Nature’s Valley

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A walk to Salt River Mouth at Natures Valley

 The Garden Route has some excellent hiking trails.  The Otter, Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma trails are epic and will take you a couple of days covering long distance lugging along backpacks while short loops like Storms River Mouth, The Big Tree and Garden of Eden will use up an hour of your time with only a camera over your shoulder before heading off to your next destination.  These aren't the only trails though and whichever trail you choose will depend on where you…

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07/11/2014
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The end of the Otter Trail

The Otter Trail is probably South Africa's premier hiking trail covering 5 days and 42 kilometers between the Tsitsikamma National Park at Storms River and Nature's Valley.  On the last day when hikers reach The Point, the end of the trail is in sight but not before descending down to Nature's Valley beach and then walking the length of it to the Nature's Valley Restaurant and Trading Store to kick off their shoes and have a welcome cold one.During our Sho't Left…

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04/06/2014
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Paddling on the Groot River Lagoon

We would rather do weekends away and expose the KidZ to nature, the outdoors and as many other things as possible rather than spending all that money on Dstv every month.  Seeing Chaos Boy paddling on the Groot River Lagoon at Natures Valley in his blow-up boat really put a smile on my face.  Mission accomplished for today.  What's next?

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02/06/2014
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Climbing The Point at Natures Valley

I'm starting to plan all my trips and holidays not just around what I want to see and do, but also around where there are Geocaches in the area.  If you don't know much about Geocaching then you would wonder why and how it could enhance a holiday, but believe me it does.  It often takes you to spots you may not have planned to visit otherwise but once you've been there you are really glad you did.  One of…

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20/05/2014
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Outeniqua Yellowwood Tree at Natures Valley

I used to travel down the Garden Route quite often while I was still tour guiding but these days don't often get a chance to go further than the Tsitsikamma.  Driving down to Natures Valley on our recent Easter weekend Sho't Left in the area I had to stop at one of the view points on the way down on the Grootrivier Pass.  Its not a view point as much as it's a tree point.  The view is of a little…

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05/05/2014
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A dairy farm experience in the Crags

A holiday experience can be made up of anything and for our Easter long weekend Sho't Left to the Crags and Natures Valley we were expecting it to be made up of camping, swimming in the Natures valley lagoon, walks and Geocaching.  Little did we expect a farm experience that got the KidZ a lot more excited than any of the mentioned activities.  The campsite was situated across the road from the Natures Way Farmstall which on its turn is located on a…

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04/05/2014
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Natures Way Farm Stall

South Africa has some impressive farm stalls.  Some sell nothing more than fresh produce while others are for all intensive purposes a restaurant or curio shop along a high way or back road somewhere.  Its the ones in between that really interests me.  Those who sell something fresh, some curios and also serve a killer meal, even if its nothing more than roosterkoek with jam and cheese.  And coffee.  Lets not forget coffee.  I discovered a farm stall like this on the road…

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30/04/2014
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Fishing line disposal

Arriving at the beach in Natures Valley on a recent visit I immediately spotted something a bit unusual.  A piece of down pipe attached to a pole with a sign on it.  On closer inspection I found out that it's been placed there, and all around the beach in Nature's Valley, for people to place fishing line they pick up from the beach in.  Fishing line is a huge threat to wildlife, specially birds and small mammals.  They often also…

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28/04/2014