A delicate leaf tip opens to the early morning sun
Wandering through South Africa
Dale Morris hikes along the trails of Tsitsikamma National Park in the Eastern Cape, and finds plenty to admire.
“Get these horrible things off my feet!” I shouted towards my poor wife, who was, at that moment, lying on her back trying to liberate herself from an overweight backpack. She looked a bit like an upturned tortoise there on the beach.
“Take your own shoes off!” she yelled back at me. “And then get this thing off my back.”
A ladybird rests in the interior of a flower
And so, in exhausted slow motion, we feebly writhed free of the bonds that had tormented us over the preceding five days and 42.5 kilometres.
The world-famous Otter Trail in South Africa’s Tsitsikamma National Park had been everything the brochures had promised: a gruelling extravaganza of rugged coastal scenery like nowhere else on Earth. There had been frolicking whales, and high-spirited dolphins catapulting themselves like acrobats from the waves, and there had been open mountains and lush, verdant forests full of chattering monkeys and flittering birds.
It may have been a walk in the woods at times but it was no stroll in the park, that’s for sure. Like many things in Africa, the Otter Trail is not for the fainthearted and, if you sign up, you need to know what you’re getting yourself into. Not only will you be required to do some seriously strenuous hiking over rocks and cliffs, rivers and sand, but you must accomplish all this with your belongings on your back. Overnight huts are provided but you must bring along all the necessary provisions including pots and pans, cooking stoves, sleeping bags, and food enough for five days.
Dramatic coastal scenery is the hall mark of Tsitsikamma National Park
Despite the occasional hardships of the Otter Trail, it’s certainly worth doing. The views up and down the coast are magnificent, as are the shady forests, ethereal cascades and isolated lagoons strung all along the way. The National Park authorities regulate the number of people allowed on the trail at any one time, and one can feel, for a while, that there isn’t another human being on the planet.
And yes, you can see otters.
Pleasant as the Otter Trail is, I was fairly glad when it was over, not really having the stamina for protracted bouts of hiking. So it was with a sense of soaring joy that I finally tore my hiking boots from my swollen feet and threw them into the beautiful, turquoise sea. “And I never want to see you again!” I screamed after them. That’s when a local gentleman who’d been walking his dog along the beach at Natures Valley, where the trail ends, timidly sidled over and asked me, very politely, not to drop litter into the sea.
A pine plantation along the Otter Trail
“Dolphins might mistake your socks for dead fish and choke on them,” he said earnestly. “And besides, just another half-mile up the beach, you’ll find a little cafeteria with a tree full of discarded shoes hanging from the branches. They’ve been left there by hikers. I suggest you add yours to the boughs and then buy yourself a beer.”
Within half an hour and three quick beers later, I’d begun to cast aside my negativity about the hardships of the trail and had instead focused on all the fun I had had. There had been literal highs and languid lows along with a prolific smorgasbord of beautiful scenery, followed by a profound and powerful feeling of personal achievement. Along the way, I had made friends with fellow hikers, waded through 11 rivers and acquired a peculiar taste for sugar-coated peanuts.
Serious hikers – the sort who wear knee-length socks and carry expensive carbon-fibre poles – will tell you that the heart must pound and the knees must ache or a walk isn’t truly worthwhile. But many people are simply not up to a five-day physical slog. So the national park has created an easygoing alternative to the Otter Trail that takes in the same fantastic scenery and ambience but is less than half the distance.
Wildlife in close up along the Otter Trail
This is known as the Dolphin Trail. Each night, instead of roughing it on a camp bed, you get to stay in luxurious hotels where fine South African wines are served with your meals. There are no two-minute noodles on the menu, only world-class repasts featuring quail eggs and prime steak. On the Dolphin Trail, you don’t have to carry backpacks while you walk, as all your luggage gets delivered directly to your room. Bliss!
As I wallowed in a hot, sudsy Jacuzzi, chinking cold champagne flutes with my wife after the first day of hiking the Dolphin alternative, I remembered with fondness those somewhat less luxurious evenings on the Otter Trail. There, we lit damp wood and ate chewy energy bars washed down with lukewarm, powdered orange juice. On the Dolphin Trail, we had professional masseurs attending to our aching muscles and we slept in king-sized beds.
For two days and three nights, my merry band of counterfeit hikers followed an expert naturalist guide who chatted incessantly and pointed out things of interest that we would have most likely passed over were it not for his keen eye. We saw emerald-green birds with Mohican hairstyles, vervet monkeys and a plethora of butterflies, bees and beautiful flowers. Of course, as its name suggests, the Dolphin Trail is also known as a walk on which you’ll see dolphins – and see them we did, surfing inside the crashing waves and leaping above the surface of the water.
A playful dolphin off the coast
Tsitsikamma National Park is South Africa’s oldest, largest and most cherished Marine Protected Area and is an exceptionally important breeding ground for as many as 89 fish species. It’s also one of the world’s best whale-watching hot spots, and we saw many of the giant cetaceans leaping from the ocean like overweight ballet dancers.
Unfortunately, the sea here is often too rough for swimming but, on calm days, it’s possible to take a refreshing dip from time to time in one of the many deep and glassy tide pools strung out along the coast. Here, one can commune with anemones and octopi or, as I did, step upon an urchin. Thankfully, the Dolphin Trail guides are trained in first aid and, after a bit of nifty tweezer work and only a few tears, I was able to walk again.
When the trail was finally over, I felt only slightly tired. My spine was still intact and none of my toenails had turned black. All in all, it had been a jolly nice experience.
Close up inside a flower along the Otter Trail
Both the Dolphin and Otter Trails are world-class walks – one suitable for the semi-seasoned hiker, with a reputation as one of the most superb multi-day hikes on Earth; the other a comparatively easy trek, suitable for almost anyone with a moderate level of fitness and some enthusiasm for the great outdoors.
If hiking, even over easy terrain, just isn’t your cup of tea, the Tsitsikamma area – especially the nearby Storms River Village – offers a veritable treasure trove of other experiences. There are mini-hikes and boat-rides, fine-dining establishments and fine golf courses, as well as the world’s highest bungee jump. You can even take a Tarzan trip through the canopy, or trace the entire Otter Trail from aloft in a helicopter.
But one of the most wonderful things anyone can do at Tsitsikamma National Park requires no kilojoule wastage whatsoever: it is simply sitting on one’s behind, enjoying the magnificent scenery.
Guinea fowl are a common sight in the region
And so it was on our last day there, when my wife and I sat atop the grassy cliffs and watched, in awe, as giant translucent barrels tumbled in from the Indian Ocean. Silhouettes of dolphins danced in the waves.
Tsitsikamma is indeed deserving of its reputation as one of the most beautiful places on the African continent, I decided – and is certainly worth a blister or two.
Photography by Dale Morris
Travel Facts
Getting there
- South African Airlines flies direct to Johannesburg from Sydney five times a week and from Perth five times a week. The airline also offers internal flights to Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth. For bookings, phone 1300 435972 or visit http://ww3.flysaa.com
Getting around
What to do
Where to stay
Further information
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