TSITSIKAMMA TRAIL
Driving along the Garden Route beyond Plett, forests line the N2 for long sections. But if you’re going at an “I-want-to-see-theocean” speed, they become a monotonous green blur. It’s only when you explore the Tsitsikamma Mountains on foot that you see these forests for what they really are: delicate, ancient ecosystems.
As you walk, you unlock the beauty of this seemingly impenetrable place: the croak of frogs; the murmur of mountain streams; the whistle of a Knysna warbler; orange-breasted sunbirds that move like prayer flags; the smell of fertile soil; and the sway of the forest canopy in the wind.
The forest is a magical place. Come and experience it!
DAY 1 Nature's Valley to Bloukrans (15,5 km)
Few trails start with a river crossing, but Tsitsikamma means “place of much water” so this crossing feels appropriate.
My fellow hikers and I balance on one leg on the banks of the Groot River estuary, dusting sand off our feet and pulling on our hiking boots again.
It’s early on 31 December 2022. Across the water, the beach at Nature’s Valley still belongs to the surfers. By tonight it will be packed with people seeing in the new year, but we’ll be deep in the forest by then.
Where beach and forest meet, we look for a sign that reads “Kalander” or “Otter”. Kalander is the Afrikaans name for the Outeniqua yellowwood, probably derived from outeniekwalander. It’s also the name of the first hiking hut on the trail.
And Otter? The Tsitsikamma Trail starts where the Otter Trail ends. The two run parallel to each other but in opposite directions. On the Otter, you hike along the sea; on the Tsitsikamma you head inland through forests and mountains.
We don’t see any signs, but we do find a path and soon we arrive at
