SOUTHERN CAPE NEWS - The Garden Route National Park (GRNP) consists of three sections: Wilderness, Knysna and Tsitsikamma and covers more than
155 000 ha of landscapes, seascapes and fynbos areas.
The Wilderness system comprises three lakes (Rondevlei, Langvlei and Island Lake). These and the Serpentine Wetlands are home to a great variety of birds.
Hiking
The famous Outeniqua Trail is a series of day-walks over seven days. It starts in Beervlei and ends in Harkerville. This trail carves its way in the cool shade of undulating indigenous forest with rustic huts for those endeavouring the seven-day trek.
The Half-Collared Kingfisher Trail crosses the Touw River by means of a pontoon to join the Giant Kingfisher Trail. The 7km linear walk is the most popular in the Wilderness section and offers several picnic spots.
The Farleigh Mountain Bike Routes offer three routes. The Farleigh Green Route (8km) is an easy route for novice riders and families through pine plantations and pockets of indigenous forest. It has a difficulty rating of 2,5/10.
The Farleigh Yellow Route (25km) offers some moderate climbs and awesome views. This route is for fit cyclists and is rated 7/10.
The Farleigh Blue Route (20km) is a challenging route for intermediate riders wanting to test their endurance abilities, with beautiful views of the Outeniqua and Tsitskamma Mountains. Difficulty: 6/10.
Visitors to the Wilderness section of the park can enjoy a trip down the Touw and the Serpentine Rivers right up to Island Lake in a canoe. By paddling up the Touw River, visitors have the opportunity to pass through dense indigenous forests. This is the perfect way to go birdwatching.
The Knysna Forest is home to the elusive Knysna elephants, caracals, leopards, blue duiker, bushpig, bushbuck, genet, Cape grysbok, Cape grey mongoose, porcupine, vervet monkeys and baboons.
Elephant Trail and Perdekop Trail are Green Flag-accredited by the Hiking Organisation of Southern Africa (HOSA). This is a global benchmark for hiking trails and includes the following criteria: Conservation status, health and safety measures, cleanliness and maintenance, sustainability, management and more.
The Elephant Trail consists of three, interlinked, circular routes in Diepwalle. The black route is an easy 9km easy circular route. The white trail covers a distance of 8km, or 6,5km. It is an easy circular route. The red route is a moderate 7km circular route.
The Perdekop Trail covers a distance of 9,5km. It will take between three and four hours to complete this easy circular route.
Apart from the globally recognised Harkerville Mountain Bike Routes and the Petrus-se-Brand Cycle Route, a new cycling route was recently launched in the Knysna section of the GRNP.
The new 12km mountain bike route, known as Graspad, is accessible from the scenic Kranshoek gate and offers a ride through species-rich indigenous forests.
Kayaks for use on the Knysna Estuary can now be hired directly from the SANParks Thesen Island office in Knysna. The Knysna Estuary lends itself to a great many boating and sailing activities.
The word 'Tsitsikamma', the Khoisan name for the area, means 'the place of clear water'. A total of 202 species of fish, sharks and rays from 84 families have been recorded in the Tsitsikamma MPA alone.
The world-famous Otter Trail and the Dolphin Trail, have Green Flag status and were declared as such by the HOSA.
The Otter Trail is a five-day hiking trail, that starts at the Storms River Mouth and ends at Nature's Valley. The total distance for the trail is 42km and it has several overnight huts along the way. This trail closely hugs the Tsitsikamma coast.
The Dolphin Trail is a unique guided, luxury hiking experience along a spectacular two-day route on the Tsitsikamma coast. Luggage is portaged and hikers stay in luxury accommodation. The 17km hiking experience includes all meals, guides, and a 4x4 drive through the old Storms River Pass.
River Tubing includes tubing down the Storms River, swimming, rock jumping and hiking through the Storms River gorge.
If you crave adventure, a kayaking and lilo adventure at Storms River Mouth will offer you the a ride of your life. Kayak across the ocean, then get to the Storms River and finally end off on the lilos to relax and marvel at the wonders of nature.
For information on permits and fees and to book accommodation and activities, contact SANParks at 044 302 5600.
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