Garden Route

‘On the southern and southeastern coasts there are some fine forests ... the traveller may also pass for days together through open plains.’ Charles Darwin, A Naturalist’s Voyage in HMS Beagle

As one travels eastwards from Cape Town, the coast becomes progressively more wooded and subtropical, the ocean warms, the rains fall year-round, and the forests host an ever-greater diversity of birds. The region from Mossel Bay to the Tsitsikamma area is a rather paradisiacal stretch of coastal belt that, thanks to its pleasing climate, secluded beaches and still extensive tracts of canopy forest, has become a favoured recreational destination aptly known as the Garden Route. Further inland, a dramatic, fynbos-clad barrier of mountains gives way to the arid expanse of the Karoo, transecting a remarkable diversity of habitats that offer rewarding birding.

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Introduction
The Wilderness Region
Knysna and Plettenberg Bay
Nature's Valley
Swartberg Pass
Karoo National Park

TOP BIRDS Forest Buzzard Crowned Eagle Knysna Lourie Emerald Cuckoo Half-collared Kingfisher Narina Trogon Knysna Wood-pecker Short-toed Rock Thrush Chorister Robin Cape Rockjumper Knysna Warbler Olive Bush Shrike African Rock Pipit Southern Tchagra Protea Canary	SELECT SPECIALS Narina Trogon Knysna Lourie Chorister Robin African Rock Pipit
	SPECIAL FEATURES Tips on Forest Birding Nocturnal Mammals of the Karoo