A fish eagle called as we parked at the trailhead, De Vasselot Rest Camp in Nature’s Valley, then flew over as if by way of welcome. The hike to the Kalander hut, the first of five lovely huts along the six-day Tsitsikamma Trail, was short and sweet, a gentle introduction to this lush region – first on a boardwalk, then through the tall, dry indigenous forest on the eastern bank of the Groot River lagoon. We dumped our bags and headed to the beach for a swim, and to check out the dramatic cliffs that we’d be scaling the following day.
The steep, slippery slope up from the beach was challenging, but we stopped often, enjoying the view back over the golden sands and lagoon before the trail ducked into the forest. Then came a flatter, open stretch through fabulous fynbos, from which we spied the towering blue ridges of the Tsitsikamma Mountains for the first time.
The next few kilometres alternated between fynbos and forest, and we revelled in the fynbos flowers, the bright pincushions and the pink and purple ericas. The forest was alive with birds: Cuckooshrikes and flycatchers, turacos and white-eyes, and other little canopy dwellers flitting from branch to branch; and the dank smell of the forest replaced the salty sea air. We climbed up and up, through stands of yellowwoods and dense clumps of ferns until we heard the welcome sound of falling water. A steep downhill and we were at dark tannin-stained pools, into which we gratefully flung ourselves to cool off.
The day ended with a hike through the commercial plantations that have replaced much of the indigenous forest on the mountain slopes. It was less scenic than the natural forest, but we were soon through them and hiking above a dramatic rocky gorge before reaching the stunningly located Blaauwkrantz hut, right on the edge of the cliffs. We had opted for the slackpacking option, and a cooler of cold beers was waiting with our bags. We gazed out over mountains to the distant horizon and toasted another fine day in Africa.
For the next four days, we continued our traverse of the mountains overnighting at the Keurbos, Heuningbos and Sleepkloof huts. We bathed in mountain pools, picnicked in exquisite dells of tree ferns and enjoyed the far-ranging vistas. The journey saw us slogging up Splendid Pass (splendid indeed, but actually named after a striking Proteaceae found on its slopes, Mimetes splendidus) and through a little patch of indigenous forest called Buffelsbos, where the last buffalo of the Tsitsikamma was shot and killed in the late 19th century. It was a magical journey through a fairyland of indigenous forests, misty mountain peaks and deep, dramatic river gorges. An enchanted world where echoes of past giants such as elephant and buffalo can still be felt and where remaining giants, including some of the finest specimens of South Africa’s national tree, the Outeniqua yellowwood, stand sentinel before you as you clamber over their outstretched roots. If mountains and forests make your spirit soar, you’ll be flying on the Tsitsikamma Trail.
P.S. All the travels posted by me are imaginary but the historical facts are true :)
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