Garden Route

YOU kNO!w..?

HOW.. When you ask ANYONE...? "WHAT is that ONE THING you still wanna do?' ..the answer is inevitably the same.. "ONE DAY !.. I'm gonna SKYDIVE !"

Well.. Here's your Opportunity !

TAKE THE PLUNGE and race towards MOTHER EARTH at UNGODLY SPEEDS in excess of 200 k's an hour.

YOUR HOST (if you're lucky) 'TREVOR' - tandem master, PHOTOGRAPHER (see pic above), videographer, editor  and famous BILLBOARD MODEL (see pic below).

SCARED ...  ?

DON'T WORRY !

You'll be PERFECTLY SAFE !

Every Tandem Master has to have at least 1,000 jumps under their belts before you jump with them, and Trevor has over 4,000 ! 

HERE'S THE DEAL!

If you book yourself a spot at Starling Backpackers during World Cup 2010, you receive 100 Bucks off your Tandem skydive.

Hey ! HUNDRED BUCKS is a HUNDRED BUCKS !

A Tandem not good enough for you ? You'd rather do it solo ? Then give the podcast below a listen to find out what it takes..

On the 27th of April every year South Africans celebrate freedom day. This is in commemoration of the first post-apartheid elections held in South Africa in 1994, which saw Nelson Mandela become South Africa's first freely elected president. Here in the Crags on the Garden Route of South Africa, Birds of Eden, the biggest free flight Aviary in the world, celebrated both Freedom Day and the coming of the 2010 World Cup Soccer with the release of 32 new bird species to the existing 280 into the aviary. This brought the total bird count up to over 3000 birds!

The idea behind the 32 species is to represent the 32 countries competing in the 2010 soccer world cup. The bird releases were carried out by underpriviliged children, various NGO's and tourism bodies, releasing birds every five to ten minutes. Early morning the SABC crew were there, providing a LIVE feed for the Morning Live show, for the rest of South Africa to see.

It is nice to see that a backpackers does more than just have a party every night.  At Starling Backpackers, Vicky has started a community project, that aims to help underprivileged kids buy school uniforms.  

They have a unique idea of using old plastic bags collected from the streets, and re-using them to make cool bags, ideal for almost any casual purpose. 

This not only gives back to the community, but also empowers them buy teaching skills and creating more jobs, that are desperately needed. 

But this is not the only community project started at a backpackers.  It is becoming more and more common to see backpackers getting into community work, like projects in Chintsa in the Eastern Cape and another very interesting backpackers project in Soweto.

In the Crags, on the Garden Route of South Africa you will find 'The Elephant Sanctuary'. Founded by Chris Kruger, the Elephant Sanctuary is a sort of halfway house for elephants that have nowhere to go to.

The elephants all have different backgrounds. One of them was previously a pet for 11 years (believe it or not), some of them came out of Botswana, and still others were up for culling in the Kruger National Park. The idea is to re-introduce them to the wild, once they are older at private nature reserves.

Each elephant at the moment has its own handler, which it has formed a close relationship with.

Visitors can come on a one hour guided 'trunk in hand' elephant walk through the forest, where you'll get up close and personal with the elephants and even get to touch the elephans. This is followed by a feeding session where you get 'to thank' the elephants and feed them titbits like butternut.

You will also get  a 15 minute lecture on elephant anatomy and some interesting facts about these creatures.

Although there are arguments for and against close human contact, the Elephant Sanctuary maintains that nobody really knows for sure.

The Elephant sanctuary is open to the public every day of the week, weather permitting.

In 2001 founders Len and Mandy Freeman bought an undeveloped 46 ha piece of land in the Crags, on the Garden Route of South Africa. They started out with one little hut on the property, taking in their first injured and problem animals and nursing them back to health. Their ability to heal and rehabilitate animals quickly became known and before long they were receiving injured wild animals of all kinds.

This lead to Tenikwa registering as a fully fledged rehabilitation centre with Cape Nature Conservation. Subsequently more animals including birds, penguins, bats as well as wild cats started ending up at Tenikwa. One of these species, the cararcal is particularly persecuted in South Africa, with numbers declining at a rapid rate. Len explains that it is due to ignorance that these cats get killed and that there are in fact many alternatives to killing.

Hence, the awareness centre came into existence, with the objective of making people aware and educating them about the true nature of these animals and methods of conserving these species for future generations to see.

Nature's Way Farm stall is situated about 7 kilometers down the R102 to Natures Valley in the Crags on the Garden Route of South Africa.

Loredo is famous for its Jersey cows, and produces great quality milk and cheeses. Here you can buy fresh farm milk, provided you bring your own container.

A variety of cheeses are available for both tasting and purchase. Typical to farm stalls it is stocked with a variety of fresh produce from the area, including cold meats and deli, fresh bread and eggs, fruit and veg, preserves, olive oils jams bakes and much more.

In the late afternoon, you can come and watch the cows being milked, or just come for a light lunch and tea.

It is an excellent place to stock up for lunch, if you are planning to do one of the beautiful hikes in the area.

Location

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Founders Mike and Emily Caithness started Lawnwood Snake Sanctuary as a hobby due to their passion for snakes. People would call from all across the country when they find snakes on their property, and ask for it to be removed. Thats how it all started.

Today, Lawnwood boasts over 200 snakes and has been turned into a commercial venture, offering one hour guided tours to visitors.

The tour is designed to educate people about snakes, dispell irrational fears that people have about snakes. Visitors will also get the chance to touch a giant tame leguaan and see it feed on chicken pieces.

Mike and Emily have a wealth of knowledge about snakes, so that at the end of the tour you would be able to identify different species of snakes, understand the difference between the different types of venom (proteolytic, cytotoxic, neurotoxic and hemotoxic), and what to do if you get bitten by these snakes.

This is a relatively easy hike, which starts at the top of the valley and decends gradually down to the Saltriver estuary, along the coast and then up (more effort) past a beautiful viewpoint of Nature's Valley.

Driving from the N2 National road (coming from Plettenberg Bay side), take the first R102 turn-off towards Natures Valley.

Follow the road for 7.9 kms until you see a picnic spot with chairs and tables on the right of the road (You'll see a sign saying "Feeding of Baboons prohibited" on the left side of the road right opposite it) 

Park your car here, remove valuables, 

grab your gear and duck underneath the boom  (err chain) you'll see in front of you to get onto the path. After a short walk (10-15 mins) you'll reach a fork. Follow it to the left towards Saltriver. You'll pass by many species of Fynbos and have beautiful views of the Tsitsikamma mountains to your left.

This gives way to the forest with Keurboom, Candlewood and some Yellowwood trees. You'll notice many bird species and might see bushbuck or see evidence of bushpig.

Because Nature's Valley is surrounded by sea, estuaries and the lush Tsitsikamma forest there are walks and hikes of all lengths and types. So if you're a keen hiker, its worth staying a couple of days in the area to explore the different trails. The trails form an intertwined network and you can 'tailor design' your walk according to your likes, time and fitness.

In general, make sure you've got good hiking shoes, enough water and something to eat (a good place to stock up is the Natures Way farm stall). Insect repellent is recommended in summertime. There is a lot of wildlife here and the terrain is diverse ranging from fynbos to estuaries to beaches and thick forests. Lots of photo opportunities, so pack a camera and a pair of binoculars.

Hikes

Saltwater Circular (Distance 6 km, Time 4 Hours)

Kalanderkloof

Grootriver

Keurpad and Rugpad

Between the Tsitsikamma forest and Keurbooms river on the Garden Route, lies the community of the Crags.

The Crags is inhabited by a group of very artistic and creative individuals.

Here you’ll find lots of arts and craft markets, a monkey, elephant,  bird and snake sanctuary, as well as a rehabilitation center for wild cats. You can go on many pristine nature walks and indulge in the excellent cuisine on offer in the area.

Accommodation comes in all styles from top end hotels, bed and breakfasts, country lodges to backpackers and camping. You can get a variety of cheese, home produce and farm milk at the Nature’s Way farm stall or taste the local wines at the Bramon Wine Estate.

For adrenalin junkies there’s the world’s highest bungee jump at 216 meters and polo for the aristocrats. The Barnyard theatre has regular shows, with South Africa’s finest  showing off their talent on stage.