Garden Route

Read more about the article Storms River Mouth walk to the suspension bridge
Firefly the Travel Guy

Storms River Mouth walk to the suspension bridge

The Tsitsikamma National Park, these days called the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park, must be one of the most scenic places in South Africa. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder and some people are going to say, "But what about the Wild Coast or the West Coast?" So let's just say, the Tsitsikamma coastline is right up there. And the easiest way to see and experience it is on the Storms River Mouth…

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10/08/2025
Read more about the article Following the Storms River Pass road through the Tsitsikamma 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
Read more about the article Arch Rock near Plettenberg Bay – best done at low tide
Firefly the Travel Guy

Arch Rock near Plettenberg Bay – best done at low tide

One of the Garden Route attractions I haven't had a chance to visit is Cathedral Rock (also called Arch Rock) at Keurboomstrand near Plettenberg Bay. It's not for a lack of trying though. Arch Rock is only accessible at low tide and we've never spent a couple of days in Plett so it's only been a quick attempt while passing through if there was time. This time around I had the afternoon in town before picking my daughter up from…

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08/04/2024
Read more about the article The Bloukrans Bridge on the border of the Eastern and Western Cape
Firefly the Travel Guy

The Bloukrans Bridge on the border of the Eastern and Western Cape

The Bloukrans Bridge in the Tsitsikamma is famous for being the site of the world’s highest commercial bridge bungee jump, operated by Bloukrans Bungy (previously known as Face Adrenalin) since 1997. The N2 national road along the Garden Route between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town crosses over the bridge and I'm sure somebody who has never pulled over to the view site probably doesn't know what's happening below them. Construction on the Bloukrans Bridge started in February 1980, running through…

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07/03/2024
Read more about the article Meandering along the Goesa Forest Trail in the Tsitsikamma
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
Read more about the article Tsitsikamma Mountains in shades of blue
Firefly the Travel Guy

Tsitsikamma Mountains in shades of blue

Johannes Kerkorrel did a rendition of the FAK sangbundel song called "Al lê die berge nog so blou" and how could I not help but to start humming it when I saw this sight? It's not a sight that was new to me as I have seen it many times during the years I worked as a tourist guide. It's been a while though. "Where is it?" you ask. It's the Tsitsikamma Mountains as you came out of the Tsitsikamma…

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27/06/2023
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A Sunday morning drive up the Montagu Pass

The Garden Route has many iconic passes.  Some crossing over mountains and others through gorges.  Some are part of main routes and are accessible to all, some are off the beaten track and only 4x4's are recommended while others are only accessible on foot or bicycle.  The Montagu Pass outside of George is one that would fit in between the first two of the options above.  A dirt road over the Outeniqua Mountains, not a main road but accessible to…

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19/07/2016
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Gliding around the Wilderness lakes on a segway

Mountain biking has become a very popular pastime of late and something I'd like to find the time for to try out.  Time and the money for a proper mountain bike.  I really wouldn't mind a proper off road bike to travel with.  You know, one of those big BMW ones.  But I can barely afford a scale model one so at the moment my favorite two wheel type of transportation is definitely a segway.  Not that I have one,…

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14/07/2016
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Driving between Wilderness and George along the back roads

Last Thursday morning I did a presentation at a tourism stakeholder workshop in the Tsitsikamma and after lunch moved on to George for a weekend exhibit.  Having had some time on my hands I decided to veer off the main road and pick up a few Geocaches along Bo-Langvlei Road, the dirt road running behind the lakes between Sedgefield and Wilderness.  The plan wasn't to do the whole road but only the last section of it starting between Bo-Langvlei and…

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10/07/2016
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Sunset over the Knysna Lagoon

I spent the weekend in Knysna for work and didn't have a lot of free time, but that did not stop me from dashing down to the Knysna Heads just in time to catch the sunset.  It's been a few years since I've spent some quality time in Knysna and I seriously need to make a plan and get back there to explore the forest a little more than I have in the past and also get down to places…

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03/07/2016