OTTER HIKING TRAIL - TSITSIKAMMA NATIONAL PARK
This five-day trail was the first official trail to be opened in South Africa and is one of South Africa's most famous hiking trails. The trail meanders through an unspoilt coastal stretch of the garden route in the Tsitsikamma National Park. The trail takes 5 days and, as this hike is extremely popular, reservations for it need to be made well in advance, preferably a year. The trail starts at Storms River Mouth and ends in the prestine Nature's Valley. The Otter Trail starts at the Storms River camp and the South African National Parks has laid out several short trails for day visitors. Set in the Garden Route, the trails lead through coastal and forest scenes, as well as various waterfalls, streams and rivers. The Waterfall Trail is an undemanding hike which follows the first 2,65 km of the Otter Trail. The Otter Trail is rated as one of the top 10 trails in South Africa, and is popular to the point that one has to book almost 2years in advance. Inky was asked 18 months ago if she wanted to go along, hardly knowing what she would be up to so far down the line. And it was well worth the wait! It is a trail well known for the river crossings, two of which have to be crossed at low tide, and for the spectacular scenery experienced along the way. The week leading up to the trip was nerve racking as the entire Garden Route was hit by a savage cold front and I was reading endless news reports on how the N2 had been closed at Knysna, houses had been flooded in Plett, and various other instances of damage caused by stormwater. Not a good start. DAY ONE The trail starts from the South African National Park's Storms River rest camp. The first part of the trail to Ngubu hut is 4,8kms long and normally takes about 3 hours to accomplish. This section contains quite a lot of boulder hopping and with full packs, care must be taken to prevent injury. After a while the hiker reaches a large cave and it is worth taking a break here to explore this natural feature. Beyond the cave the trail continues to the base of a majestic waterfall. DAY TWO The second day of the Otter trail is probably the most varied and beautiful walk of the whole trail. It starts with a steep climb away from Ngubu and then follows a walk through a beautiful area of virgin forest. Eventually the hiker reaches the solid quartz outcrop of Skilderkrans. Here it is time to take a break and have a look to see if one can see any Dolphins or Whales from this incredible vantage point. DAY THREE The third day of the trail starts of with the crossing of the Geelhoutbos river which flows next to the huts. The trail follows the rocky coastline until the Elandsbos river is reached at about morning tea time. This is a good place for a swim either in the brown river water or in the sea. The trail continues along the shore, passing through beautiful Fynebos until the Lottering river comes into view with the Oakhurst huts situated on the far bank DAY FOUR The fourth day of the Otter trail is also the longest. The need to reach and cross the Bloukrans river at low tide makes this day probably the most difficult depending on the time of the low tide. The distance to Bloukrans from Oakhurst is about 10Kms DAY FIVE The final leg of the trail is a relatively easy walk to Nature's Valley. It start off with a boulder hop across the Klip river before a steep climb up to the top of the cliff. Central Reservations +27 (0) 12 426 5111. Fax +27 (0) 12 343 0905e-mail reservations@sanparks.org This is a very popular trail and more applications are received for bookings than can be accommodated. It is however, well worth the perseverance needed in obtaining a booking. |