South Africa Guide
The Western Cape
Tsitsikamma National Park
The Tsitsikamma National Park, roughly midway between Plettenberg Bay and Port Elizabeth, is the highlight of any Garden Route trip. Starting from just beyond Keurboomstrand in the west, the national park extends for 68km into the Eastern Cape along a narrow belt of coast, with dramatic foamy surges of rocky coast, deep river gorges and ancient hardwood forests clinging to the edge of tangled, green cliffs. You'd be crazy to pass up its main attraction, the Storms River Mouth, the most dramatic estuary on this exhilarating stretch of coast. Established in 1964, Tsitsikamma is also South Africa's oldest marine reserve, stretching 5.5km out to sea, with an underwater trail open to snorkellers and licensed scuba divers.
Tsitsikamma has two sections: De Vasselot in the west and Storms River Mouth in the east. Each section can only be reached down a winding tarred road from the N2 (there's no way of getting from one to the other through the park itself). De Vasselot incorporates Nature's Valley, the only resort in the park, and the most low-key settlement on the Garden Route, with a fabulous sandy beach stretching for 3km. South Africa's ultimate hike, the five-day Otter trail, connects the two sections of the park.
The nearest settlement to Storms River Mouth, some 14km to its north at the top of a steep winding road, is the confusingly named Storms River Village, which is outside the national park and some distance from any part of the river. While Storms River Village makes a convenient base for adventure activities in the vicinity and day-trips down to Storms River Mouth, the experience is very different to staying overnight at the coast.