Garden Route

The Garden Route (Afrikaans: Tuinroete) is a 300-kilometre (190 mi) stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa which extends from Witsand in the Western Cape to the border of Tsitsikamma Storms River in the Eastern Cape. The name comes from the verdant and ecologically diverse vegetation encountered here and the numerous estuaries and lakes dotted along the coastline. It includes towns such as Witsand, Heidelberg, Riversdale, Stilbaai, Albertinia, Gouritsmond, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Mossel Bay, Oudtshoorn, Great Brak River, Little Brak River, Wilderness, Sedgefield and Nature's Valley. George is the Garden Route's largest city and main administrative centre.

The Garden Route is closely linked with the origin of human culture, due to archaeological finds in the Plettenberg Bay, Mossel Bay, and Stilbaai areas. The route was added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 2017.