Hiking in the Garden route
THE OTTER TRAIL
The Otter trail takes 5 days and four nights to complete the roughly 38 kilometres. It begins at the Western end of the Storms River mouth Rest camp. It follows the coastline over sandy beaches and rocky areas all the way to Natures Valley. It includes river crossings. Overnight in huts along the way
Reservations are made through SAN Parks:
Telephone: +27 (0) 12 426 5111
E-mail: specialisedreservations@sanparks.org.
WATERFALL TRAIL
The Waterfall Circular Trail takes about three hours to complete the six kilometers. It starts on the western end of the Storms River Mouth Rest Camp. It follows the Otter Trail path hiking through indigenous forests, along the rocky coastline, past Guano Cave, until you reach the waterfall on the Jerling River. Return to the camp in the same way you took out. Hiking beyond the waterfall is not allowed without an Otter Trail permit.
BLUE DUIKER TRAIL
The Blue Duiker Trail is just 4 kilometres and it starts just west of the Information Center at the rest camp. It takes about two hours to complete. The hike takes you through a dense forest to the Agulhas Lookout Point. Here you can usually see dolphins and whales in winter. Moving on you will cross fynbos fields crossing over several streams. Cross over the road that leads to the rest camp and head towards the coast. Here, the trail connects to the same path as the Waterfall/Otter Trail. From here the trail continues back to the rest camp.
STORMS RIVER MOUTH TRAIL
This a popular trail. It starts near the parking lot at the eastern end of the rest camp. It covers about two kilometres and takes about an hour and a half. Follow the coastline down to the 3 suspension bridges over the Storms River. The path is paved and clearly marked but there are a lot of steps. Just before the first suspension bridge, you may choose whether to go down to the coastline on the way to the first 2 suspension bridges, or stay on this path and pass above these 2 bridges towards the 3rd and largest suspension bridge.
LOERIE TRAIL
The Loerie Trail is a short trail that takes just an hour to complete. It begins in the same location as that starts at the same location as the Blue Duiker Trail and leads up to the Agulhas Lookout Point. Past this point, the Duiker trail leads into the forest while the Loerie Trail takes a left back down to the rest camp. This trail is popular with bird watchers,
Storm’s River Mouth – S34 01.347 E23 53.910
