Things to do in
Mossel Bay

Our most recommended things to do in Mossel Bay

Little Brak River: Botlierskop Guided Game Drive

1. Little Brak River: Botlierskop Guided Game Drive

Take a 3-hour guided game drive at Botlierskop Private Game Reserve, and experience close encounters with rhinos, lions, giraffes, buffaloes and more. Situated in spectacular mountains near Mossel Bay, the reserve boasts a great diversity of habitats and 26 different species of wildlife.  The 4,200 hectare reserve is a paradise for bird watchers, with more than 200 species to be seen. In an open game viewing vehicle, your guide will take you to the best locations to spot lions, zebras, elephants, and other animals. After the game drive, spend some time enjoying the facilities, including a restaurant and an open-air swimming pool.

Botlierskop Private Game Reserve: 3.5-Hour Sunset Game Drive

2. Botlierskop Private Game Reserve: 3.5-Hour Sunset Game Drive

Take a 3.5 hour guided game late afternoon drive at Botlierskop Private Game Reserve, and experience close encounters with rhinos, lions, giraffes, buffalos and more. Located in spectacular mountains near Mossel Bay, the reserve boasts a great diversity of habitats and 26 different species of wildlife. The 4,200 hectare reserve is ideal for bird watchers, with more than 200 different varieties to be seen. In an open game viewing vehicle, your guide will take you to the finest locations to spot lions, zebras, elephants, and other animals. After the game drive, spend some time enjoying the facilities, including a restaurant and an open-air swimming pool.

From Cape Town: 5-Day Best of Garden Route and Addo Safari

3. From Cape Town: 5-Day Best of Garden Route and Addo Safari

Day 1: Route 62 Start with a morning pickup (6am to 7am) from your accommodation in Cape Town and Stellenbosch. Travel about 450km ( about 6 hours driving) along Route 62, the longest wine route in the world, with a wine-tasting stop (non-alcoholic tasting available too) before reaching Oudtshoorn by afternoon. For a close encounter with Mother Nature, opt in to join elephant guides on an Elephant Observation in Nature (at extra cost) and observe 3 lovable rescued elephants in their natural Cango Valley bush veld habitat. Overnight at Uthando Backpackers (Dorm or Saver Backpack package) or 88 van Rheede Guesthouse (3 star Comfort Stay package) or Hlangana lodge or similar (4 star Luxe package). Ask to upgrade to Buffelsdrift at extra fee. Day 2: Oudtshoorn Travel time today is about 250km / 3 hours. Visit a working ostrich farm and see the largest flightless birds in the world. Next, head to the mountains to go deep underground in the illuminated wonder world of the Cango Caves, exploring vast halls filled with ancient stalactites before traveling onward for about 400km to reach the Addo town region. Overnight at Avaco Cabins (Dorm or Saver -) or Gerald's Gift (Comfort-) or Addo Wildlife lodge or similar (Luxe package). Day 3: Addo, Jeffreys Bay Travel route about 300km / 3 hours. Rise early for the best chance to spot wildlife as the bush awakes in Addo Elephant National Park, the 3rd largest national park in South Africa. Join your own group after breakfast for the included 2-hour van game drive with your guide to search for some of the big five animals; if lucky you'll spot elephants, buffalos, lion & more. Travel about 200km to J'bay to either spend free time at the beach or choosing between optional surfing or beach horseback riding (extra cost). Overnight at Island Vibe (Dorm or Saver -) or Sea Whisper (Comfort -) or On The Beach Lodge or similar (Luxe package). Day 4: Tsitsikamma, Sedgefield Travel route about 300km / 3 hours. After breakfast, drive inland to experience an optional highest Bungy jump bridge in the world, optional Waterfall Zipline over waterfalls in Tsitsikamma forest (both at extra cost) or choose to have free time and arrive early to spend more time in Tsitsikamma National Park. After all had some time to explore the park, drive onward with a photo stop at Knysna's lagoon en route to Sedgefield. Overnight at Pili Pili Backpackers (Dorm or Saver-) Fairy Knowe (Comfort-) or Dolphin Dunes or similar (Luxe package). Day 5: Wilderness Travel route about 400km / 6 hours. Take the road back along the coastline and views of calm rivers in the wilderness region. Journey back to Cape Town, with an optional optional 4x4 Botlierskop game drive at extra cost. Your adventure ends with evening drop-offs in Cape Town or Stellenbosch (between 8pm to 10pm).

Cape Town: Garden Route and Addo Elephant Park 6-Day Safari

4. Cape Town: Garden Route and Addo Elephant Park 6-Day Safari

Explore Hermanus, Oudtshoorn, Sedgefield, Knysna, Tsitsikamma, Addo, and Mossel Bay on an adventurous 6-day trip from Cape Town with accommodation, transportation, and most meals included. Discover wildlife and indigenous forests, taste local wine, canoe, hike, and visit the beaches of Mossel Bay. Day 1: Cape Town - Hermanus - Cape Agulhas Start your trip by departing from Cape Town to Hermanus. Follow the scenic coastal road to Betty's Bay to see a colony of endangered African penguins. Spend the afternoon in the seaside resort town of Hermanus, famous for being the home to hundreds of southern right whales from July to November. Later, drive on to Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa and the place where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. Day 2: Cape Agulhas - Oudtshoorn Travel to Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo, known as the Ostrich Capital of the World, via Route 62, South Africa’s longest wine route. Enjoy lunch and a wine tasting at a local winery before checking into your accommodation, a working game farm in the Little Karoo. As the sun goes down, join a tour of the ostrich farm. Take in the views of the Outeniqua and Swartberg mountain ranges in the background before calling it a night. Day 3: Oudtshoorn - Sedgefield After breakfast, head to Outeniqua Mountain Pass and explore the Wilderness National Park by canoe. Paddle up the Touw River through the indigenous forest with an abundance of bird life. After about 40 minutes, leave the canoes for a 2 km hike along a boardwalk to a waterfall with rock pools. In the late afternoon, spend time exploring Sedgefield with its expansive views and beaches. Day 4: Sedgefield - Knysna - Tsitsikamma - Addo Head to the famous town of Knysna via the lavish Lake District of the Garden Route. Visit the Knysna Heads Viewpoint for sweeping views over the Knysna River and the Indian Ocean. Next, stop at Bloukrans Bridge to view the world’s highest bungee jump bridge. Midday will be spent in Tsitsikamma National Park, with its unique combination of indigenous forest and Indian Ocean coastline. The park has a wide choice of activities including hiking, crossing a suspension bridge, and swimming. In the afternoon, leave the Garden Route for the Big Five country, Addo. Day 5: Addo - Wilderness - Sedgefield Spend the morning exploring Addo Elephant National Park. Get up to 2-3 hours to roam the 28,000-hectare national reserve, home to approximately 600 elephants and other animals including buffalo, lions, rhinos, warthogs, and more. After a morning on safari, drive back to the Garden Route where you'll stay overnight in the Wilderness or Sedgefield area. Day 6: Wilderness - Sedgefield - Mossel Bay - Cape Town After breakfast, stop in Mossel Bay to spend some time on the beach. Hike the Cape St. Blaize trail along the seaside cliffs and visit the famous Diaz Museum complex, which commemorates the first known European exploration around the tip of Africa. The more adventurous can try a 10,000-foot tandem skydive or sandboarding on the longest dune in South Africa. Later, arrive back at Cape Town in the early evening for drop-off.

Garden Route Safari and Great White Shark Diving

5. Garden Route Safari and Great White Shark Diving

Get the change to see Lions, Elephants, Rhino's, Hippo's Giraffes and more on a 2-day safari tour from Cape Town. Enjoy 2 game drives and an overnight stay with included dinner and breakfast. On the first day, depart Cape Town and drive along the scenic coastal road to Cape Agulhas via Hermanus, the whale watching capital of the world. Make a stop at the southernmost tip of Africa where the Atlantic and Indies oceans meet. Continue on to Garden Route Game Lodge. Here, embark on a sunset safari in an open-air vehicle. Observe variety of native animals, including Elephants, Lions, Hippo's Giraffes, Rhino's and more. After the safari, settle in for a three-course dinner. Spend the night in one of the beautiful 4-star wooden chalets and admire the clear skies over the lodge. In the morning, head out for another game drive to see some of the animals you might have missed the evening before. After your drive, tuck into breakfast. After breakfast we will make our way to Mossel Bay witch is about 30 minutes away to meet face to face with the Great White Sharks. After that we will make our way back to Cape Town.

2 Day Small Group Cape Town: Garden Route Big 5 Safari Tour

6. 2 Day Small Group Cape Town: Garden Route Big 5 Safari Tour

Day 1: Cape Town to Oudtshoorn: Cango Caves and Buffelsdrift Bush Safari Game Drive Pick-up is between 06:00 and 06:30 am from your Cape Town accommodation. Our 5-hour trip to Oudtshoorn, the Ostrich Capital along the Garden Route, includes breaks for refreshments and rest stops. When we reach Oudtshoorn, we'll visit the Cango Caves for a 1-hour Heritage Tour of these ancient caves. Join a guided walk through the caves and delve deeper into one of the prominent attractions along the Garden Route. Following the Cango Caves visit, we'll drive for about 20 minutes to Buffelsdrift Game Reserve for an Afternoon Safari Experience. At 13:30, we'll have lunch. Following our Bush Safari Experience at Buffelsdrift, we'll journey to Chandelier Game Lodge for dinner and overnight stay. Day 2: Chandelier Giraffe & Ostrich Tour and Botlierskop Big 5 Safari Rise to the sounds of African wildlife and enjoy breakfast at Chandelier restaurant around 8:00 am. The morning includes a 30-minute Giraffe encounter at 9:00 am and a 1-hour Ostrich Tour at 10:00 am. After these experiences, guests will check out and head to Botlierskop. After morning activities and check-out, we'll depart Chandelier Game Lodge for Botlierskop Game Reserve. Enjoy lunch and a thrilling 3-hour afternoon Big 5 safari starting at 14:00. Encounter Rhinoceros, Lions, Elephants, Buffalo, Cheetah, Giraffe, rare Black Impala, Golden Wildebeest, Mountain Zebra, Hippos, and more! Following our thrilling Big 5 safari game drive at Botlierskop, we'll leave the Garden Route and head back to Cape Town. The journey will take roughly 4 to 4.5 hours, and we anticipate arriving in Cape Town around 21:00.

3 Day Garden Route All-inclusive Private Tour from Cape Town

7. 3 Day Garden Route All-inclusive Private Tour from Cape Town

DAY 1: The tour commences with a pick up from your accommodation at 06:30am by our professional private tour guide. Then we start the journey en route to Garden Route. Experience a scenic drive along the N2 passing through small towns such as Caledon and Riversdale. Our first quick stop will be in the Albertina Aloe Vera factory for a cup of coffee. Then we drive to Botlierskop Game Reserve for a delightful lunch between the times of 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm. After lunch we start the exciting game drive at 2:30 pm in a 4x4 open truck, affording you a wonderful experience to spot the renowned Big 5. We continue the journey passing through George town and stopping in the adventure-filled town of Knysna for a drop-off at your accommodation. There will be a 2-hour gap between 18:00 and 20:00pm for dinner transfers to restaurants by your professional tour guide. And after dinner, a drop off at your accommodation. DAY 2: The following day's adventure begins after breakfast and check out from your accommodation. Then we take a scenic drive along Knysna Heads for 15 minutes and thereafter stop at the enchanting Garden of Eden for a quick guided walking tour. We make our way to the greatest bird sanctuary in the Southern Hemisphere to visit the Birds of Eden affording you an enchanting and wondrous moment with a variety of birds. We also visit the monkeys at Monkeyland. Continuing in the spirit of adventure, we visit the Tsitsikamma National Park where one can take an exciting 900m hike to the suspension bridge at Storms River Mouth. Thereafter a serving of lunch will occur at Cattle Baron restaurant. We leave for Oudtshoorn, the land of the ostriches. Staying for the night at a hotel in Oudtshoorn and having dinner at the hotel. DAY 3: On the third day, this tour starts after a pick-up from your accommodation after breakfast.Then your tour guide will take you on a drive to the historical Cango Caves site where you'll get an exciting chance to experience a guided tour of the caves. The adventure continues with a stop at the Cango Wildlife Ranch, a habitat of over 90 species of animals. Explore and spot the exotic giant White Bengal Tiger or the crocodiles that lay at bay. Our last destination for this tour ends at the ostrich capital, Oudtshoorn. We will spend 2 hours here exploring the exotic African ostriches on a 4x4 Game drive and end off our experience with lunch at Ostrich Show Farm restaurant. Following lunch we depart for Cape Town via the R62 ensuring comfort stops along the way.

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Other Sightseeing Options in Mossel Bay

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What people are saying about Mossel Bay

Overall rating

4.7
(360 reviews)

An incredibly beautiful trip that flew by! Tour guide Wendy did everything to make the tour as beautiful and unforgettable as possible! Thank you very much! Great group - great activities/destinations - great accommodation - great food - an all-round great Garden Route trip!

We had a nice and funny guide. He gave us a lot of information about the animals and plants. We saw a lot of animals. The tour is very suitable for wheelchair users. We were able to get into the car without any barriers. Great! I can really recommend it!

Our guide (Anthony) gave us very detailed and funny information about the animals. We were able to see the animals up close. A great experience.

Simba (guide) was great, hilarious and very engaging. 10 stars to him. Took us on a wonderful 4x4 adventure.

We saw a lot of animals and Simba was a fantastic guide! It was perfect!