We should have stayed longer!
Making our way from the inland heat of Oudsthoorn, via George, the temperatures dropped from 40 degrees plus to about 25 in half an hour.
Our next stop was Sanparks’ Storms River Mouth, and what an arrival it was. The log cabins have magnificent views, to say the least, and if they were any closer to the ocean you would be able to dip your toes in the waves. The kids loved chasing the dassies around the rock pools, and I could light my braai on the deck with the sea spray in my drink.
There are many walking trails in the park, catering to different levels of fitness. Unfortunately, we only had time for one and chose The Waterfall Trail, which also happens to be the start of the famed Otter Trail. The walk started out to be easy, but became more challenging as we progressed. Always keeping one eye on the spectacular view of the ocean on our left, we clambered over boulders and climbed the many steps up and down ridges and bridges over small canyons. Definitely not the morning stroll we had in mind and the water bottles and sandwiches we packed came in handy to keep the kids’ energy and enthusiasm levels up.
Upon reaching the waterfall, it was all worth it. Life is full of moments, and this was one of those. When arriving at the waterfall, we swam in the refreshing fresh water. One of our boys even caught a green frog that lives in the rock pools. It was strange to experience the combination of raging ocean on the one side and calm waterfall, rock pools and fresh water on the other.
To keep the kids active, the campsite area of the park has a large swimming pool, situated right next to the beach and the short walking trail leading to the suspension bridge is a must. It leads to a small beach where boulders as big as your head are rolled back and forth by the tidal, making a beautiful sound.
"Live life, don't let it live you"
As you leave, the park and head east, take the time to visit the Tsitsikamma Big Tree. It is massive and been around longer than any of us but, who knows, maybe you will not get a chance again to see it.
I remember Addo Elephant Park from my teenage years as a dusty and uninteresting place. That must have been during drought years, as this time around I was pleasantly surprised by the lush vegetation and abundance of wildlife. We stayed in a forest cabin at the Main Camp. It was small but clean and comfortable for a family of four. We were ecstatic that it was an air-conditioned unit, and if you decide to visit during summer we would recommend the A/C. The heat can be stifling and at one point our car showed a temperature of 54 degrees at nearly 18h00 in the afternoon!
The park lives up to it’s name and you are guaranteed to see hoards of elephant in this self-drive park. We were blessed with a sighting of about 200 elephants that had made their way to the Rooidam watering hole for a swim to counter the oppressive heat. One of the rangers commented that he had never seen a sighting like this in 30 years of working in and around the area.
Make sure to pack a basket to enjoy at Jack’s picnic spot, named after a black rhino, that sadly passed away. It is a fenced area in the middle of the bush, where you are allowed to exit your vehicle and even have a braai at one of the many shaded gazebos.
We left the park, took a 30min drive to Bellevue Forest Reserve down the road, where we did a guided hike in the field. Here you get the closest to giraffes possible in the wild. The experienced guide imparted many interesting facts about not just giraffes, but also the veld and other wild animals. For example, I never knew a giraffe can see the full spectrum of light, similar to a human being, and the one giraffe was mesmerized by SaffaMom’s pink shirt. Of course, the highlight for the kids had nothing to do with the majestic animals next to us, but rather brushing their teeth using the twigs from the Gwarri bush common to the area.
