Surfing Trip on the Garden Route

Embrace the water and learn to surf on this 5 day surfing trip along the Garden Route in South Africa. Hit the beaches of Hermanus, Mossel Bay and Plettenberg Bay and you'll be the next Kelly Slater in no time...

The Garden Route, in South Africa is a popular tourist destination and rightly so. Contrary to its name, it is not a horticultural paradise, rather an area of the Western Cape of South Africa fame for its stunning coastline and beautiful landscape. From mountains covered by the endemic and rare fynbos, to lush wine valleys to national parks playing host to a plethora of native animals, there is something for everyone here. And then there's the coast. With over a hundred miles of beaches, cliffs and crashing waves it is the perfect playground for watersport lovers, especially the thrill seeking kind!

You'll get to do some sightseeing over the course of the 5 days, but on this surfing trip there's only one thing that really matters and that's...... surfing! First you'll get fitted for a wetsuit and assigned a board to fit your height. You'll start on land just practicing popping up onto the board. Once you're in the water, you'll use your arms to paddle out into the sea to where the waves form, before they break onto the shore. Your guide and surfing teacher will explain to you how to analyse the waves so you know when to start paddling and then when you feel the water pushing you forward, to pop up onto the board and ride the wave to the beach. Standing on the board is no problem and you will be able to do it by the end of the first day!

Clearly you must love surfing or really want to learn how! While surfing is fun and involves working with the ocean, it can be tough and you'll definitely have sore muscles at some point. But it is addictive (in a good way) and there's no better way to stay active and still get to enjoy the beach. You don't need to have any surfing background for this trip but just make sure you understand that it will be a physical time. The accommodations are dorm style so no luxury here (it is possible to upgrade to a more traditional hotel room set-up). If you can see yourself getting annoyed with having that kind of accommodation, think twice about booking this tour. The tour minimum is three people so if you can get at least two mates together, you will effectively have a private tour but if other people want to do the surfing safari at the same time as you, you won't be by yourselves.