Ziplining is probably one of the most fun and exhilarating yet safe activities that I have participated in. I remember my very first time, sitting on the first step and trying to get my pounding heart to just slow down enough for me to get my breath and push off. The joys of being afraid of heights. But I did it and has now done ziplined six times at three different locations. The best known spot to zipline in South…
I just noticed this lone picture sitting in a file and realised that it is one from our recent visit to the Tsitsikamma that I forgot to upload. Its a panoramic picture taken from the eastern side of Storms River Mouth shows the three suspension bridges in the background.
They say that once you learn to ride a bike you never forget it. But two wheels in front of each other and two wheels next to each other are two very different things. Not for the worse though. For one its more difficult to learn how to ride a bike than to ride a Segway. A Segway Personal Transporter, for those who doesn't know what they are, is a two-wheeled self-balancing battery-powered electric vehicle and can go up to 20 km/h…
One of the newest attractions in the Tsitsikamma is the Segway Tours that starts in Storms River Village. After a short introduction and a training run on the lawn, the tour heads out through the village before entering the edge of the forest and the adjoining pine plantation. Family Firefly absolutely loved the experience and even though the minimum age is 10 the guide allowed my 7 year old Drama Princess to go, holding on to her segway just about every step of…
In my book the Tsitsikamma National Park is one of the most beautiful places in South Africa. Indigenous forest, deep gorges and sheer vertical cliffs reaching down to black rocks being battered by the Indian Ocean. A shoreline enviable by many other places. The Tsitsikamma National Park was proclaimed in 1964 and became the first marine protection area in Africa. Today it's one of the most visited places on the Garden Route with most visitors opting to do the 1km walk to the Storms River…
The Treetops Canopy Tour in the forest at Storms River Village was the first forest zipline experience of its kind in South Africa and over the years has developed into an activity that one just cannot miss when in the area. The Treetops Canopy Tour consists of 10 "fufi" slides through the indigenous forest. Some of the platforms between the slides are as high as 30 meters up and one gets some magnificent views of the forest during your 2 1/2 hour adventure.
There are numerous short and medium length hikes through the indigenous forests of the Tsitsikamma. The Plaatbos Nature Reserve next to Storms River Village has some great trails which will take one deep into the forest, over various streams and along the old Storms River pass. The Kidz love the walks with Chaos Boy and Drama Princess normally having a running battle over who should lead the way.
The Tsitsikamma is located on the Garden Route about 160 kilometers west of Port Elizabeth. It's ideal for a weekend breakaway from the city just to go and unwind and as most people are on holiday at the moment I thought it suitable to do a short Tsitsikamma series for this who follow the blog and isn't. A little cyber holiday as to say. The Tsitsikamma has some fantastic accommodation establishments ranging from hotels and luxury guesthouses to self catering cottages and…
The Garden Route has many spectacular adventures that just about anybody can participate it. One of these is paddling up the magnificent Storms River gorge, starting at the suspension bridges over the river mouth. Just imagine the sheer cliffs of the gorge stretching up 100 meters on each side while leisurely paddling along. I seriously need to see if I can organise this trip for myself. I would love to do it.
At first Drama Princess was a bit scared of crossing the three suspension bridges at Storms River Mouth but after going one way hanging onto me she was brave enough to walk back on her own.