Garden Route Waterways
4 nights accommodation / 5 days kayaking
We offer several accommodation options for this adventure, namely
Glamping / Tented accommodation, lodge-based accommodation or
a combination of both tented and lodge-based accommodation
(Price on Request)
The location for Garden Route Waterways falls just outside the coastal town of Plettenberg Bay, where the Bitou River and Wetland and Keurbooms river lie, on the southern coast of South Africa. The area is situated the Cape Floristic Kingdom - the smallest, yet most bio diverse of the world’s six floral kingdoms, a World Heritage Site and a biodiversity hotspot. Falling within a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the area is home to no less than five Blue Flag beaches and lies in very close proximity to several Marine Protected Areas – a perfect location for a water-based adventure!
GLAMPING TENTED ACCOMMODATION
FROM: R8 950.00pp sharing - 4 night / 5 day adventure
ACCOMMODATION: Biomimicry Camp
This KAYAKING AND WATER-BASED experience is enhanced by your accommodation which is sheltered under a canopy of indigenous forest on the Bitou River.
Our luxury tents come with comfy beds and fresh white linen, our food is sourced locally and prepared in our bush kitchen, served alongside the meandering Bitou River. If sleeping to the sound of a gently flowing river and waking to the cry of Fish Eagles is for you – then look no further.
The woody vegetation on the banks of the river surrounding the camp provides a unique habitat for birdlife that includes Fish Eagles, Kingfishers, Blue Cranes, Greater and Lesser Flamingoes, Plovers, Herons and marine birds to mention a few. This is a place were paddling in the river is for everyone, not just the ducks, and our guided bird excursions on foot and in our canoes are an unforgettable experience.
Included in the cost:
- Tented accommodation with all your bedding
- Breakfast and dinner in camp every day of the trail
- Picnic lunches
- Professional guides
- All internal transfers
- Park fees
- All listed adventure activities
- Collections and returns to and from the Plett airport (if relevant)
Not included
- Optional activities
- Laundry
- Alcoholic beverages BUT we do offer an honesty bar
- Collections from George airport R250pp one way.
LODGE ACCOMMODATION
FROM: R11 750.00pp sharing - 4 night / 5 day adventure
ACCOMMODATION: Bitou River Lodge
Bitou River Lodge is a farmhouse style guest lodge on the banks of the Bitou River. All rooms lead into the garden and down to the river, with its water lilies and great birdlife. Each spacious, tranquil bedroom has its own private entrance and its own patio for enjoying sunsets. The rooms are all en suite, with a bath and a shower.
The guest lounge, adjacent to the breakfast room, has comfy sofas and lots of books and magazines, as well as chess and solitaire, while the breakfast room is perfectly appointed opening out onto the garden and river. During summer the scent of honeysuckle drifts in to mingle with the smell of fresh coffee, while in winter the underfloor heating and log fire, keep guests warm and cosy.
Included in the cost:
- Lodge Accommodation at Bitou River Lodge
- Breakfast and dinner at the Lodge every day of the trail
- Picnic lunches
- Professional guides
- All internal transfers
- Park fees
- All listed adventure activities
- Collections and returns to and from the Plett airport (if relevant)
Not included:
- Optional activities
- Laundry
- Alcoholic beverages BUT we do offer an honesty bar
- Collections from George airport R250pp one way.
The Adventure
Day 1: Biomimicry Camp
Check in at the camp is from 14h00 - so soon after arrival and introductions, your guide will take you through the plan for the next four days and introduce you to the camp and the activities which are available for unlimited use throughout your stay. These include;
Camp activities;
- Mountain Biking: The camp comes equipped with a variety of Fat Bikes in different sizes if MTB is for you – to use as often as you like
- Bird Watching & Photography: There is a bird hide at Bitou Valley Bush Camp, great for sundowners and photography enthusiasts
- The camp has it’s own kayaks for use as often as you like!
Before sitting down to one of our legendary dinners around the campfire, everyone is free to explore the surroundings and to make use of the available options the camp offers.
Day 2: Bitou River Meander
After a hearty breakfast next to the Bitou River, our guide takes us down the Bitou River sharing his knowledge about the local vegetation and the abundant birdlife. We kayak from our camp towards to sea – a journey that takes between two and five hours depending on fitness levels and which way the tide is going.
We enjoy a packed picnic lunch beside the river and upon arrival at the bridge, our transfer collects us and takes us back to camp where we are able to spend the afternoon at leisure exploring the site, for those more adventurous souls - a MTB ride, a swim in the river or a snooze under the Milkwood trees.
Sundowners at the Bird Hide is followed by dinner around the campfire while your guide shares his knowledge of the area and the night skies to the sound of frogs croaking and bushbuck snuffling nearby
Day 3: Keurbooms River Kayak
Our mobile bush kitchen produces another of their delicious breakfasts which provide us with the necessary fuel to take us exploring on the Keurbooms river.
Today we have the option of kayaking down the Keurbooms river to the mouth of the estuary – without doubt one of the most beautiful estuaries in South Africa - where the gorge flattens out into large expansive beaches and the sea.
Lunch is a packed picnic lunch and is enjoyed al fresco en route or on one of the sandy beaches.
Or we could kayak in the opposite direction towards the river’s source through an awe inspiring river gorge enfolded in dense Afromontane forests and home to a wonderful display of birds and small fauna - wild pigs, monkey, blue duiker, mongoose, the Cape clawless otter and antelope - this kayaking experience offers the opportunity of a quiet and soulful commune with nature providing calm, quiet waters marred only by the call of birds and the subtle voice of the forest.
Lunch is a packed picnic lunch and is enjoyed along the way on one of the small secluded beaches
After returning to camp we have the option of unwinding with a good book, exploring the wetland, a MTB ride or even a trip to the beach - before an evening sundowner cruiser on the Keurbooms river while Dinner is served around the campfire
In the event of unfavourable weather conditions and/or depending on your own kayaking preferences we offer TWO OPTIONS for Day 4;
OPTION 1: Sea Kayaking Experience
After breakfast, we head for the Keurbooms river and our kayaks on the other side of the bridge. We make our way down the river, through the estuary and out to sea for an exhilarating sea kayak experience that often takes you in amongst dolphins and always around the prolific pelagic birdlife this coastline offers.
Our route back takes us via Anath Peninsula where we stop and enjoy our picnic lunch before returning to camp. The afternoon is spent relaxing on the beach or at camp enjoying busy one of our many offered activities and Dinner is enjoyed later in the evening around the Campfire
or
OPTION 2: Tsitsikamma National Park
The alternative to a sea kayaking adventure is Black Water Tubing at Storms River, in the Tsitsikamma National Park.
After another deliciously good breakfast we depart Bitou and travel to Storms River, a 45-minute drive from our camp site. The 3hr Blackwater Tubing adventure on the Storms River is a fun easy and safe adventure activity that allows exploration of the more remote areas of the Tsitsikamma Goesa & Plaatbos Nature Reserves.
After our picnic lunch at Storms River (Sit down lunch at Storms River optional), we enjoy the transfer back to Camp and spend the afternoon at our leisure or doing one of the camp activities – MTB or Beach
Dinner is around the Campfire
Day 5: Sunrise Stand up Paddle-boarding
This morning we rise early to enjoy our last activity as the sun rises – SUPPíng or Stand Up Paddle-boarding along the Bitou River which affords us a unique perspective to the last of our water based experiences, and after a leisurely breakfast, we pack up and head home.
The majestic Garden Route it is truly natures garden and gets it name from the thousands of years old indigenous Knysna Forest in the area. Not only do this garden give us these Forests but flowing out of them is some of the cleaniest water in the world.
Join us for day trips and / or a tour kayaking and stand up paddle boarding these majestic Garden Route Waterways
