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Tsitsikamma Getaway

What follows is an account of a brief excursion in Tsitsikamma which is located in the Garden Route, about 100km along the N2 from Plettenberg Bay.

We left Cape Town on the morning of the 20th to fly to Port Elizabeth where we got a rental car and drove for about an hour before stopping off in Jeffrey's Bay for lunch. We had some great food at a quaint and cosy establishment called the Wax Cafe - perhaps I have become to used to prices in Cape Town because I couldn't believe the prices of the food there. If I payed R36 for a seared tuna steak with salad nearby where I live I would never bother to cook, ever! Unfortunately it was very windy so a swim in the sea wasn't feasible - much to my dismay, I might add, given that the board inside the Wax Cafe reported a sea temprature of 23 degrees celcius.

Another hour from J-Bay (as it is often casually referred to) took took us to Storms River Mouth Rest Camp - the turn off is very clearly marked on the N2 and a short, winding road with awesome peaks at the sea leads you through lush foliage towards the gate and reception area. We were staying in Oceanettes and these are only a few hundred metres away from reception. We were lucky enough to be given a ground level unit which is as close to the ocean as possible and ensures views of the sea from everywhere in the accommodation.

The oceanettes themselves consist of an open-plan room and a bathroom. The room contains 3 beds (2 of which are next to each other and can be combined to form a double bed), and a kitchen complete with utensils, fridge and microwave. All units have their own little patio with a braai.

Storms River Mouth Restcamp has its own restaurant and there we enjoyed a nice dinner with very polite and friendly staff. The menu offers quite a variety of meals at medium prices. I ordered a chicken burger which I was very happy with. This marked the night of the World Cup Rugby final so it was quite busy and there was a particularly energised feeling in the air! After dinner, we moved from the inside of the restaurant to the bar / back section to watch the game.

The day began slightly later than expected and, with no provisions, our departure from the oceanette was encouraged by empty stomachs! We ventured back to the restaurant and sat in the open-air section to have some lunch. The views from the deck were amazing and one is overwhelmed with a feeling of how fresh and clean the air and everything around is. This time I ordered the calamari (R52) with a baked potato and while the meal was delcious, I was disappointed with the stingy portion.

After lunch we returned briefly to the oceanette to fetch a swimming costume and I braved the sea from the beach a few metres away from the restaurant. I was in for a shock as my dreams of the warm Indian Ocean were shattered. The water was icy! I'm sure it was just a freak current given the water at Jeffrey's Bay was so much warmer only the day before.

The afternoon activity was deemed to be quad biking - this was done at Tsitsikamma Adventures, roughly a twenty minute drive east along the N2 from our restcamp. On our way through we stopped off at Storms River Village to get a feel for the area and were pleasantly surprised with beautiful lofty trees and green, rolling pastures. There were some very magical looking guest houses and once can also book for the Tsitsikamma Canopy Tours in the village.

Having quad biked a few times before I knew what to expect in terms of the acitivity itself, and this afforded me more time to focus on the environment around. Tsitsikamma is truly one of the most exquisite areas I have seen when it comes to open space and foliage. The mountains and scenery are unique to the area and quite plainly magnificent. To find the adjectives required would be difficult, hopefully the pictures below can paint a better picture. Back to quad biking, I would recommend this activity not for the mild adrenaline rush but rather to immerse yourself in mother natures own backyard. After all, I did see a sign referring to Tsitsikamma as the Garden Route's Garden!

The evening ended where it began and we had a light dinner at the Storms River Mouth Restcamp restaurant.

It is amazing how refreshed one feels waking up in this area. I'm not sure whether it's the fresh air or slow rhythmic beating of the sea, but you can be sure to have as a good a rest as is possible. After a quick breakfast I decided that the day's activities where to be the zipline tour at Adventure Falls and a walking trail at the restcamp.

So the next branch of my travels took me to the same place where I had quad biked the day before. I got a discount since they remembered me from the previous day (for interests sake, quad biking and the zip tours are R300 pp, I paid R250 for the zipline with the discount). Within 10 minutes of my arrival I was harnessed, helmet and all, and ready to start the activity. A short walk from the reception took us to the first foefie slide. Instructions were simple - pull the handle down to brake and release to go forward. I was in a group with two young boys and they went first. When it came to my turn I was clipped to the line and sailed smoothly along to the next post where the second line began.

There were seven lines in total - the 2nd last one reportedly 211m in length. You pick up quite a bit of speed at times and it's a wonder to traverse space in a manner which would usually be a pipe dream. The rides themselves are very smooth and safe - I initially thought it would be an adrenaline based activity but it was actually quite tame and relaxing.

After a small rest we left the oceanette, determined to do the "mouth trail", a small 1km trail which takes you from the Storms River restaurant to the suspension bridge. This was ultimately not to be, however, as we were informed that a fire had damaged the bridge and the trail was closed. We did walk to the pier though and spot some sting rays lurking not too far beneath the ocean surface. I felt "trail crazy" and wasn't about to the give up that easily - chatting to a few people around it was divulged that there is another trail known as the Loerie Trail, another 1km trail starting about midway along the road between the oceanettes and the restaurant and ending up closer to the oceanette side. The Loerie trail also came in another lengthier flavour, we discovered, called the Blue Duiker (3.7km) - given that it would be dark in a few hours we decided not to get too adventurous and rather stick to the shorter Loerie Trail.

We parked our car on a gravel patch alongside the road where the trail began and made our way slowly up into the lush forest. It was some very nice light exercise - not too physically demanding and the path was very well marked and unambigious. Midway was marked by an apex in terms of our vertical ascent and a beautiful lookout deck. It afforded an immense view of the sea and the surrounding vegetation and some very nice benches to rest our lazy bones. The descent was just as smooth as the ascent and we soon found ourselves on the road near the campsites and chalets. We made our way back to the car and checked out a lot of the other accommodation at Storm's River. Of note were the forest huts which looked dreamy - one, in particular, was very snuggly tucked into the surrounding bushes and trees while also boasting a superb view of the sea.

Supper was once again spent at the restaurant and, not wanting to take any chances with small portions, I ordered the fisherman's platter which was both filling and delicous.

This was our last night in the oceanette as we were checking into the chalet the next day and had to checkout early in the morning.

We received a scolding when we departed our oceanette at 10.30am as we were told that checkout is strictly before 9.00am. Making a mental note we pressed on - today was to be a day of driving and exploring the surrounding towns. We were in for a treat - having heard some good reports on Nature's Valley we decided that would be the first destination.

If you think that the vegetation and surrounds near Storms River are visually appealing then you will appreciate Nature's Valley - it has to be one of the most spectacular regions I have ever seen in South Africa. It is absolutely magical. I will let the pictures tell a thousand words.

We managed to have a look around Nature's Valley Rest Camps. I was utterly astonished to discover that 3G (cellular / mobile internet) is active in the area and that one could actually go there and work efficiently. Storms River only has the slowest of data connections (GPRS) making any internet based work almost impossible. The accommodation there is beautiful - it is all situated close to a river and the sea is a very short distance away too. I saw that canoeing is offered as one of the activities.

Lunchtime was spent at a pub / restaurant in Nature's Valley. I was able to make use of the cellular internet in the area and get some work done while enjoying an ostrich burger. The establishment had a lot of character and the service and food were good too.

Moving on from Nature's Valley we headed onward to Plettenberg Bay and had a quick look around town. It was rather quiet given that there was a bit of rain.

Back at Storms River we checked into our new dwelling - one of the chalets. The layout was different from the oceanettes in that it was made up of a bedroom (with 2 single beds), an open plan kitchen / lounge and a bathroom. The view of the sea was, once again, great.

We left the camp as early as possible to make our way back to PE and catch our flight back to Cape Town. I was sad there was no time to stop off in Jeffrey's Bay again but vowed to return there again for a more substantial stay soon in the future.

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