South Africa's Alternative Garden Route

Whale watching is one of the Western Cape’s favourite past times. From July to October, you can often see southern rights surfacing from the deep blue. Crowds tend to gather on the cliffs of Hermanus but your lodge in the remote De Hoop Nature Reserve (a two-hour drive east) specialises in whale watching within the protected bay. Admire whales breaching as you sip your afternoon tea and see a fin or two as you soak in a rock pool. It couldn’t feel more idyllic among the white sand dunes.

Aside from maritime wonder, the De Hoop Nature Reserve is part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, one of the six great Floral Kingdoms of the world. Discover the fynbos vegetation, otherwise known as South African shrubland, on a bike ride through the great outdoors. Or you could explore by foot, should you want to get up close to the extreme biodiversity and endemic flora. You’ll also spot a plethora of birdlife – the reserve is home to over 260 species of birds.

De Hoop’s towering white sand dunes make for a perfect sandboarding jaunt. It couldn’t get more picturesque: plunging into views of the sweeping Indian Ocean. Take a walk through the scrubland, towards the top of the dunes where your board awaits. Then swoop down the rippled sand, sea breeze caressing your face. Slide or speed along various slopes which you can choose according to how brave you’re feeling. Then cool off, snorkelling in one of the tidal pools, inspecting starfish and smaller fish species.

Wake up early and tuck into a hearty breakfast in preparation for your morning walk. Today you’ll focus on spotting the critically endangered Cape mountain zebra. Once listed as endangered, today you can see the vulnerable species in the wild, grazing in the montane heathland. You may also encounter the eland, bontebok and grey rhebok on your wander, before departing for Cape Town.