Wilderness is a beautiful and peaceful little village on the banks of the Touws River on the Garden Route.

It is surrounded by the Outeniqua Mountains on the one side, the Indian Ocean on the other and is approximately 5 hours’ drive from Cape Town.

Wilderness boasts one of the best beaches on the Garden Route – and most likely in the Western Cape (in my humble opinion), with firm golden sand (and very few pebbles or stones to injure bare feet) a gradual slope into the sea and very mild winds. But aside from magnificent beaches, Wilderness has a lot to offer visitors.

Getting There:
Driving along the N2 out of Cape Town head past George onto the Kaaiman’s Pass – and be greeted by lush forests on the mountainside and magnificent sweeping views of the beach – before entering the Wilderness Village. Drive slowly - to saviour and enjoy the view and to avoid missing the turnoff into the Village on your left. You also don’t want to be making any unnecessary financial contributions to the local municipality, if you catch my drift.

Wilderness provides an ideal base for exploring other parts of the Garden Route: It’s about 15 km east of George, and if you continue travelling east of Wilderness on the N2 you’ll find Sedgefield, Knysna and then Plettenberg Bay. There is also a great variety to choose from when it comes to Accommodation in Wilderness

If you’re spending a couple of days in Wilderness you’ll no doubt need to resupply at some point. For this you’ll need to head into the Wilderness Village where you’ll find the Caltex Garage immediately on your right, and beyond that a number of restaurants and art galleries on both sides of the road. Straight ahead you’ll see a minimart and liquor store and to your left the Milkwood Village shopping complex, which contains a Spar, video shop, the Wilderness Visitors Information Centre and a number of eateries and estate agents. The visitor Information Centre is a must visit for information and contact details if you’re planning on doing any activities.

For such a small village, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the number and quality of Wilderness Restaurants – ranging from Italian to Indian and Thai themed restaurants.

Despite its size, you’ll find there are a lot of things to do in Wilderness, ranging from relaxing walks in the Wilderness National Park to more extreme activities like paragliding and quadbiking.

If you drive past the Wilderness village turnoff, you’ll find the turnoff to Salinas Restaurant on your right and shortly thereafter the turnoffs to Eden Adventures and the Wilderness National Park on your left. Continue further with the road and you’re on the way to Sedgefield and Knysna.

Due to the sheer beauty of Wilderness it’s also just worthwhile to hop in the car and drive. There is an excellent look-out point coming into Wilderness and also the Map of Africa lookout point

If you visit Wilderness, CapeTownToday.co.za recommends the following:

Breakfast at Flava Café, supper at Pomodoro, cocktails at Sails Restaurant , a drive out to the Map of Africa viewpoint and repeated long walks on the beach. If you need to get online, visit the Blue Olive for a drink - they offer free wifi

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