Garden Route Trail offers guided birding, nature walks and a selection of guided slackpacking hiking
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Despite this years Fish River Canyon being harsh due to the dry conditions caused by a two year drought, with the correct planning and being extra cautious, it was still possible to finish the hike safely and after reflection, enjoy it.
In 2024, the Fish River Canyon was in the grips of a two year drought. Despite the extreme heat and harsh conditions, it was still a magnificent hike. In the...
Wood Wide Web.
Our guided wood wide web forest tour focuses on the ecological services that fungi deliver, and their intricate role in forest health, communication, disease control and nutrient recycling.
Forest health is viral to the survival of life on this planet, from the provision of oxygen, sustained river flow, the water cycle, a source of medicinal compounds and habitat for wildlife.
Join Garden Route Trail on a guided wood wide web walk and discover how fungus has supported forest habitats and wildlife as well as how it has influenced the development of human society.
www. gardenroutetrail.co.za
📧 [email protected]
Garden Route Coastal Meander is a guided 5 day slackpacking coastal hike along pristine beaches and through forest and coastal dunes.
A diverse experience, it includes two canoe stages and traverses one of the highest density fossil trackway regions in the world.
Highlights include marine and terrestrial interpretation as well as viewing of some incredible fossil footprints.
Discover the natural beauty of the on this spectacular 5 day hiking eco-adventure.
Our 2025 season tour dates are available.
For trail and reservation details, visit our website or send an email.
Website : www.gardenroutetrail.co.za
📧 [email protected]
It is always a privilege seeing these reclusive cubs.
One of the apex predator species in the Garden Route is Caracal, locally referred to as Rooikat. Highly successful predators, they hunt a wide selection of p...
20 Years of Hiking Tours
In May 2004, Garden Route Trail launched their flagship hiking tour, the 5 day Garden Route Coastal Meander, an all inclusive slackpacking coastal trail between Wilderness and Brenton on Sea.
Traversing two nature reserves and inclusive of two canoe stages, the diversity of the trail includes forest, beach, and dune fynbos stages.
In addition to the natural beauty along the trail, it also provides glimpses of incredible marine life and the rich fossil footprint heritage spanning 150,000 years along the route.
Recommended start dates are restricted to spring tides so that the 3 beach stages are hiked on firm sand at low tide.
To all our guests that have hiked with us over the past 20 years, thank you for sharing our passion for nature. To future guests, we look forward to unveiling the natural beauty and the past with you on the trail.
In addition to the Garden Route Coastal Meander, we also offer a range of slackpacking hikes as well as guiding on existing trails for guests wanting to expand their hiking experience.
Want a more aquatic experience then check out options of snorkeling, diving on the Sardine Run or SUPping in the Garden Route.
In 2007 we witnessed a baby elephant fall into the Harpoor Dam in the Addo Elephant National Park. It was fascinating to watch the family unit rally to rescue it from drowning.
Over the years, there have been similar events shared on social media, suggesting that the waterhole is risky for young wildlife visiting it.
I never expected to see another baby Elephant fall into the same dam, almost at the same location, but in March this year, that's exactly what happened.
The rescue was not as dramatic as in 2007, but the risk was still there for a drowning.
In the 90 minutes that we watched the family try to get the baby out of the waterhole, a Warthog also fell in, and due to the presence of elephants and buffalo, also risked drowning. It family were anxious, repeatedly trying to barge through the clusters of elephants and buffalo to get a look at the boar as it struggled to get out.
One of the reasons that the baby Elephant fell in and subsequently struggled to get out of the waterhole was due to the steepness of the embankments.
Again, watching patiently, the reason for the steep embankments become obvious - a large Cape Buffalo Bull spent half an hour ripping the mud out of the embankment with its horns.
Fortunately the baby elephant and the Warthog boar managed to exit the waterhole and live another day.
A baby African Elephant slips into the Harpoor Dam in the Addo Elephant National Park. The family unit then spend 90 minutes attempting get the baby elephant...
Glimpses of the Fish River Canyon 2024.
The Fish River Canyon Hike is a demanding hike through the Fish River Canyon, the second largest canyon in the world. Hiking is restricted to 30 hikers per day in the winter months between the 1st May and 15th September.
In the 2024 hiking season, the canyon was in the grips of a two year drought, with limited water in the canyon, and the water that was available was extremely mineralized from evaporation, forcing the Namibian Wildlife Resorts authorities to set up water points at three locations in the canyon. Despite this, in the first week of May, hikers still had daily stages of up to 20Km between water points, with most perennial pools totally dry.
With daily temperatures exceeding 42°C, hiking was f9cused on finding sufficient water for the day. We carries between 4L and 6L per person and still ended up with empty containers each day. The water, instead of slaking our thirst, actually increased it, as well as suppressed appetite. Most hikers des ribed not eating full meals for 3 days, forcing themselves to eat for energy.
This is a quick video compilation of our 5 day hike starting on the 1st May. Most groups opted to rush the hike and finish in 4 days, merely to reduce their consumption of the poor water quality in the few remaining pools in the canyon.
The Fish River Canyon Hike is a demanding hike through the Fish River Canyon, the second largest canyon in the world. Hiking is restricted to 30 hikers per d...
Booking for the Leopard Trail opened this morning for hikers hoping to book the trail for the second quarter of 2025.
Good luck for those wanting to make a reservation - it is worth the effort.
Traversing a range of hills and diverse vegetation, the Leopard Trail in the Baviaans Kloof is a superb 4 day wilderness trail.
Fish River Canyon gear check.
With the release of the Fish River Canyon water survey this week, it seems that water between the 20km and 40km marks is going to be in short supply for the 2024 hiking season, making correct gear and food selection essential.
On a previous hike, the use of a MSR ceramic hiking filter proved useless, with the filter blocking after filtering 200ml. For our 2024 hike, we are going to use pourover coffee filters to remove some sediment and algae from our water and have a 5l capacity/person if it is required.
We will also experiment with digging for water, similar to some Kruger trails and bush survival essentials.
Descending into the canyon on the 1st May, we will be one of the first groups for the 2024 hiking season, so have to be prepared.
And of course, irrespective of the water situation, a daily shot of coffee is essential, so packing a GSI espresso machine is considered essential hiking equipment.
We will also be mapping the water reserves along the hike using Cybertracker and will be able to share a detailed report and map of available water for hiking grpups in 2024 by mid May.
It is always a privilege to guide on the trails in the Robberg Coastal Corridor Protected Environment Coastal Corridor. This month, I was fortunate enough to guide twice on the multi-day slackpacking Inqua Trail.
The Inqua Trail traverses the Robberg Coastal Corridor, a wildlife corridor across private properties between Robberg Nature Reserve and Harkerville. Each trail is guided and limited to 12 guests, with overnight stays in a glamping campsite.
The Inqua Trail is a multiday slackpacking coastal trail in the Robberg Coastal Corridor. With options of two or three day itineraries, the trail is fully gu...
For the past week,we have had the privilege to hike in the Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma mountains, first on the Tsitsikamma Trail, and then in the Doringrivier reserve.
The Tsitsikamma Trail is a six day hike, overnighting in superb hiking huts. The 60km Trail can be hiked in 4 days, skipping the Kalander Hut in Nature's Valley, and heading to the Bloukrans Hut, ending the trail by combing the 5th and 6th days for a mountainous 16.5km stage.
The trail can be hiked in the traditional form (a large backpack containing everything you need for the trail) or as slackpacking trail with food and sleeping gear transported to each hut.
After finishing the Tsitsikamma Trail, as a slackpacking option, it was time to change gear for a 2 day out and back hike into the Doringrivier Nature Reserve in the Outeniqua Mountains. The intent of the 2 day hike was to test our gear for our upcoming Fish River Canyon Hike on the first of May.
Sleeping under the stars, with a stream trickling past and a chorus of frogs and night life was food for the soul.
In the Garden Route, we are privileged to have an incredible network of trails catering for all hiking abilities in some of the most incredible mountains covered in fynbos and Afro-montane forest.
Trail preparation and correct packing of gear is what determines how you remember your hike. This is especially true for the Trail in Namibia.
Remember, there is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate gear.
For backcountry hikers, the Fish River Canyon Trail is an epic hiking trail through one of the deepest canyons in the world. Following the river bed of the Fish River, the trail offers a 3 to 6 day…
Not a usual snorkeling location for me, but the group did get to see seahorses and two octopus. Amazing to see were the large number of Crowned Nudibranchs in the Eelgrass Meadows in the channel, despite the high volume of boat traffic passing above, I saw over 40 in 180m of channel.
Girls just want to have fun!
Over the last 2 years, the trend on our guided slackpacking and hiking tours has been an increase in ladies only groups. Comprised of friends that want to head out into the wilderness, enjoy reconnecting with nature, discovering new places, getting daily exercise away from their homeground, and importantly, on our multi-day hikes, not having to think about preparing meals for a few days are some of the reasons for planning hiking getaways.
They revel in being away from work while providing their spouses time to bond with their children.
Basically, heading off on an adventure with friends for some valuable recalibration.
It has been incredible to observe these women tap into the therapeutic benefits of nature to balance the demands of their careers and family life in the ever evolving landscape of modern life.
After 4 or 5 days of hiking, they head home, recharged, invigorated and motivated, while already planning the next hiking getaway.
Glimpses of Addo.
After a hot, dry summer, a lot of waterholes in Addo Elephant National Park are dry, leaving a few, such as Hapoor, as a primary source water for the wildlife.
Spending 6 hours watching the main and satellite Harpoor Waterholes provided great insights into drinking habits, social interactions and heat management strategies of a variety of species.
Needless to say, there were a few entertaining moments. Adolescent elephants spraying themselves with mud was wonderful to watch, the little final flick of the tip of their trunk to propel the mud to exactly where they want it.
These Three Piggy's went down to the waterhole.
With almost the entire elephant population of Addo Elephant National Park descending on the Harpoor Dam to drink, there is very little opportunity for other species to find space to drink.
These three Warthogs spent over 20 minutes circling the satellite pool at Harpoor Dam looking for a gap between the elephants to drink.
Eventually, the heat and thirst lent them courage, and they dashed in between the towering legs. An adolescent ellie charged them, but they returned, drank their fill and then trotted off, their defiant tails upright as they headed back to the dense Spekboom Thicket.
Addo is looking exceptionally dry and most of the usual water holes are dry. Threw that do have water exhibit signs of heavy grazing and browsing pressure on the surrounding vegetation, with pronounced degradation since November, an indication of the impact of a hot, dry summer.
Kayaking is a wonderful way of exploring the rivers of the Garden Route
DesignKayaks
This week had some great snorkeling conditions in the Garden Route.
The inshore reef ecosystem in the Garden Route offers a kaleidoscope of colour for divers in the region. Overhangs abound with sea fans, sponges and vivid in...
Today, while Kayaking, we had two wonderful sightings of snakes swimming in the Goukamma River.
The first snake was a Night Adder and the second was a Puffadder.
A medium sized Puffadder seen swimming along the edge of the Goukamma River. After following it for 20m, it then headed I to the reed bed and disappeared.
Fish River Canyon Hike
In celebration of 20 years of offering guided hiking tours, we have booked on the iconic Fish River Canyon hiking trail in Namibia.
Due to the heat of the region, the trail is only open for hiking from the 1st May to the end of September each year. To mark the launch of Garden Route Trail in May 2004, we have secured 10 spaces for the Fish River Canyon trail, starting on the 1st May 2024.
The ethos of the hike will be a relaxed hike, as a group of hikers that enjoy the simplicity of wild hiking in pristine environments. Starting on the 1st of May will also mean that we will be starting the 2024 season of hikes in the canyon.
If you are interested in joining Mark on this hike, send an email for more details on [email protected]
Visit our website for more details at https://gardenroutetrail.co.za/fishriver.html
Garden Route Kayaking
With a range of river and estuaries to choose from, the Garden Route is an ideal destination for flat water kayaking.
A a short relaxed paddle is down the Wolwerivier to Swartvlei. Once on Swartvlei, you have a choice of traversing the lake and heading down to the mouth or skirting the northern shoreline and paddling to the causeway on the Hoogekraal River.
Kayaking down the Wolwerivier to Swartvlei in the Garden Route starts with a relaxing and tranquil paddle along a narrow reed lined channel before opening up...
Another awesome snorkel session at Gericke's Point.
Following the recent Red Tide algal bloom in the Garden Route, the clearest water for snorkeling today was in the rock pools at Gericke's Point. There were l...
Another awesome snorkel at Gericke's Point. On this dive, the highlight was seeing an altercation over a lair site between two Common Octopus.
while watching a Common Octopus under an overhang in a rock pool at Gericke's Point, a second octopus bolted from a lair, engaged with the first octopus, and...
Forest Wildlife
A firm favorite macro 'wildlife' viewing platform is the handrail on the Giant Kingfisher Trail in Wilderness.
After the morning rain there were a few species of forest snails commuting along the handrail.
This one in particular stood out as it was wagging a psuedo-tail, most likely as a means of attracting a mate.
In the forest gloom, it looked like a real happy critter and it was almost as if it was singing 'If you are happy and you know it, wag your tail".
A species of forest snail cruising along the boardwalk handrail on the Giant Kingfisher Trail in Wilderness National Park waves its tail to attract a mate. A...
In May, Garden Route Trail will celebrate 20 years of guided hiking trails in the Garden Route, Little Karoo, Western and Eastern Cape.
To mark this milestone, we have a few new hiking itineraries and some other events planned for 2024.
The Dunefuelds Coastal Trail is one of our new trails. A 4 day guided slackpacking coastal trail between Woody Cape and Kenton on Sea, it traverses pristine forest and sections of the largest open dune fields in South Africa, while resonating with the laid back ambiance of the Eastern Cape.
Visit our website for more details of this and other slackpacking hikes that we offer.
Want a more aquatic experience then check out options of snorkeling, diving on the Sardine Run or SUPping in the Garden Route.
Beat the summer heat on this awesome canyon hike at Cedar Falls in the .
An add on activity to the Leopard Trail in the Baviaanskloof is the half day outing to Cedar Falls. Hiking from the base camp, the route to the falls follows...
Time to start preparing for the Fish River Canyon Hike.
A bucket list desert hike, the Fish River Canyon Hike in Namibia offers the epitome of remote solitude (except for your hiking companions) and crystal clear ...
Another awesome snorkel at Gericke's Point this morning.
Snorkeling over the intertidal shelf during the neap high tides is a perfect shallow water dive with some wonderful sightings.
The weather today on the Robberg Coastal Corridor Protected Environment was simply spectacular. Sun, a cool light breeze, and clear air across endless panoramic views.
The highlight was a double sighting of a pod of approximately 500 Common Dolphins, first speeding west about 1.5km offshore, and the second time feeding offshore before heading east.
Long-crested Eagle spotted on the birding tour.
This species has experienced a westward range expansion, most likely due to climate.ate change, and was f8rst recorded in the Wilderness area 9f the Garden Route approximately 12 years ago.
They are now recorded as far west as the Overberg.
6 Wolwerivier Road
Sedgefield
6573
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Come join Garden Route Trail in the mountains. #GardenRoute #mountainhike #MDguiding
Exploring true wilderness, the very fabric of time proceeds at an altered pace.
There is something mesmerizing about watching a puffadder 'walk'. If you enjoyed this video, check out my Nature Talks series on YouTube.
A lucky sighting of a Cape Dune Mole as we welcomed our guests on our 5 day Garden Route Coastal Trail. #GardenRoute #SouthAfrica #MDguiding #coastalhike #Slackpacking #ecoadventure #hiking #hikemzantsi #trekking #WildlandsStudiesSA
Public notice : Whale stranding on Wilderness beach. Time : 19h45 A female Humpback Whale has stranded on the wilderness beach on an incoming tide. The beach is steep which has hampered efforts to refloat the whale. The DEA has taken control of the situation and will most likely have to euthanize the whale after it's condition has been assessed by a vet. The public are requested to leave space for officials to conduct their duties.
This morning, while snorkeling at Gericke's Point to survey snagged fishing tackle, we were fortunate to have a large adult Pajama Shark (Poroderma africanum) swim past us, which we followed till it swam into a narrow cave. Pajama Sharks are usually nocturnal, feed on small fish and octopus and grow to about 1m. The female lays 2 eggs which are attached to the reef and take between 6 and 9 months to hatch. Sadly the reef was again littered with fishing line, lead sinkers and hooks, some even with lures on them. Snagged fishing tackle poses the risk of ghost fishing, the term used to describe the continued fishing of tackle after it has been lost. Estimates are that a lost baited hook has the potential to catch and kill up to 10 fish. On our surveys at the beginning of the year, one of the species that we recovered killed by a snagged fishing hook was a Pajama Shark. #GardenRoute #GhostFishing #StrandloperProject Knysna Hope Spot Knysna Basin Project
An exciting find of fresh elephant spoor while guiding on a forest hike recently. The elephant had walked from a cleared plantation which had good emergent indigenous vegetation, across a management track and down the slope towards the river. Measurements across the spoor were approximately 22 to 25cm. #SpiritofKnysna #GardenRouteTrail #hikingtour
After killing a Bushbuck fawn in a thicket along the Wolverivier, this male Caracal returned twice a day to feed on it. But he wasn't the only animal feeding on it. Our cameras captured an African Goshawk, a pair Honey Badgers and a few families of Bushpigs. #GardenRoute #SANParks #ecoadventure
For the past two evenings we have been fortunate to view two Common Octopus hunting in a tidal pool on our #MoonlightMeander tour to Gericke's Point. One of the octopus has had two of its legs removed and it was apparent that this has hampered its hunting ability. Last night, this large individual started hunting mullet and then switched to hunting crabs. The next Moonlight Meander will be on Sunday 13th May.
The concept of trophic cascades is a relatively recent biological concept which describes the progression of nutrients and energy (calorific) through the food chain. There are numerous examples of trophic cascades of which the return of wolves to Yellowstone National Park is an iconic example (watch 'How wolves changes rivers'). In the ocean the barometer of a healthy and sustainable marine environment is the presence of a robust population of sharks of all sizes. Almost counter intuitive is the fact that the more prolific the population of sharks, the greater the population of both reef and pelagic fish. Sadly, with both overfishing and the horrendous shark fin fishery, shark populations have plummeted globally. In areas, such as Mozambique, shark populations have decreased by 90% in a decade. In terms of shark reproduction, most of the larger species of sharks are live bearers with females, depending on species, giving birth to between 2 and 20 pups after a gestation of 9 to 12 months (again species specific). With fish stocks plummeting, recreational fishermen have started targeting sharks for 'sport' fishing, often ignorant of the life cycle of the targeted species. A Bronze Whaler Shark lives to approximately 30 years. Females reach sexual maturity at 20 years (2m) and give birth to 20 pups after a 12 month gestation. Today I watched a group of 8 sports fishermen targeting sharks. There were high fives all round and posing for trophy photos before the sharks were returned to the ocean. In an hour six sharks, 2 Hammerheads and 4 Bronze Whalers, were caught and released. Fortunately all survived, though a small Hammerhead nearly didn't needing 3 minutes before it was able to swim away. During the removal of the hook, posing for photos and dragging to be released, the Hammerhead received numerous scratches and both it's eyes received bunt force trauma and abrasions. It was obvious watching the group that catching a shark conferred a status symbol to th
Octopus colour changing abilities. After a session of free diving with a group to clear snagged recreational fishing tackle and line from the eastern reef at Gericke's Point this morning I jumped into a few rock pools to check out the tropical fish. In one of the pools this common octopus displayed it's camouflage and colour changing skills.
A glimpse of the Paquita Wreck in the Knysna Lagoon. Amanda
Just love this clip of a Common Octopus hunting on a recent #MoonlightMeander
The art of hugging a tree. As a tribute to the Knysna Forest after a 2 day hiking tour, Uta felt it only natural to hug a giant Outeniqua Yellowwood as both greeting and gratitude.
One of the highlights of our Moonlight Meander tour at Gericke's Point is finding a Tuberculate cuttlefish (Sepia tuberculata). Measuring a mere 8cm as an adult, these mini cephalopods are incredible hunters having the ability not only to mimic hermit crabs and whelks in form and movement, but to alter their skin texture and colour as part of their camouflage while atalking and attacking their prey.
With the summer holidays almost upon us, we are looking forward to our snorkeling at Gericke's Point again.
Today we started our 5 day slackpacker trail from Wilderness to Brenton on Sea. We had a wonderful sighting of a Narina Trogon, but the highlight of the day was without question, a close encounter with a Blue Duiker and her lamb. For the past three years we have seen the adults close to the path, but this is the first time that an adult has brought its lamb so close to us. Very special to be less than 3m from them for over 15 minutes. What was interesting was watching them foraging. Two weeks ago the adult ate mainly fronds from asparagus ferns, while today they ate primarily fallen leaves and forest grape fruits.
A combination of elevated sea temperatures and small swells has resulted in clear coastal waters and an abundance of tropical fish. Under these ideal conditions, snorkeling in the rock pools and along the ledge at Gericke's Point are a marine biologists utopia.
With the heat wave blasting across the Garden Route this week, one of the best options was to spend some time in the water. Exploring the rock pools at Gericke's Point near Sedgefield at low tide can be fascinating if you enjoy marine aquatic life.
The combined restorative powers of forest and rivers are in abundance on the Elephant Trail at Diepvalle North of Knysna in the Garden Route.
Garden Route Trail, with scientific guide Mark Dixon, offers specialized guided nature tours in the Garden Route and birding. Learn about the fascinating ecology of the region as you walk or mountain bike along fynbos, forest and coastal trails.
Sand Castle Garden Route - South Africa
Kingfisher Drive
47 Bellrock - Sedgefield - Western Cape
Bellrock Crescent
Sedgefield holiday house, Western Cape
Garden Route
Flip Flop Holiday Accomodation
Faure Street
Mar & Sol Self Catering Accomodation
Lorraine Street
