KNYSNA NEWS - What many people do not know is that walks are graded (the same concept as Blue Flag beaches) and SANParks has 15 Green Flag status trails comprising 12 in Tsitsikamma and three in Knysna.
The Hiking Organisation of Southern Africa (Hosa), the body that grades walks, states, "Green Flag status is a global benchmark for hiking trails examining the following criteria: Conservation status, health and safety measures, cleanliness and maintenance, sustainability, management and others and erosion control."
Knysna walks:
Perdekop (9.5km), the Elephant walk (black, 9km), (white, 8km) and (red, 7km) and the Harkerville coastal hike which is a 24km hike over two days.
Tsitsikamma walks:
The Waterfall hike starting at the Oceanettes, Storms River rest camp, which is 3km long and follows a path in a westerly direction towards the waterfall and is part of the famous Otter trail.
The Loerie, a 1km trail, starts on the left of the road about 300m before the Cattle Baron restaurant. The trail leads up to the Aghulhas lookout point on the plateau.
The Blue Duiker trail starts on the same spot as the Loerie but splits off into the deeper forest. It follows a circular route across the road and ends at the Oceanettes.
The Ratel trail divided into three routes with a 1km green route as you follow a boardwalk through indigenous forest to the Big Tree. The yellow route is 2.6km, and the red route is 4.2km.
The Goesa nature walk starts and ends at the Storms River Forestry office in Storms River. It is a 2km circular walk through indigenous forests.
The Rugbos trail traverses through the forest and has three escape routes which are colour coded. The yellow code is 1.4km, the green code is 1.3km and the blue code is 3.1km. The green and blue coded routes start from the Tsitsikamma Khoisan Village and the yellow starts and ends at the Rugbos picnic site on the Bloukrans pass.
The Stinkhoutkloof nature walk starts at the Bloukrans Forest Station and is 8km long, traversing the natural forest and the plantation.
The Groot river trail starts at the entrance of the De Vassselot campsite to the Groot River bridge and is 6km.
The Salt river walk starts opposite the De Vassselot campsite and follows the Kalanderkloof trail onto the plateau. It crosses the road and winds down to the Salt river via a jeep track. You can follow the coastal path back to Nature's Valley beach and it is 15.1km.
The Varinghoek trail is about 13km long and starts in Nature's Valley.
Kalanderkloof is a 7km nature walk up to the plateau, which starts in Nature's Valley (opposite the De Vasselot campsite).
WEBSITE:
www.sanparks.org/parks/garden_route
Knysna estuary and related areas:
044 382 2095
Knysna forest:
Harkerville 082 803 0701;
Diepwalle 082 807 5652
Wilderness (lakes including Swartvlei)
044 877 0046; forest (Farleigh) 044 356 9021; Goudveld 044 389 0252
Tsitsikamma (MPA, lakes and rivers)
042 281 1607; forest 044 531 6792
Birds of Eden 044 534 8906 is one of the many animal sanctuaries found along the N2 stretch of the Garden Route.
Storms River is a must-visit. Apart from the famous suspension bridge, the beach here offers snorkelling and safe swimming at the right times. Photo: Elaine King
The Garden Route National Park is a mosaic of landscapes and seascapes, a haven for birds and animals including seabirds, rare and endangered species.
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