After our awesome wildlife experience in the Addo Elephant Park, that marked the highlight of our Road Trip there was no way that anything could top that. Nevertheless, we had planned one or the other stop for the way back to cape town. one of them was Plettenberg Bay which we just drove past on our way to Addo.
Plettenberg Bay is a beautiful coastal town in the middle of the Garden Route Nationalpark. Besides Cape Town this would be a place were I could imagine to live. Beautiful beaches, good weather, good waves and the water is a bit warmer than in cape town...but not this time of the year :)
Since we only had 2 nights here and had a bit of work to do we were only able to go on one little hike. This hike turned out to be one of the most beautiful ones I ever went to. The Robberg Hiking Trail through the nature reserve of the same name is something that is hard to top when it comes to natural beauty. It is a small peninsula a bit outside of town that is also known for its seal colony.
There is a very small entry fee but its that low that I can´t even remember how much it was. Its more like a parking fee and from the car parks you already have magnificent views over the beaches and the ocean, like in the photo above.
There are two hiking options one is about 4km long and the other one around 11km but both are circuits and you can decide halfway through which one to choose. The hike starts relatively easy with great views onto Plettenberg Bay to your left.
At some parts of the hike there are wooden boardwalks that lead you past huge cliffs and underneath hanging rocks and give you views of the other side of the peninsula and the beaches there. You will also see a lot of small lizards warming up on the rocks. Signs with seals on it will show you that you´re still on the right track.
If you start that walk before lunch you will definitely start the walk on the sunny side what can be quite hot on a sunny day. After about half an hour we started to sweat and the hike does get a bit more challenging and uphill but not impossible. Luckily there is always that bench that invites you to take a short rest
As soon as the seals are near you will not only hear it but also smell it. Although they are relatively far away you can really smell them and it does not smell good. :)
Unfortunately you can´t get close to the seals as at this point you will be way higher above the sea level at the point where the seals are. You can still se them laying in the sun and chasing each other in the water.
A few steps further you will reach Witsand, a huge sand dune that will also mark your decision point. From here you either have to go down the dune and take the short cut or go on with the 11km hike. We decided to take the short cut as the water down there looked so inviting. We didn't know then that it was impossible to go in because it was freezing cold.
As said, the water was way to cold to jump in and it also was a bit windy so the urge to jump in went away pretty quickly but the scenery down there was simply amazing. Crystal clear water and beautiful sand combined with awesome rock formations.
Since we were only halfway through the hike we still had a bit of walk in front of us. Luckily this side of the peninsula was a bit more shady and even more beautiful than the other side.
As said in the beginning it really was one of the most beautiful walks we ever did.
At some point you need to climb a little, that gives you a perfect view on the beaches you´ve just been to.
I highly recommend that hike and if you feel fit enough it might be worth it to do the 11km trail. I´m happy we only did the 4km as I already had enough. :)
Hope you enjoyed the virtual hike...there is much more to come.
YOU WILL FIND THAT POST ON PINMAPPLE AS WELL
[//]:# (!pinmapple -34.103639 lat 23.392613 long Plettenberg Bay and the Robberg Nature Reserve d3scr)
