Tsitsikamma National Park Storms River

Tsitsikamma National Park is situated at the heart of the picturesque tourist region known as the Garden Route, found in the Southern Cape. The park incorporates 80 km of rocky coastline with spectacular sea and landscapes, a remote mountainous region with secluded valleys covered in mountain Fynbos and temperate high forests with deep river gorges leading down to the sea.

The park conserves a considerable portion of the natural biota (all living organisms) of the Garden Route. The primary vegetation biomes consist of Mountain Fynbos, Coastal Fynbos, Afromontane Forest and the Marine herbland-, inter-tidal-, and sub-tidal zones. The mean annual rainfall is 1200 mm.

Tsitsikamma National Park protects a wonderland of inter-tidal and marine life. This is one of the largest single unit ‘no take’ (including fishing) Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in the world, conserving 11 percent of South Africa’s Temperate South Coast rocky shoreline and provides a 'laboratory' for fisheries baseline research on endangered linefish species. Approximately 30% of the park is covered in fynbos (Cape Floral Kingdom), scattered amongst the forest vegetation, boasting a wide variety of beautiful flowers, including proteas and heath. Many species of forest, fynbos and sea birds are present.

Cormorants, Kelp Gulls and African Black Oystercatchers are prominent along the coastline. Pied and Giant Kingfishers can both be seen hunting fish at tidal pools or in the rivers that drain into the Indian Ocean.More inconspicuous, but also inhabiting these rivers are Halfcollared Kingfisher and African Finfoot. The Tsitsikamma Forest is the haunt of the Knysna Lourie.Other forest species to watch or listen for include Emerald Cuckoo, Narina Trogon, Knysna and Olive Woodpecker, Chorister Robin and Grey Cuckooshrike.

Climate: A temperate coastal climate with an annual rainfall of 1 200 mm. The wettest months are May and October, and the driest are June and July.

Handy Hints: This is a multi-dimensional marine/forest national park. Remember to bring the following: bathing suit, angling equipment, hat, binoculars, sun block, walking shoes, bird and mammal reference books, snorkeling equipment.
SCUBA divers must present valid certificate and supply own equipment. SCUBA refill facilities are available at Stormsriver rest camp.

Office Hours: 07:30 -16:30

Please take note:  The swimming pool at Storms River Mouth Restcamp is reserved for resident guests only. Roller blades and skate boards are prohibited. Pets are not allowed in a national park.
Firearms must be declared at reception where they will be sealed. The seal will be broken upon departure. No bait, shells, driftwood or any other organism, living or dead, may be removed from the Tsitsikamma National Park. Power boats are not permitted on the river at Nature’s Valley.