Storms River Mouth Rest Camp – Wheelchair accomodation at its best

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.