Getting here
The Island is situated at the mouth of the Great Brak river on South Africa's Garden Route in the Western Cape (GPS coordinates are Lat -34.0531482 and Long 22.2391931). It's about a 4.5 hour drive from Cape Town, which is just over 400 km's away - or a mere 20-minute drive from the George Airport. If you are interested in distances from other points in South Africa check out SA Explorer. Click on either of the maps below to get directions or to zoom in or out for a bit of context.
Access to The Island is made via a narrow, single-lane wooden bridge. Sometimes there's a small queue of cars waiting. It is usually pretty easy to tell who is a local versus who is a visitor. Check your rear view mirror: white knuckles and beads of sweat on the forehead are the tell-tale signs of an anxious local waiting to see how you make out.
There's no reason to be intimidated by other drivers - or the bridge itself. If you go slow and keep your eye fixed on the other side of the bridge in the distance you won't have any problem (unless your vehicle is abnormally wide, of course). And if you stick the vehicle in 2nd or 3rd gear it won't be as jumpy and you'll glide across nice & smoothly.
Remember, too, keep driving straight once you leave The Island, rather than turn too suddenly into the widening road or else your vehicle's rear end may hit the railing or curb (there used to be poles, but thankfully, those have been removed). Don't worry, once you've been here for a day or two you'll be an old hand - just keep taking it slow & easy. Oh, and yes, some of the planks are a bit loose - don't worry, that just adds to the excitement. For a beginner's guide to crossing The Island bridge like a pro, see this blog post.
Please note that drivers approaching The Island from the mainland should stop and yield to any vehicles which may be waiting to leave The Island from the other side before proceeding, as they have right of way.
Flying to our regional airport in George
If you're arriving by air, the nearest airport is in George, a mere 20 minutes away by car. There are regular flights to George from Johannesburg and Cape Town, with a few flights from Port Elizabeth and Durban. The airport is served by SAA, Mango, Kulula, as well as South Africa's newest budget airline, Flysafair.
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If you are flying into the George Airport and don't have friends or relatives to pick you up, you can always arrange a taxi. Reserving in advance during the peak season is always a good idea, otherwise you may end up waiting for a while.
Click for their Yellow Pages listing which includes an e-mail address.