South Africa’s scenic Garden Route runs mainly along the N2 national route.
The N2 is South Africa’s major coastal highway, stretching from Cape Town eastward through the Western and Eastern Cape before continuing toward KwaZulu-Natal and Ermelo. The Garden Route section begins around Mossel Bay and passes through George, Wilderness, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay.
The route is famous for its forests, lagoons, beaches, mountain passes and protected landscapes, including the Tsitsikamma area. It is not a single separately numbered highway; “Garden Route” describes a scenic region and tourism corridor carried largely by the N2.
A common mix-up is confusing the N2 with the N1 or N3. The N1 is the principal north–south inland route, while the N3 links Johannesburg and Durban. The N2 is the road associated with South Africa’s Indian Ocean coastline and the Garden Route.