Along the Garden Route, between Mossel Bay and George, lies the tranquil holiday resort of Hartenbos. Hartenbos, with its endless white sandy beaches and shallow lagoon, is perfect for holiday makers who like going for beach walks, anglers, as well as vacationers wanting to relax in the sun and enjoy a swim or canoe.

The trick with travelling along the Garden Route is to have enough time to keep slipping off the N2 onto the side-roads with promising destinations, so that you can experience the beauty and culture, to many visitors travel along the Garden Route see everything and experience nothing do not be one of them, explore there is so much to see and do

Hartenbos is part of the Mossel Bay municipality and overlooks the beautiful Bay.

In the 1730's a ship, the Huijs te Marquette, lost her rudder and floundered to the shore, where her crew was stranded. A local farmer, Esaias Meijer, rode to Cape Town to appraise the authorities of the ship's sorry plight.

As a token of appreciation for his help, the Dutch East India Company granted Meijer a tract of land which he subsequently called Hart en Bosch ("deer and bush"). Most of the farm was later bought by the Afrikaanse Taal- en Kultuurvereniging (ATKV)

The South African Railways and harbours turned the town into a holiday resort for their lower-rung employees in 1932.

Hartenbos is the centre of the Afrikanns cultural heritage centre and Great Trekk Museum. A great place to stay and explore the surrounding area, and a central part of the Garden Route.

The Post Office Tree (At the nearby Diaz Museum)

In 1500 Pedro de Ataide, Commander of one of Cabral's ships, on his return journey from the east, left a letter of importance in a shoe or iron pot under or near a large tree.

In 1501 this letter was found by Joao da Nova, commander of the third East India fleet en route to India. In this way the first Post Office in South Africa was founded. The large tree, a Milkwood (Sideroxylon inerme) has been declared a national monument and is generally known as the Post Office Tree.