Greetings from South Africa's Garden Route - by Emlyn Lee

Welcome to the Garden Route…probably one of the most awe-inspiring scenic areas in the world. It certainly ranks up in comparison between the awesome drives of the Great Ocean Road in Australia, Highway 1 in California, and C2 Mountain in British Columbia. We spent the night and the next day in Knysna (pronounced “Nighs-na”). The flyer at the lobby describes this city as, “ one of the most diverse regions in the world and offers a magnitude of activities—from world class golf courses and spa’s to forest hikes, diving, 4x4, abseiling, canopy tours, cycling, and horse riding, to beaches to swim, surf, paddling, bird-watching—the options seem endless.”

We spent the morning walking around town, through the shops, plazas, malls, and enjoyed a nice brunch on the patio of a local café. We then checked out of our accommodations, kept our bags at reception, and then drove about 10-15 minutes to Harkerville, to enjoy a trek that wrapped around the forest and coast.

Now the word ‘enjoy’ is relative. Don’t get me wrong, it was a beautiful scenic trek, and felt like a great workout. It combined a blend of hiking though a jungle or rainforest, and walking along the coast of the Indian Ocean. But it was a tough one! We trekked about 10km, with the shrubs and bushes slashing our ankles along the narrow path in the forest. And while I had to keep my eyes on the trail, I’d occasionally walk in to a low hanging tree branch, banging my head or poking out my eye for a good laugh. Then we turned a corner, and were met by a cliff that dropped down to the Indian Ocean. We weren’t sure if it was the correct route, until we saw the trail marks drawn on some rocks, pointing down. Seriously?! So, there we went—scaling large stones, trudging over pebbles, lunging across streams, tripping over jagged rocks…up and down, left and right…on and on (and on) we trekked.

Apparently, depending on the season, you could see humpback whales and dolphins in the Indian Ocean. Unfortunately for us, we didn’t see any. I don’t know if it was due to the season, or because my eyes were planted forward, watching every step I took.