forest - Firefly the Travel Guy

Following the Storms River Pass road through the Tsitsikamma forest

The Tsitsikamma is a combination of beautiful indigenous forests, a rugged coastline, craggy mountains and rivers flowing through the region via deep gorges. All of this made the Tsitsikamma quite a tricky area to travel through in the early days. Life in the Tsitsikamma was tranquil and peaceful, with the animals living in total harmony with the San hunter‐gatherers who periodically lived in this area, migrating back and forth as the seasons dictated. Then the hunters started to arrive in…

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22/05/2025

Firefly the Travel Guy

Meandering along the Goesa Forest Trail in the Tsitsikamma

The forest is a place I go to recharge my soul. I don't always have time to venture too far down the old Storms River Pass or onto the Plaatbos forest trails, but just sitting by the stream flowing under the road inside the gate is often enough. On my last visit around I had some time on my hands in the late afternoon and decided to give the Goesa Trail a shot. The Goesa Trail is a nice easy…

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12/07/2023

Firefly the Travel Guy

Fungi in the Tsitsikamma forest

The Big Tree is one of the Tsitsikamma's most iconic attractions. To get to this 1000-year-old Outeniqua Yellowwood tree you have to walk about 500 meters through the forest on a wooden boardwalk. It takes you less than 10 minutes to get to the tree. Unless you're there on a quiet day with no other visitors around and you keep an eye out for interesting little tidbits next to the path. I did just that on my last visit, with…

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19/06/2022

Firefly the Travel Guy

A Kite spider’s web in the forest

An early morning walk on a trail through the bush or forest often leads to the person in front doing strange dancing moves swinging their arms and ducking their heads. It's not due to music playing but rather them walking into a spiderweb spun overnight. Not always the most pleasant feeling, especially if you don't know what or where the actual spider is. A walk along the old Storms River Pass in the Tsitsikamma had me spot a spider's web…

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29/04/2022

Firefly the Travel Guy

Plaatbos forest and Storms River Pass

The Tsitsikamma is one of my happy places. It is where I go to recharge my soul and get close to nature and that is what we as a family did a couple of week ago. It wasn't a comprehensive charge, but a quick visit one just to breath in the fresh Tsitsikamma air and get away from lockdown at that stage. One of our stops for the day was the Plaatbos Forest section of the Garden Route (Tsitsikamma) National…

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29/09/2020

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Spending a day in the Tsitsikamma – video

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IFafsAvdCQ&w=500&h=400]I have always wanted to make travel videos. When I started working as a tourist guide in 1998 I had a little video camera which I filmed my tours with. Back then I didn't know anything about editing. The video was basically what I shot and I had to make sure the video was rewound just far enough for the next shot to start where I wanted it to. All those videos are somewhere on VHS tapes in a cupboard at…

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18/11/2017

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Hogsback – a fairy wonderland of forests and waterfalls

Hogsback must be one of the most beautiful areas in the Eastern Cape and one of my favorite destinations in the province yet it's been a good decade and a half since I've last been there. Every year the Damselfly and I threaten to go for a weekend but every time we end up going somewhere else. Not that difficult with all the travel options the Eastern Cape has to offer. But this time the decision would be carried through…

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06/12/2016

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Exploring the old Storms River Pass

I have a special connection with the Tsitsikamma forest. It is where I go to plug in my soul for a bit of a recharge. It doesn't even have to be an extended recharge. Just a couple of minutes sitting in the forest next to a stream taking in the forest with all my senses is enough. There are various ways to explore the forest with trails being the most effective way to leave everything behind. One of these "trails", the biggest…

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13/10/2015

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A stream runs through it

If I had to show this photo to anybody and ask them where the picture was taken, they would probably guess places like the Tsitsikamma, Knysna forest or Hogsback. Although all of these are likely candidates, in all cases they would be wrong. This specific scene is hidden away in a valley near Baviaans Lodge in the Baviaanskloof.

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09/06/2015

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Forest scenes and senses from the Tsitsikamma

The Tsitsikamma is famous for its stunning scenery, magnificent forests and exciting adventures. I often wonder how many people visit here and marvel at the big things but totally miss the little ones. Ferns with new leaves opening up, soft moss growing on a rock, bracket fungus on the side of a log, the sound of a forest stream slowly flowing through the underbrush and over a little waterfall and the call of baboons in the distance. What about the sound of the…

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03/11/2014