatta, homemade marmalade and salad stuff. Admittedly, it was far from sufficient so we ended up stopping at Spar for a few necessities.
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Our Airbnb was back in Wilderness so we turned around and headed the way we came; counterproductive, I know, but bear with me. We planned to hit the Half Collared Kingfisher Trail early the next morning so we booked Laughing Loerie Cottage which was was a quaint room amongst the trees conveniently located right at the start of the hike. If there is one thing I recommend out of our entire trip, it would be to complete this trail. Although it is quite a long walk, it is mostly on level ground with only a few stairways and takes you to the prettiest swimming hole and waterfalls you will probably ever see. At one point, you are even required to use an old school pulley system to get across the river. So make sure you pack a picnic, loads of sunscreen and your swimming things. The water is a beautiful orange colour from the tannins and is alarmingly freezing, but great for a cold plunge.
Victoria Bay
We did not want to miss out on exploring Wilderness, Sedgefield and Knysna, so M had to backtrack a little from Plett to fetch me in George. While at university, we toured through these towns and fell in love, so obviously going again was a done deal. My flight landed at 8:10am, crazy early I know, but being a Saturday I wanted to make sure we had enough time to get all the way to Sedgefield for the BEST FARMERS MARKET EVER. Listen, I have been to my fair share of markets; no one does them like South Africans and no South Africans do it like Wild Oats Community Market. I was determined to stop there for organic groceries to keep us fuelled for the road. M suggested we pull into Victoria Bay on the way and even though I was stressed for time, I said yes and thank goodness for that. Unless you plan on swimming,
Hard to believe I have only got to day 2 of our trip, I promise to try and speed things up a little! If you want to see our full itinerary, complete with my notes, our meals, a rough budget, etc., click here. In all honesty, it is probably easier to visualise as well.
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Back to my story. I also HIGHLY recommend stopping by or even staying at Wilderness Beach House Backpackers. We stayed here on tour and loved it so much that we went back just for dinner. The vibes here are unmatched with games and live music and the food is incredible; definitely try their mediterranean board of falafels and pitas and so much more.
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For the typical tourists out there, myself included, definitely make your way out to the Map of Africa. Though the roads are not well maintained, the view makes up for it. The winding river carves out the landscape to make an interfluve look like the continent of Africa. The signboard is covered in stickers and it makes for a great photo op.
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I have to admit, I lied earlier when I said the hike was the one thing you have to do. We could have stayed an entire week in Knysna, actually, we could have packed up our lives and moved to Knysna if we had the chance. So this is a requirement; a non-negotiable. It may all have come down to the place we stayed, The Leisure Collective. Set on the renowned Leisure Isle, with braai facilities, free bikes and
Half Collared Kingfisher Trail Waterfall Spot
Map of Africa Viewpoint
Finding the Castles at Noetzie
Cliff at Coney Glen
canoes to use, it was the perfect place to wind down and relax. We explored the island on bikes and walked through the Steenbok Nature Reserve at sunrise with warm coffees and cameras in hand. Our favourite little cafe, Nadine's Corner, supplied us with warm drinks and let us park our bikes while we wandered the reserve. The Heads viewpoint is close and there are so many beautiful restaurants to choose from. You can also book a yacht tour of the heads and estuary, another must while in the area. There is a beach called Coney Glen that has a wooden bridge over the rocks and crashing waves that is great for exploring and photos. On your way out of Knysna, be sure to stop by Noetzie. This beach is dotted with castles along the shore, but make sure you are ready to do some serious cardio, the stairs that take you back out are steep and long.
From Noetzie, carry on for a few minutes to Plettenberg Bay. M wanted to show me around the town he had been working in so we did a bit of "here's work" and "here's where I lived", etc. There isn't much to do in the area out of peak season so we took it easy before the next big day we had planned. The evening consisted of charcuterie​
Robberg Nature Reserve
and Netflix after meal prepping and packing for the morning. We got up super early so we could get to Robberg Nature Reserve before the crowds and the heat. This hike was the ACTUAL highlight of the trip, forget what I said earlier. The walk is far but the views are spectacular. You will see seals and sharks and whales as the bay is notorious for shark attacks so it is probably best to see them from high ground rather than encounter them in the water. I will probably make a whole post
dedicated to this hike, so for now, just take a look at the photos and mark the location down on your bucket list. Again, be warned, the seals smell but they sound like sheep and do tricks like they live in an aquarium - it's adorable, the sun is hot so pack sunscreen and lots of water and definitely a hat, and make sure your camera is charged and your zoom lens has good reach.
Our next stop was Jeffrey's Bay, fortunately for us, M's family has a beach house there so accommodation was sorted. There were 2 places we had to check out en route to J-Bay and we are so happy we did. Keurboomstrand was the first detour we took that features a flat walk along the beach to Arch Rock, a great place to take some cool photos. But, a word to the wise, check the tides before you go! As funny as it was at the time, looking back we realise how much danger
we were actually in. Here's what went down:
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We got out of the car, took off our shoes and trekked across the beach to find the rock formation. On our way, we waded through a little river and squeezed through a gap in the cliff with no problems. We found Arch Rock, set down the camera and took a few photos on self timer. We danced together in the waves as we had the enclave all to ourselves. On our way back, we got through the crack with ease but as we reached the once little river, we realised it was where the waves hit when the tide comes in. It was now just ocean with one rock sticking out that you could jump across if you had long enough legs. I had my camera in hand so I wasn't taking the risk to jump. M managed to climb across but my short legs were never getting me between the rock and the other side so I stripped to my bikini. M jumped back onto the rock so I could hand him my clothes and camera. I swam to the other side as freezing cold waves pulled and pushed me against the cliff. Without more than a scratch, I made it to the other side as we laughed and squealed. If the tide had been any higher, or the waves any stronger, it could have ended differently. So as much fun as we had and as I recommend it, please be careful when you go.
Arch Rock Keurboomstrand
Our second detour was Tsitsikamma National Park for yet another hike. Here, you walk across a suspension bridge to a beautiful little boulder beach where the waves crash on large stones that roll and make the most soothing sound. We continued our adventure up the cliff and spotted more whales in the distance. It was wet and icy and we were extremely exhausted so we were happy to jump in the car and head off, but glad we made the stop anyway. I will definitely go again when I haven't been doing back-to-back hikes and long car drives.
Tsitsikamma National Park
Jeffrey's Bay is one of my favourite places to visit. I have been a few times with M and his family and it's truly a place for rejuvenation and holiday-ing. I have a blog post about the types of vacationers and M's family definitely knows how to take a break and get good rest. Walks along the beach and picnics are the way to go here. Watching the surfers at the renowned Supertubes Beach while drinking a coffee or eating fish and chips is another of my favourite things to do. It is also generally quiet out of peak season but there are always cute restaurants with delicious food and Afrikaans music bars for dancing. In all my times going here, I have yet to go to Jan se Gat. It is a waterfall and natural pool with a zipline, or so I've heard. Next time I'm in the town, I will be missioning to spend the day there.
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Since I had missed M's birthday, I decided to "treat" him to a deep sea fishing trip. He has wanted to go on one for so long and I thought it would be the prefect opportunity to do it. We got up the earliest we had been up so far and drove to St Francis Bay. Our guide kept talking about what to do if you start to feel sick and I laughed it off, I grew up on boats at Lake Malawi and never got sea sick. Silly me thought a lake and an ocean would be the same so I didn't even think to buy meds for us. Safe to say, we caught tons of fish and M even caught a baby shark but we have no pictures or hardly any memories to prove it as our heads were over the side of the boat the entire time.
M and Me at University in Port Alfred
Even though long distance relationships really do suck, the time spent together is so much more intentional. We try to make everything we do an adventure. If we go out to get coffee, we also go to a lookout and watch the sunset. Going for a walk? Take your journals or a blanket and spend some time in a random field writing or talking.
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You don't even have to be in a relationship to make life more meaningful. It's like investing; start making the most of your time now so that you don't feel like you missed out. It doesn't take a lot or cost thousands to implement a "live life to the fullest" mindset.
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This trip cost us very little to do but the experiences and quality time were invaluable. M's life motto is "life is what you make of it". Don't believe me? It's in his instagram bio, no joke. I'm so lucky to have found someone who gets just as hyped for a grocery shop as he does for a weekend away. He puts up with my constant need for excitement and adventure with a smile on his face and energy that possibly surpasses my own. I hope you find the same joy for life that he has because people are so cool, the earth is so beautiful and God is always good.
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