Wilderness sits directly on the N2, the main coastal highway, about 15 kilometres east of George and 35 kilometres west of Knysna. Most travellers arrive by car as part of a Garden Route drive between Cape Town (about 450 km west) and Port Elizabeth (about 320 km east).
The nearest airport is George (GRJ), 25 kilometres west, with daily flights from Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Major rental car companies have desks at George airport. From the airport, the N2 takes around 25 minutes to reach Wilderness.
Intercity bus services (Intercape, Greyhound, Translux) stop at George rather than Wilderness itself. From George, the Baz Bus hop-on-hop-off backpacker shuttle does stop in Wilderness village.
The famous Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe steam train that ran between George and Knysna along the coast was suspended after storm damage in 2006 and has not returned to regular service, though restoration projects surface from time to time. The line crosses Wilderness at the Kaaimans River bridge — visible from the N2 — which is one of the most photographed railway bridges in South Africa.