The Tsitsikamma Section of the Garden Route National Park
incorporates 80 km of rocky coastline with spectacular sea and landscapes and
is situated at the heart of the picturesque Garden Route. Tsitsikamma is a
Khoisan word meaning, “place of much water.” Tsitsikamma National Park is the
third most frequently visited out of the twenty national parks in South Africa
and is the starting point for the famous Otter and Dolphin hiking trails.
The Tsitsikamma’s spectacular scenery includes the Indian
Ocean breakers, pounding rocky shores beneath 180 m high cliffs, evergreen
forests and fynbos (proteas and heath) rolling down to the sea in a lush carpet
where ancient rivers have carved their path to the ocean through rocky ravines.
The Storms River Mouth Rest Camp can be found at the
proverbial “end of the road” where the forest rolls down to the river's mouth
and is met by the pounding ocean waves. It functions as the hub for numerous
formal and informal hiking trails snaking off along the coast in different
directions. Whilst much of the activity around the Storms River Mouth is not
practical for mobility disabled individuals, selected cottages, the restaurant
and visitors centre, and the access roads along the coastline are all
accessible and provide one with an opportunity to explore the area.
As a wheelchair using traveller what keeps us coming back to
Storms River Mouth are the superbly accessible seaside cottages, in particular
units 3A and 3B which were built approximately 4 years ago. These two cottages
are arguably the most well-designed wheelchair accessible units available in
the SANParks portfolio. Simple and functional in design they are well thought
out and spacious (particularly the bathroom with its roll-in shower, and the
kitchen which provides access beneath the work surface), so much so that they
can be used by a disabled person travelling alone.
We have been fortunate enough to witness dolphins and
porpoises frolic in the breakers, and the gentle giant of the ocean, the
southern right whale visits here, coming inshore to breed. Hyrax’s (dassies)
scamper around on the rocks between the ocean and the cottages providing
endless entertainment, particularly early in the year when the seasons
youngsters have been born. African Black Oystercatcher’s are one of South
Africa’s most threatened bird species and several pairs nest along the park’s
rocky coastline. The beautiful Knysna Lourie with its gruff call are common in
the forest, while the Cape Clawless Otter, the source of the name of the Otter
Trail, hunts crabs along the park’s coastline and rivers.
It is a wonderful place to kick back and relax, take in the
fresh air, let the sea breezes blow the cobwebs away, and soak in the sounds of
the ocean and birdlife.
