Day Trails Along the Garden Route

About Day Trails Along the Garden Route

Aside from the obvious and most famous hikes along the Garden Route, like the Otter Trail, the Oystercatcher Trail, the Dolphin Trail or the Tsitsikamma Trails, there are a host of other walks one can do in and around the numerous nature reserves on the Garden Route of the Western Cape.

Some of these include the walks in the Outeniqua Mountains, such as the Cradock Pass walk – a fairly taxing trail of around 12.5 kilometres that follows the track of initial settler wagons down into the pass. The Goukamma Nature Reserve close to Sedgefield is a beautiful combination of fresh-water lake and coastal sand dunes that provides more than a couple of walking options such as the Beach Walk of 14 kilometres, the Goukamma to Groenvlei route, the Lake Walk and the Circular route. It helps that during whale season there is a good chance of spotting them here.

The Half-collared Kingfisher Trail starts just outside the Wilderness village and is a joy for birders, whilst walks along the Robberg Peninsular near Plett offer some wild, rugged coastline and incredible views, particularly the Point Circuit Trail. Harkerville Forest offers further walks through indigenous forest and shoreline, including a really short trail known as the Garden of Eden, whilst the Koumashoek Circuit close to Mossel Bay starts right up at the top of the Robinson Pass.

If you can, try to do the Moonlight meander, starlight stroll that has to take place at either full or new moon because of the necessity for low tide. The walk, from Swartvlei Beach to Gericke's Point is explored by torchlight at night and all the myriad rock pools explored in the process.