Garden Route National Park — Attraction in George

Lovely stretch of nature. Wilderness and the whole coastal drive through Sedgefield, Knysna, Pkettenberg bay and up to Stormsriver mouth. The Tsitsikama forest, the BIG TREE(s) and all the lovely stops and spots. The Tsitsikamma Section of the Garden Route National Park was declared in 1964 and encompasses a marine reserve made up of over 80km of coastline. The Stormsriver Mouth rest camp of the Tsitsikamma Section of the Garden Route National Park is very scenic and a must-visit. A number of short hiking trails (2-6km) allow you to explore the coastal bush and rocky shoreline. Storms River Mouth offers the visitor magnificent scenery, a small beach, restaurant and shop. The famous Storms River Suspension Bridge spans the river mouth and this walk is the most popular. The Park conserves a considerable portion of the natural biota (all living organisms) of the Garden Route. The primary vegetation biomes consist of Mountain Fynbos, Coastal Fynbos, Afro-montane Forest and the Marine herb-land-, inter-tidal-, and sub-tidal zones. This is one of the largest single unit ‘no take’ (including fishing) Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in the world, conserving 11 percent of South Africa’s Temperate South Coast rocky shoreline and provides a ‘laboratory’ for fisheries baseline research on endangered line fish species. In 1964 when it was proclaimed, it became the first Marine National Park to be proclaimed in Africa. You can choose to stay in a number of different accommodation units in the three different camps, Storms River (Tsitsikamma Section), Nature's Valley (Tsitsikamma Section) and Wilderness (Wilderness Section). To view this accommodation, visit the Sanparks Website to see what the units in the different...

Entering the parking area of THE BIG TREE, you are met by the friendly staff. The entrance was in the process of being modernised. A coffee shop and curio shop and new ticket booth heralded the changing times. The new booth not being ready yet, we paid for our entry at the old hut. Then you walk into the forest.....The quiet majesty of the forest forces you to consider your role in the greater scheme of things. When you are in the presence of trees, a thousand years old, the paltry few years you've lived seems like nothing. All is quiet, if you can call it quiet in a forest. Birds call, insects chirp and the underbrush rustle with life, not quiet, but a dead silence compared to the bustling noise of civilisation. No cars, people shouting and phones ringing, just you and Mother Nature. That was what I processed as I stood in awe staring at a true giant of the forest. I thought for a few moments what it would have been like to have a conversation with this tree, speaking about the changes it saw over the years. I was pulled from this reverie by my grand daughter discovering another lady bug, and showing it off to me. A peaceful and beautiful place, slowly disappearing as...

The Garden National Park is an area more than a Park with a spesific entrance gate. There are beautiful towns (George, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay), lakes (Swartvlei, Rondvlei, Groenvlei, the Knysna Laguna), high Mountains (Outeniqua), the Indian Ocean and indigenous forests (with age old stinkwood, Yellowwood, Ironwood trees) The trees have a story of their own and only a hand full of people have the skill to work with these precious natural pieces of art. The area stretches over an area of approximately 100 km along the coast line and 40 km inland. There are small parks, hiking trails, and veriety of tourist attractions and activities. The Park areas are run by Sanparks and in most cases very tourist orientated and well kept. A small entrance fee will be charge to enter spesific areas eg the Garden of Eden forest walk (easy walk for the whole family) or a little more adventures the King Fisher Trail ending at a waterfall (best if you go after good rain). For a first time visitor to SA, this gem deserves top position on...