By: PujaPosted on

Tucked in between the mountains and sea with Storms river, flowing in between, lies the Tsitsikamma National Park and trust us once we reached nothing could comprehend with the sheer beauty of mountain-scapes, scenic hiking trails, crystal clear water and with too much of everything this town beholds, this is definitely one of our favourite. Read through to know about things to do in Tsitsikamma National Park, Tsitsikamma accommodation & Tsitsikamma activities. Welcome to Tsitsikamma garden route region -a small town you have to experience once in your life if you are planning the famous garden route trip. We self drove from Plettenberg Bay to Tsitsikamma which took almost an hour to reach.

Tsitsikamma garden route | Things to do in Tsitsikamma National Park | Tsitsikamma accommodation | Tsitsikamma activities

This Tsitsikamma National Park travel guide sets out the best things to do in Tsitsikamma along some useful tips to help you plan your itinerary and enjoy your visit to this beautiful scenic region.

We would suggest you should at least spend 2 days here to explore so that you don’t have have to rush on things that you wish to do and see around this town which is packed with outdoor thrills and mind bending –
views.

Planning to visit many national parks – get your Wild Card.

How to reach Tsitsikamma National Park : Things to do in Tsitsikamma

We self drove from Plettenberg Bay which is approximately 68km, and took us an hour to reach. This is also the nearest airport you can find to Tsitsikamma.

You can check the flight timings either from Cape town, Durban or Port Elizabeth as per your convenience and date of travelling. It is also possible to drive from Cape town which would take approx 6-7 hours to reach Tsitsikamma.

Note : you have to pay a toll charge of R57(we drove hatchback car) before entering Tsitsikamma and depending on the size of the vehicle. Also to enter the Tsitsikamma National park you need to pay R262 per
person, if you don’t have Sanparks wild card.

Best time to visit Tsitsikamma National Park : Things to do in Tsitsikamma

While Tsitsikamma is an excellent destination to visit year-round its best during spring and summer (Oct-Feb) when the weather remains moderate, soothing and comfortable. But the wettest months are May and September, and the driest are June and July.

Where to stay in Tsitsikamma National Park : Things to do in Tsitsikamma

We booked our stay here at Storms River Mouth Rest camp which is tucked inside the National Park itself.
Its definitely a perfect place to be in as a little getaway which is surrounded by both sea and lagoon hugging the Tsitsikamma Mountains.
This beautiful location has personal cabins, caravans, camping sites, a restaurant, hiking trails, canopy walks and everything you would need for a perfect vacation.
We had a comfortable time staying here and would definitely recommend it to you guys!

Where to eat in Tsitsikamma?

During our stay inside Tsitsikamma National Park ‘Storms River Mouth’ we opted to eat at Cattle Baron Seafood Grill & Bistro which is very famous for Chateaubriand fillet steak and gill food items.The platters we tried were exceptionally good and of course the view from the restaurant is absolutely gorgeous facing the ocean making it a perfect location for breakfast lunch, dinner or a private function.
You can also try out their comprehensive wine lists, which offers the very best local wine selections from different regions.

Things to do in Tsitsikamma National Park?

  • Go for Lilo & Kayak at Storms River Gorge
  • Try out the Cliff Jumping
  • Go for Nature trail & Hiking
  • Take a walk along the Storms River Suspension Bridge
  • A must do Bungy jumping at Bloukrans worlds highest bridge

Lilo & Kayak at Storms River Gorge

Being at Tsitsikamma National Park it would be a sin if you miss going for Lilo & Kayak at Storms River Gorge.
This was in our to do list and its definitely one of the of the most popular activities here.


This is where the true adventure begins – Cost for Kayak and Lilo inside Storms River Mouth Rest Camp (R695 per person). We pre booked our slots with Untouched Adventures and would recommend even you book your schedule 2-3 days prior, so that you don’t end up struggling for reservations for your desired date.

However we started at 11am and kayak-ed passing the giant ocean currents under the storms river suspension bridge while entering the calmer and beautiful end at Storms River Gorge.
We paddled right in between the Storms River Mouth with cliffs on both sides and spend the time gazing up in awe at the water dripping and the spectacular 360 degree view which remained covered with all ancient
indigenous forests with the quiet noises of nature surrounding us, for almost 3 hrs. Ah! It was spectacular.

Later we stopped at the low-water point where we parked our Kayaks and went for Lilo. If you don’t know what LILO is- A lilo is a small inflatable boat mostly like an airbed which needs to be paddled with the help of you palms to change directions.


Even for us for this was something we did for the very first time and still can’t get over that amazing moments altogether. Be notified the water is freezing. Would definitely recommend you all to go for Kayak and Lilo without compromising, as this would be a lifetime experience guys.

Cliff jump off the overhanging cliff walls

Okay so while returning back this is what we both skipped doing, not that we are afraid of height but didn’t want to get wet, however the water was freezing and seriously didn’t had the guts to do the jump.
Also the co-travellers around us seemed that they were having the fun for lifetime while doing the jump from the cliff in multiple rounds. You can definitely rate your bravery here.

Nature trail & Hiking

This National Park is known for various scenic hiking trails and waterfalls. There are many such trails in Tsitsikamma National Park which you can choose to go for hikes.

Among all, Tsitsikamma National Park Waterfall trail, Blue Duiker trail, Waterfall hike, Fynbos Trail, Otter trail and Dolphin trail are the very famous ones.
We hiked the Storms River Mouth watching the sunrise and seriously it was a perfect day as we enjoyed every bit of everything -the sea, the sun, the fresh air, and the call of early birds.

Storms River Suspension Bridge walk

This picturesque suspension bridge lies on one of the hikes of Storms River Gorge with breathtaking view and with proper direction signs boards.
Its a good 20 min walk over the bridge but before getting to the bridge, there are great view points along the way.
At first some of you might have vertigo and feel scary while walking over the bridge, so do take care of that if you are acrophobic.

Bungee Jumping At Bloukrans Worlds Highest Bridge

Love crazy adventures? This could be the perfect place for you to get the adrenaline rush activated.

Bloukrans Bridge Bungy is one of the world’s highest commercial bridge bungy at 216 meters (709ft) above the Bloukrans River. Cost for bungy is R1400 per person at Bloukrans bridge. We got lucky as it was women’s month and got 50% off. Also if you wish to collect the photos and videos you have to pay an additional charge of R400 at the collection room.


Jumping off from such a great height is absolutely a daredevil act and we wont recommended this to people bearing any heart conditions. However I(Puja) activated my adrenaline hormones, and it took me almost
1hr to gather courage and jump off the cliff from the height of 216m.
I experienced the world up side down for couple of minutes and believe me the feeling of that moment will forever remain edged deep inside of me.

Envisioning the lovely end to this amazing time at “Tsitsikamma National Park” and now we would head towards our next destination Addo National Park.
And yeah that’s all about it, things you can do in “Tsitsikamma National Park” So guys hope you find this blog helpful planning yours, and if you have any queries please write it down in the comment section below. We
would try to help with the best of our knowledge.

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