Visiting Tsitsikamma National Park in South Africa

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Tsitsikamma National Park is a stunning national park on the coast of South Africa, famous for its beautiful suspension bridges. You can also enjoy kayaking, hiking, wildlife viewing and all kinds of action-packed adventures.

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Tsitsikamma National Park

Tsitsikamma National Park, part of the Garden Route National Park, offers a beautiful coastal landscape of sea, river, mountains, cliffs, beaches and lush greenery. People come here for hiking, water sports, wildlife viewing such as dolphins and otters, or perhaps just to relax at a campsite.

Tsitsikamma National Park is located at the eastern end of Garden Route, between George and Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). The national park includes both a land area and a water area, which extends about 5 kilometres out to sea.

On the way: Stormsrivier village

Near the road leading down to Tsitsikamma National Park is Stormsrivier village. This small village is full of tour operators, where you can book activities such as blackwater tubing (adventure on rubber rings in rushing water) or canopy tours (a kind of zipline between platforms).

There are also several hotels and restaurants. We settled for peeking into the tourist office, where we got both good information and a long interesting chat about the social situation in South Africa today.

Visiting Tsitsikamma National Park

The easiest way to visit Tsitsikamma National Park is by car, and we drove to Storms River Mouth. Since the area is a national park, you have to pay an entrance fee and fill out some paperwork when you drive in, first at the entrance and then at a reception. We, who already had a Wild Card after our visit to the Kruger ParkHowever, we did not have to pay anything now.

You can visit the national park during the day, or you can stay overnight, camping inside the national park. There are also cottages, bed & breakfasts and other types of accommodation nearby. You can read more at the park's website.

There are rocks and a sandy beach nearby. The water is relatively cold in South Africa, but people still go swimming.

There is also a restaurant down by the beach. The restaurant is simply and somewhat charmingly located in containers, and the selection and service is really good. We each had a beer here, which was served with well-chilled glasses. Both the wine and food menu looked appealing as well.

Hike to the suspension bridges

We had seen pictures of the beautiful suspension bridges, so these were the main focus of our excursion. The way there is on wooden walkways and is no more than a kilometre long, but at times steep up and down.

As it was incredibly hot when we walked here, we regretted our clumsy mistake of not taking water with us, but we managed the walk/hike anyway.

Suddenly we were there! And indeed, it is incredibly beautiful! Three suspension bridges follow each other, and all around you are surrounded by lush mountains, blue-green water and people in the best holiday mood.

Animals in Tsitsikamma National Park

Tsitsikamma National Park is also famous for wildlife sightings. These include whales, dolphins, otters, diving antelopes, and birds such as the Cape beach cat and the crested natural cow. We did not see any of these animals during our visit, but we did see a small lizard on the road.

And then, all of a sudden, what was sitting there in front of us on the footbridge?

Yes, it was a kliphyrax (klippdassie)! We never saw this animal when we were scouting for the animals in the Kruger Parkso it's really nice to see it now. The animal, no bigger than a rabbit, is fascinatingly related to ... elephants and manatees! The little critter actually lay down on the footbridge for a while, but as we approached it quickly wedged itself into the terrain.

Activities at Tsitsikamma National Park

It is popular to come to Tsitsikamma National Park to do various outdoor activities. There are several hiking trails, the most famous of which is the "Otter Trail". This trail starts at Storms River Mouth Rest Camp and ends at Nature's Valley. The trail, which is said to be quite challenging, takes no less than five days to hike. Shorter options include the Dolphin Trail (2 days) and the Blue Duiker Trail (2 hours).

Other activities include snorkelling, diving, kayaking and climbing. And then there's blackwater tubing and canopy tours!

Bloukrans Bridge - the world's highest bungee jumping bridge

Right next to Tsitsikamma National Park is the Bloukrans Bridge, the world's highest bridge bungee jump at a staggering 216 metres.

Nature's valley

Tsitsikamma National Park stretches away towards Nature's valley, which can be accessed by another descent from the main road (N2). The way down is already an experience, driving through incredibly lush and beautiful greenery.

As you come down to the coast, you're greeted by dramatic mountains and a stunning sandy beach. There's also a campsite here, Nature's Valley Rest Camp, and as well as swimming you can hike, canoe or birdwatch.

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

We highly recommend visiting Tsitsikamma National Park, especially on a day with good weather. Nearby you can also visit the holiday resorts Jeffreys Bay and St Francis Bay, or perhaps rent a house on the coast of South Africa. In addition, you can travel along the Garden Route or head north to the incredibly charming little town. Nieu-Bethesda.

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