Garden Route National Park - Wilderness Section — Attraction in George

Directed at office and Rangers(not the parks) Yesterday, 17 January 2021,we were standing at the look out point next to the Wilderness Gardens Estate when we saw something crawling out of the water and tossing and turning. Keep further in mind that beaches are closed at this time due to lockdown regulations.

Looking closer,it looked like a seal. Seeing it as an exception, with nobody that could tell me otherwise after enquiring and a living creature in distress, I went down to the beach to investigate. Got there, and it was a baby Cape Fur seal that was entangled and in distress(normally feisty when you get close, this one was not)

I phoned Sanparks to report and mentioned exact location, there are not many Wilderness Beach Hotels and Wilderness Gardens Estate,is there? I was told that rangers would be sent to assist.

It is now Monday 18 January 2021, and they are yet to arrive, after calling the office as well as a member of Sanparks directly.

I have no experience in handling such animals. I tried my best for over 3 hours-just made curfew, and the animal got freed and rested and went back to the ocean. So happy ending at least. I also kept it cool as it was literally baking in the sun.(I know they sometimes lie in the sun,this was not the case,it was stuck,entangled in the sun)

My questions is, why can Sanparks act quickly if you set one foot wrong in a matter of minutes, but cannot act when animals are in need? Is it because it was a Sunday? Or does Sanparks only cater for plant life??

If they could not assist, then just say so and I would have gone somewhere else, but I think its a double standard in putting up boards all over with rules and warnings if you mess with wildlife, but don't even take care of helping with distressed animals.

I would like a response to my...

What a gem of a park! One of the best national parks in South Africa. A wonderful, relaxing small park to visit. The park is made up of 2 sections: Ebb and Flow South and North. Staff at the gate is very friendly and helpful and the park is beautiful and relaxing!

Very neat and tidy camping sites with electricity points at each campsite and braai area too. Good and clean ablution facilities. There is also a lovely picnic site, Tarentaal, for day visitors. The park overall is maintained and clean. Cleaning staff is friendly and helpful. No shop or restaurant in the park.

Well worth a visit to the Garden Route National Park even if you don't see much it makes for a relaxing weekend away. It attracts quieter visitors. Very peaceful and surrounded with nature. It lends for a good view of the Touw river and birdlife. Quite a wide variety of birds to be seen. Take a boat ride from Wilderness River Safaris on the Touw River to spot more birds. Enjoy the stay in nature.

I will recommend this destination to any tourist who drive on the N2, as it's situated almost half way between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth in the Eden district. Come see...

The Bosduif Trail in the Half Collard Kingfisher Trail is definitely worth the uphill. I set out to walk the trail to the waterfall but it was unusually busy and I prefer quieter trails. So instead of going back over the river with the pont, I took the stepping stones route. If you like a bit more of a hike than a path then try it. As I got to the end I saw the sign for the Bosduif Trail going up and decided to give it a try. It’s a uphill but lovely trail with 2 lovely lookout points. Give the Bosduif Trail a try but I’d do it backwards again as it’s more of a gradual uphill. That downhill won’t be a very nice uphill with huge...