Tsitsikamma

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Tsitsikamma, the gateway to the Garden Route

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnNA3elGqLo&w=500&h=400]The Tsitsikamma truly is a special place.  This breathtaking stretch of the Garden Route is where mountains, indigenous forests, deep gorges and lush vegetation skirt the rugged coastline of cliffs and sandy beaches. The area has an abundance of indigenous flora – ancient yellowwood trees and magnificent fynbos plants – as well as birdlife.  For the adventurous there are various activities catering for everybody from heart stopping adrenaline filled adventure to relaxed soft adventures.  Hope you enjoy this destination video…

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02/06/2017
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Tsitsikamma Forest stream

I was in the Tsitsikamma for a meeting today and pinched off a few minutes to go and sit in the forest next to a stream to plug in my soul for a quick charge.  It needs a lot more than just a quick charge but it will have to do for now.  I have a weekend to Hogsback coming up and an end of year trip to the Northern Drakensberg so there are lots of streams waiting for me…

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01/11/2016
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Dusk at Eersterivier

I have to admit, I haven't got a Port Elizabeth photo for you today.  It's a combination of things, mostly bad luck coupled with being fairly busy at the moment.  My external hard drive crashed a little while ago and with it went all my family and travel photos.  It's going to cost me around R8k to have the contents retrieved in a specialist environment.  Money I definitely haven't got at the moment.  Last week my home laptop's motherboard decided…

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12/11/2015
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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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Oudebosch – the perfect stop in the Tsitsikamma

It was a cold and somewhat wet winters afternoon and were heading back to Port Elizabeth after a very enjoyable pre-cold front weekend in The Crags.  Driving along the N2, most people make their comfort and coffee / food stop at Storms River Bridge.  I haven't done that for a  number of years now  Not since discovering the Oudebosch Farmstall about 30 km east of the bridge.  We took the Kareedouw / Eersterivier offramp from the N2 and turned right towards the coastline.  Oudebosch lies about 400 meters…

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24/08/2015
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10 not to miss activities, restaurants and accommodation in the Tsitsikamma

Ahh, the Tsitsikamma.....  My favorite Sho't Left destination for a couple of days' breakaway.  Beautiful indigenous forests to sooth my soul, mountains on the horizon, streams running past ancient indigenous trees and forest giants to a rugged coastline where the blue ocean crashes as white waves on black rocks at the foot of sheer cliffs.  This part of the Garden Route must be one of the most beautiful places in South Africa.  Truly paradise.  The Tsitsikamma is a lot more than natural…

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13/01/2015
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Ziplining in the Tsitsikamma

Imagine flying over a waterfall, across a river valley or down a river gorge.  All of that is possible at the Tsitsikamma Falls Adventures zipline east of Storms River.  Visitors get to zig-zag across the Kruis River right next to the N2 and the whole experience only takes about an hour.  It means that there is no excuse not to stop and experience one of the activities that make the Tsitsikamma the adventure hub of the Garden Route.  I've been fortunate enough…

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27/12/2014
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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
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Pine forests in the Tsitsikamma

The Tsitsikamma's three biggest industries are tourism, dairy and forestry.  So by the last one you can gather that the area is more than just indigenous forests.  The Tsitsikamma also has a huge amount of commercial pine plantations.  Pine trees were first planted early in the 20th century to replace indigenous forests that were cut out due to extensive logging.  The exotic trees were a bad replacement for the indigenous trees but the fact that they grow quickly meant that…

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30/10/2014
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A Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour with the family

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, its Firefly and the Famdamily.  Well, that is what you would have said if you were on a walk in the Tsitsikamma forest the other day.  I'm in the very fortunate position that I have had the wonderful privilege to go on the Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour in Storms River a couple of times before, but I've always wanted to take the family for them to experience it as well.  I'm not…

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27/10/2014