Mossel Bay 🇿🇦 | Coastal Cliff Hike on the Garden Route

The first stop on the Garden Route—Mossel Bay—surprised me with its cliffside hikes and locally brewed gin! A small city with big charm! 🌊✨ 💥 Hiking Route: Museum → Lighthouse → Trail → Golf Estate → Café Gannet (6km total) ✔️ Bartolomeu Dias Museum A tribute to explorer Dias, featuring a life-sized replica ship and a 500-year-old "Post Office Tree" 🌳⚓. 🎫 30R (~¥12) – Skip if you're short on time. ✔️ Cape St Blaize Lighthouse 100R entry fee? Not worth it—just admire it from outside! The real stars? The adorable rock hyraxes chilling nearby! 🐇💕 ✔️ St Blaize Hiking Trail → Mossel Bay Golf Estate A stunning 13.5km cliffside trail (6h full hike), but I just did the 2km/1h segment to the Golf Estate. Passed sea caves + hidden bays—epic views! 🏞️👟 Pro tip: Loop back via the uphill path to avoid retracing steps. ✔️ Café Gannet The walk here rewards you with jaw-dropping ocean vistas—don’t miss it! ☕🌊 🚌 Transport: Cape Town → Mossel Bay APM bus from Cape Town Central Station (book at computicket.com). 380R (~¥120), 6h ride (delayed 1h 😤), arriving at Voorbaai Truckport (6km from town). No taxis? Called a cab for 100R (~¥40) to reach my hostel. 🏡 Accommodation: Avilla Nova Backpackers 6-bed dorm: 190R (~¥76/night), no breakfast. No privacy curtains, thin walls... but newly renovated and 300m from the beach! 🍽️ Food & Drinks 📍 C&P Coffee Roastery Africano (Tanzanian + Colombian beans, frothed like a cappuccino!): 44R (~¥18). Croissants 🥐 + cold brew (70R) = Worth every cent! 📍 Café Gannet House-made gin flight (110R/~¥44): Sip neat, squeeze citrus peel, then add tonic—three layers of flavor! 🌸🍫 📍 China Restaurant Run by a Shanghainese couple for 20+ years. Sweet & sticky pork noodles (110R/~¥44)—tasty but heavy 🍜🤤. #SouthAfrica #HiddenGems 💎 #CoastalHikes 🥾 #MosselBay #GardenRouteAdventure 🚐 #TravelDiaries 📖