Garden Route Entry Into The Tsitsikamma National Park

While the Park basically is a coastal reserve, the route (Garden Route) covers a scenic stretch of the coastline that starts from the Mossel Bay in the Western Cape to the Storms River that is crossed through the N2 Coastal Highway. Then it goes over the Paul Sauer Bridge right up to the Eastern Cape. Garden Route is a befitting name since it takes the traveler through a garden-like country dotted with numerous ecologically different plants, lakes and blue lagoons. The route also covers several towns that include Knysna, Oudtshoorn, Nature’s valley which is a holiday resort tucked between the foothills of the Tsitsikamma Mountains, the Indian Ocean and the Groot River lagoon. George happens to be the largest city as well as the principal administrative centre of the Garden Route.

Above all, it boasts of a fantastic climate, considered as the second mildest type of weather after Hawaii, according to the Guinness Book of Records. Temperatures rarely go below 10º C (minimum) in winter and seldom climb above 28º C (maximum) at the height of the summer. Precipitation is year-round with a tendency to peak during the spring, caused no doubt by the moisture affected sea wind coming from the Indian Ocean. In short, it is credited with Maritime West-Coast Climate with mild to medium summers and mild to cool winters, allowing visitors to enjoy the trek all through the year.

The mesmerizing trail carves its way between the Tsitsikamma and Outeniqua Mountains with the Indian Ocean keeping constant company. The local forests appear to be an assortment of Cape Fynbos and Temperate Forest, providing excellent hiking trails that include eco-tourism activities. The bird life in this region appears prolific, varying from fynbos to woodlands to wetlands.

There are altogether 10 nature reserves embracing the ecosystem of the area plus distinctive marine reserves that are home to dolphins, seals and many other aquatic fauna. What is more, several bays along the Garden Route function as nurseries for the endangered Southern Right Whale that reaches the bays to calve during the winter and spring.

Even though people usually explore the Garden Route in cars, some of the more romantic type prefer rail travel provided by Africa’s last remaining steam-engine train, the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe.