The Tsitsikamma Trail is a southern Cape hiking paradise, journeying through extensive
indigenous afromontane forest and mountain fynbos. Ancient river gorges and abundant
rivers and streams remind us of the creative power of water and the origins of the word
Tsitsikamma. This is an enchanted world where echoes of past giants such as elephant
and buffalo can still be felt. Some of the finest specimens of South Africa’s national tree,
the Outeniqua yellowwood, keep sentinel over the forest canopy while hikers clamber
over their enormous roots beneath.
Beginning in Nature’s Valley and ending 62.3km further at either the Storms River
Bridge or Village, this six day, unidirectional trail takes hikers through the heart of the
Tsitsikamma Mountains. Shorter variations (2,3,4 or 5 days) are possible as each of the
five overnight huts has its own unique access route with safe parking at the start.
Optional equipment porterage (slackpacking) now provides hikers with the chance of
having their equipment transported between overnight huts (30kg per hiker per day),
allowing the luxury of carrying only daypacks on each day’s journey. This makes the trail
accessible to a wider range of people and provides all with more time for swimming,
photography, birding and other activities usually limited by time or weight constraints.
Field guides and binoculars are definitely recommended along this exciting and
unpredictable journey. Many of the forest giants are labeled with their tree names and
