Location on the Garden Route
Storms River is nestled between the Indian ocean and the Tsitsikamma mountains in the heart of the Garden Route. It lies in one of the most attractive areas of South Africa, 45 minutes from Plettenberg Bay and 180 km west of Port Elizabeth.
It is surrounded by beautiful indigenous forests, home to centuries old hardwood trees such as Stinkwood, Hard Pear, Ironwood, Kamassi, Yellowwood and many others. Over the millennia rivers have cut deep gorges through the coastal plateau as they flow down to the spectacular coastline. This paradise of forest, fynbos and sea is home to birds, antelope, bushpig, honey badgers, porcupines and the occasional leopard. Whales and dolphins are constant visitors to the coast.
The Tsitsikamma National Park is Africa’s oldest, largest and most beautiful Marine Reserves and the Tsitsikamma is arguably the country’s prime eco-tourism destination. Two wonderful coastal trails start from the Park. The Otter trail goes westwards traversing cliff faces, rocky pools beautiful sandy beaches and a number of river mouths. Otters are often seen, especially in the early morning and evening. The trail ends at Natures Valley and offers miles of pristine beach and a tranquil lagoon fed by one of the many rivers flowing from the nearby mountains to the sea. The Dolphin Trail like the Otter Trail, also starts in the Park but goes eastwards along an equally beautiful coastline. This trail provides guides, porterage and catering and a very good accommodation. It ends at Forest Ferns a most interesting commercial operation that grows and exports a variety of local ferns and indigenous greenery to the European market.
A third trail in the area is the Tsitsikamma. This trail mirrors the Otter but, starts at Natures Valley and winds northwards through the forest to the mountains and then turns eastwards along mountain ridges with beautiful views of the coast and surrounding countryside. It has many pools along the way offering opportunities for a swim and a restful picnic in beautiful forest and fynbos surroundings. The Tsitsikamma is a supremely tranquil and pristine wonderland of forests, mountains and sea.
Adventure seekers will revel in the diverse range of activities available, such as the Canopy Top Tour, the Waterfall Zipline Tour, Blackwater tubing down the Storms River, the Woodcutters tractor and trailer ride that winds its way down the Storms River Gorge to the historic low level bridge built by Thomas Bain in the nineteenth century. Bungy jumping, the highest in the world is very popular and on offer from the nearby Bloukrans bridge into the spectacular gorge 300 m below. A number of good off road cycle routes also start from Storms River.
Plettenberg Bay and nearby Knysna offer good shopping, supermarkets, cinemas, restaurants and the Barnyard Theatre, as well as range of sporting and other entertainment facilities. There is an airport at Plettenberg Bay used mainly by private and charter aircraft. The main airport serving the area is at Port Elizabeth and can be reached by road in less than two hours.
Useful Websites
http://www.gardenroute.org/tsitsi/index.htm
http://www.sanparks.org/parks/tsitsikamma/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsitsikamma_National_Park
http://www.stormsriver.com/
http://www.stormsrivertubing.co.za/storms_river_village_adventures.html
http://www.dolphintrail.co.za/
http://www.plettenbergbay.co.za.plesk4.glodns.net/
http://www.antbear.de/english/information/otter-trail.htm
http://www.knysna.org/
http://www.faceadrenalin.com
http://www.tsitsikammaadventure.co.za
*Stand 89 has been sold. Stands 90 (with house and outbuildings) and 91 (with swimming pond) still available