Tsitsikamma National Park: why this is my favourite place in the world

If you asked me what my favourite place in the world was, I’d tell you Tsitsikamma National Park. The first time we did the Garden Route, Tsitsikamma was one of our stops, and it has been a stop whenever we are in that area.

Tsitsikamma National Park

I’m not quite sure why, but Tsitsikamma just has a captivating beauty to it. And of course, one of the major reasons for that is the Tsitsikamma National Park.

There is soooo much to do at the Tsitsikamma National Park. You can do day or overnight hikes, cycle, or even just stroll around. The beaches are super accessible, and I love to just sit and watch the oceans waves put me into a trance.

You can stay at the Tsitsikamma National Park, but we haven’t gotten around to doing that yet! There are some cottages with stunning views of the ocean. It’s definitely nicer to visit in the summer months, but there are more crowds then too. You also pay an entrance/conservation fee at the gate, which is R82 for South African adults, R167 for SADC nationals, and R367 for international visitors. Children’s rates are about half of each category.

One of my favourite things at the park, and something that’s quite cool, is the suspension bridge. It’s 3 bridges, actually, one being the longest of the three. It has quite a dramatic view – you’ll take about an hour round trip (about 2km) to get there and back, without accounting for the pictures you’ll definitely want to take there.

The bridges are 77 meters long, and they’re suspended in what seems like mid air. So when you’re walking, especially towards the centre, you’ll feel a lot of movement and swinging! It can be scary, especially if you have a fear of heights, or if there’s quite a few people on the bridge, and of course if some people want to be jumping around haha. But, it’s really something and definitely worth exploring! If you’re up for it, you can venture on and continue exploring upwards to the viewpoint, or, on the way back, there are lots of little detours you can take to see different sides of the park and it’s views.

And THEN, there’s my second favourite thing. I feel like this deserves it’s own post, so I’ll just add a little bit here – the kayak and lilo experience. We’ve been to Tsitsikamma three times, and we have done this twice. The only reason we didn’t do it the third time was because it was peak winter and the experience involves cliff diving, which would have been no fun in that cold haha.

As the name suggests, this experience allows you to kayak and lilo along the Storms Rivier mouth, all the way into the unventured areas. It’s cathartic, serene, and everything you need to possibly enjoy the nature even more.

All that to say, that if you haven’t been to the Tsitsikamma National Park, you definitely should. It might just become your favourite place too 😉

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