6-514: The Otter Trail is a hiking trail along the Garden Route coast of South Africa and is named for the Cape clawless otter which occurs in this region. This trail is widely regarded as one of the finest in the world and stretches from Storms River Mouth in the east to Nature's Valley in the west, is 26 km long as the crow flies and 44 km as the hiker walks. Walking the trail takes 5 days, and
12-618: A slight peak in the spring months, brought by the humid sea-winds from the Indian Ocean rising and releasing their precipitation along the Langeberg, Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma Mountains just inland of the coast. The Garden Route is closely linked with the Origin of Human Culture, due to archaeological finds in the Plettenberg Bay, Mossel Bay and Stilbaai areas. The Route is sandwiched between
18-546: Is either fynbos , dense gallery forest or open, rocky sections near the sea with an abundance of wildflowers. Download coordinates as: Garden Route The Garden Route ( Afrikaans : Tuinroete ) is a 300-kilometre (190 mi) stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa which extends from Witsand in the Western Cape to the border of Tsitsikamma Storms River in the Eastern Cape . The name comes from
24-473: The 4 nights are spent in comfortable huts with superb views. The route is located entirely within the Tsitsikamma National Park , which protects an 80 km long strip of coastal mountains, forest and beaches. The trail traverses a very scenic landscape, never straying far from the shoreline, but often climbing steeply and then descending to the beach or a river crossing. Vegetation along the way
30-459: The aforementioned mountains and the Indian Ocean , with mountain passes, including the Outeniqua Pass and Garcia's Pass, linking the area with the arid Little Karoo . The Outeniqua, Grootvadersbosch and Tsitsikamma indigenous forests are a unique mixture of Cape Fynbos and Temperate Forest and offer hiking trails and eco-tourism activities. Nearly 300 species of birdlife are to be found in
36-712: The verdant and ecologically diverse vegetation encountered here and the numerous estuaries and lakes dotted along the coast. It includes towns such as Witsand, Heidelberg, Riversdale, Stilbaai, Albertinia, Gouritsmond, Knysna , Plettenberg Bay , Mossel Bay , Oudtshoorn , Great Brak River , Little Brak River , Wilderness , Sedgefield and Nature's Valley ; with George , the Garden Route's largest city and main administrative centre. It has an oceanic climate , with mild to warm summers, and mild to cool winters. Temperatures rarely fall below 10 °C in winter and rarely climb beyond 28 °C in summer. Rain occurs year-round, with
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