By Scott Ramsay
Cape Town - For visitors to our nature reserves, earthly paradise comes in many forms. As the world’s third-most biodiverse nation on earth (after Brazil and Indonesia), our country boasts ecosystems as different as deserts and tropical coral reefs, grasslands and indigenous forest, mountains and beaches.
The Garden Route National Park is one of the most splendid – and diverse - of all our protected areas. An amalgamation of the former Tsitsikamma, Knysna and Wilderness National Parks, it stretches about 150km in a narrow band along the temperate Southern Cape coast.
Around 150 000ha, the country’s fourth biggest national park comprises a largely fragmented, unfenced collection of land that surrounds urban and rural areas. Mostly there aren’t gates or entry fees, and day visitors can access many parts of the park for free, except at some of the more spectacular areas.
Driving from west to east along the national N2 road, you’ll first see the languid waters of Wilderness lakes (a Ramsar birding site of international importance), then the Knysna estuary and indigenous forests (which hosts our last free-roaming, unfenced wild elephants).
Then, in the east, just past Nature’s Valley, begins the spectacular Tsitsikamma coastline, which includes the oldest marine protected area in the country, dating back to 1964.
If you’ve got just one weekend, make sure you visit Storms River Mouth Rest Camp, about 55km east of Plettenberg Bay.
Located on the dramatic shore between forested coastal cliffs and the pounding surf, the wooden cabins, campsites and restaurant (which looks out over the mouth of the Storms River gorge) is one of the park’s best-kept secrets.
Storms River Mouth rest camp is a destination in its own right, and you can spend a whole weekend exploring the surrounds.
The elegant suspension footbridges over the mouth of the Storms River make for an adventurous short walk. The main bridge – 77m long – was built in 1969. If you want to explore the river and sea itself, then sign up with Untouched Adventures for either the boating and kayaking trip up the gorge, or go scuba diving in the marine protected area.
Often considered the oceanic “Kruger Park” of South Africa, Tsitsikamma’s marine protected area is one of the largest of its kind, covering 57km of coastline. It is full of natural life, including small wonders like soft corals, sea anemones and nudibranchs, but also the big creatures like southern right whales, bottlenose dolphins, fur seals, stingrays and sharks.
“Most inquisitive of all are the Cape clawless otters,” said guide Marthinus van der Westhuizen. “They sometimes swim up to divers and nibble on our fins!”
The marine protected area is known not only for it’s adventurous activities, but as a critical nursery ground for “chokka” – sold as calamari in restaurants – and endangered fish like red stumpnose, red steenbras, musselcracker, white steenbras and dusky kob.
Many of these species are slow growing, and have been fished to near extinction in other areas. The Tsitsikamma MPA is the largest “no-take” zone in the country, so no fishing or exploitation is allowed.
Back on shore, hikers can enjoy several short walks from the rest camp through the coastal forest. The 17km, three-day, fully-catered Dolphin Trail starts at Storms River and is fully catered, while the more famous 42km, five-day Otter Trail meanders west to Nature’s Valley.
Even if you’re not hiking the Otter, visitors to Storms River are allowed to walk the first hour of the trail, to a 30m-high waterfall that plunges into a huge rockpool near the thunderous waves.
Just up the entrance road to Storms River mouth is “The Big Tree”, one of the tallest trees in the country – a 1 000 year-old Outeniqua Yellowwood that soars 40m above the forest canopy. These arboreal grandfathers were once common before woodcutters in the early 1900s chopped most of them down. Today the indigenous forests are protected.
Together, the marine and terrestrial parts of Garden Route National Park make it one of the most important and enjoyable to visit. But don’t let all the activities distract you from the most important activity of all: at the end of the day, sit on your cabin’s stoep, light a braai, gaze at the sparkling ocean and listen to the hum of birdsong in the indigenous forest. - Cape Times
l Ramsay is a photojournalist focusing on protected areas in Southern Africa. For more, see www.yearinthewild.com. For Untouched Adventures, see www.untouchedadventures.com. For Storms River Rest Camp, see www.sanparks.org