Tsitsikamma has several interpretations like place of much water, falling water, clear water and the sound of rain. Whatever the Khoisan (early inhabitants of the area) intended in the place name, water is definitely the predominant feature here.
The Indian Ocean which changes its personality by the hour is continuously pounding one of the most dangerous coastlines in the world - renowned for its rugged beauty, towering cliffs, and indigenous forest.
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| Otter Trail starts here |
Streams, lakes, ponds and waterfalls are abundant. It is truly a place for the outdoor enthusiast (me) with hiking trails along the ocean and through the forest, mountain biking, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling and swimming.
The most well known hiking trail in the Park is the Otter Trail, named after the Cape clawless otter - a very elusive and shy creature. Sightings of otters are extremely rare and granted only to a privileged few. I didn't really understand how elusive they were until I started reading about them and the effort underway to study them. However, we were VERY lucky on two separate occasions. One evening, just after sunset, we were scanning the tide pools below our camp site and I captured this photo:
On the previous night Marius and I were sitting quietly by the fire in our campsite listening to the night sounds and presumably it was these same two which came right into our camp, unconcerned about our being there, and proceeded to the stream which runs to the ocean through the woods adjacent to our camp. Katie and Willie say that this very stream originates from the Marienburg Pond (photo in the previous blog) and they have, on occasion, seen the otters fishing in the pond after a steep climb through the stream and up the cliff to the farm! We have not seen them since but watch for them every evening.
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| Marius on the first section of the Otter Trail to the Waterfall |
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| A curious Kelp Gull on the Trail |
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| The Waterfall. |
Meanwhile back at the farm...
The first two weeks here were spent acclimating to the 12 hour time difference and re-energizing our sense of place in this gorgeous setting.
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| Long Crested Eagle |
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| In Flight |
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Marius and Willie
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| On a leisurely walk |
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| Lilies in the Pond
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Next post: Cape St. Francis - A birthday wish come true!!
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