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day 0 – Otter Trail, South Africa

Trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

day 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | info page

Rather than take the more expensive Baz Bus, I bought a ticket on one of the several available coaches traveling Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. There are many every day.

Bus Cape Town

Competition keeps quality high, prices low for long distance bus travel. I paid about $32 for the 8 hour trip.

Bus stop

From the bus stop on the highway, however, there’s no public transportation to the National Park. Asking at Tourist Information, I quickly found a driver willing to take me the last 18km for 150 Rand ($17).

… Perhaps I should have taken the Baz Bus after all. It would have delivered me closer to the Park gates. And picked me up end-of-hike at a hostel in Nature’s Valley.

Many had recommended staying the night prior to departure at the trailhead Storms River Mouth Restcamp. I tented.

Campground

It’s one of the best campgrounds I’ve ever seen. (reviews)

There might be more Rock Hyrax (“Dassie”) than people

Dassie

The sunset was definitely as magical as I’ve EVER seen.

sunset

After a rib feast and South African wine at dinner, I couldn’t have been more excited to start the Otter Trail next day.

ribs

Restaurants are comparatively inexpensive in South Africa.

My original high res photos from day 0.

… on to day 1

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Suspension Bridge, Lookout Trail, South Africa

by site editor Rick McCharles

Storms River Mouth Rest Camp, one of the best campgrounds I’ve ever seen, is the trailhead of two multi-day hikes: Otter Trail and new Dolphin Trail.

Almost every visitor — including me — does a Mouth Trail day hike out past the restaurant. It’s the start of the Dolphin.

restaurant

The Suspension Bridge and Lookout Trail is an easy stroll that leads along the western side of the river mouth, past the Strandloper Cave to the suspension bridge (aka “Mouth Trail“) across the Storms River.

suspension bridge

On the other side of the main bridge there is a short but very steep climb to a lookout point (aka “Viewpoint Trail“).

lookout

See the rest of my photos on flickr.

I ate three delicious meals at that restaurant, by the way. Free WiFi.

The Tsitsikamma National Park is a protected area on the Garden Route, Western Cape and Eastern Cape, South Africa.

… On 6 March 2009 it was amalgamated with the Wilderness National Park and various other areas of land to form the Garden Route National Park. …

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4 bat-eared fox

Our guide at Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa, had only seen this reclusive animal once before over the past 7 years.

It’s not typical behaviour for them to appear so brashly at at water hole middle of the day.

Click PLAY or watch my video on YouTube.

The bat-eared fox is a canid of the African savanna, named for its large ears. …

… also referred to as big-eared fox, black-eared fox, cape fox, and Delalande’s fox …

… an insectivore that uses its large ears to locate its prey. 80–90% of their diet is harvester termites. When this particular species of termite is not available bat-eared foxes feed on other species of termites and have also been observed consuming ants, beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, millipedes, moths, scorpions, spiders, and rarely birds, small mammals, and reptiles. The insects they eat fulfill the majority of their water intake needs. …

… the bat-eared fox has a reversal in parental roles with the male taking on the majority of the parental care behavior. Females gestate for 60–70 days and give birth to litters consisting of 1 to 6 pups. Beyond lactation, which lasts 14 to 15 weeks, males take over grooming, defending, huddling, chaperoning, and carrying the young between den sites. …

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Walkopedia Magazine – Spring 2013

William and Alexandra Mackesy posted the Spring 2013 edition of Walkopedia Magazine online.

Highlights from their excellent website, Walkopedia:

  • Mustang, Nepal – the world’s second best walk?
  • Icon: Pavilion, Tai Shan, China
  • Walkopedia favourite: Pindos Mountains and Vikos Gorge, Greece
  • Photo essay: Route of the Volcanoes, La Palma, Canary Islands
  • Trailblazer guides
  • The world’s best camp tucker
  • New on Walkopedia

    – Scotland, Cairngorms, UK
    – Glacier National Park, USA

    • Check it out – Spring 2013 edition of Walkopedia Magazine

    walkopedia

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    Table Mountain, Cape Town

    by site editor Rick McCharles

    There are at least 30 ways up Table Mountain, one of the world’s new “seven wonders of nature“. My first visit, I took the most popular, via Platteklip Gorge.

    Arriving at the Lower Cable Station, I was shocked at the long line-ups.

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    2

    There was no way I was going to wait for the cable car with that mob.

    Having arrived on the hop-on, hop-off City Tour bus, I needed to walk 1.5km on Tafelberg Road to one of the Platteklip trailheads.

    3

    On a fine day like this, the views back over Cape Town are amazing.

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    Here’s the crux, Platteklip Gorge.

    5

    No problem on a nice day.

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    Hikers and climbers die here every year, however. But not normally on the Platteklip Gorge route.

    The flat top mountain is great for exploring. Most of the horde stay close to the Upper Cable Car station.

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    I looked for unique species. … Most every species was new to me.

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    The geology is special too.

    cliff view

    Finding a small commemorative crucifix, I left a Summit Stone in the same spot.

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    This is the top of one of the world’s longest commercial rappels. Read some reviews.

    rapel

    Instead I paid about 100 Rand ($12) to take the cable car down.

    cable car

    See more of my photos from this fantastic day hike.

    Next time to Cape Town I’ll do one of the longer routes. Perhaps the new guided 5-day Hoerikwaggo Trail from Table Mountain to Cape Point.

    Rick Table Mountain