Holidaymakers invited to picture-perfect GRNP
Visitors have started arriving in numbers to the picture-perfect Garden Route National Park (GRNP).
The park is popular for its seascapes, mountain, indigenous forests and fynbos landscapes.
All-day hiking trails are open in all sections of the park - Wilderness, Knysna and Tsitsikamma. The famous multi-day Otter trail (Tsitsikamma) is also open, although work is underway on Day 2 of the hike in areas affected by the October / November fire.
The Outeniqua hiking trail, which traverses Knysna and Wilderness, is open from Gouna to Harkerville (Knysna section of the park) and closed on the Wilderness side.
Hikers will walk from Gouna to Rondebossie to Diepwalle to Fisantehoek to Harkerville, which is about 57km. Although the lapa in Rondebossie was burnt down during the fires, the braai facilities were not affected. Hikers get to see the extent of the fire in the first kilometre of their walk from Rondebossie to Diepwalle.
All hiking and cycling trails, picnic spots and forest excursions remain open to both day and overnight visitors. Jubilee Creek, the popular picnic spot in Goudveld which was affected by the recent floods straight after the fires, has also been opened. Teams are working tirelessly to get the Harkerville Coastal Hiking trail open as well.
Mining tours in Goudveld, an old mining town in the middle of the forest, are not open to the public as yet.
The Honorary Rangers in Wilderness have organised a birding programme for youngsters from
18 to 20 December. The programme includes birding talks and activities for 4 to 9-year-olds, juniors
(10 -15) and adults. To book, please enquire at the Ebb & Flow Rest Camp reception on 044 877 0046 or francesfeig@gmail.com.
The “Gate” project and the office building in Tsitsikamma are completed and ready. The 1 000-year-old big Outeniqua yellowwood at the “Big Tree” development, just off the N2, is still accessible. A pop-up shop placed next to the restaurant in the Storms River rest camp will make it a lot easier for visitors to access the park’s shop.
Park manager Paddy Gordon urges all visitors to the park to adhere to the rules of the National Park, for both water bodies and terrestrial areas, to ensure a safe holiday season for all.