The Portuguese called this bend of the coast Bahia Formosa, the beautiful bay, and nobody has seriously disagreed since. Plettenberg Bay, or Plett as everyone calls it, sits near the eastern end of South Africa's Garden Route, with a curved beach below forested hills and the dark rocky peninsula of Robberg standing out to sea. The Dutch governor Joachim van Plettenberg gave the town its present name in 1778, and the place grew through timber, whaling and later tourism.
The ride to it is a good one. Coming from Knysna, about thirty kilometres to the west, the N2 crosses a series of river gorges and green hills, with the sea sometimes glimpsed through the milkwood trees. Heading east, the road drops into the Keurbooms river valley, then climbs again toward the Tsitsikamma coast, where it passes the Bloukrans bridge, famous for the highest commercial bungee jump from a bridge in the world, at some two hundred metres. The road is well maintained, but trucks use it heavily, and it can be busy at Christmas and Easter, so mid-week outside school holidays is calmer. Wind off the sea, especially a sharp south-easter, can be fierce.
Nature is the real draw around here. Robberg Nature Reserve has a clifftop trail, a colony of Cape fur seals and fishing boats working the swell. Between June and November, southern right whales come close to shore to calve, and you can often spot them from the beach or headlands, while dolphins are around all year. The inland forests, part of the Garden Route's famous evergreen belt, are home to the Knysna turaco and, with a lot of luck, elusive leopards.
Plett has fuel, restaurants and plenty of places to stay, though prices in December and January climb quickly. Seafood is good, with oysters from nearby Knysna a regional favourite. Take a morning to walk Robberg, give the afternoon to the beach, and save the evening for watching the light go pink over the bay.