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THE OTTER TRAIL - SUMMARY NOTES BY JKA |
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hikes including times for breaks. There is
no |
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need to rush. |
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Undoubtedly the best known and most
popular hiking trail in South Africa, the Otter Trail must rank |
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alongside the best trails in the world.
The 5-day trail is 41km long and follows the spectacular |
Tide Details |
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coast line from Storms River to Natures
Valley. |
Time |
Height |
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Day 1 |
STORMS RIVER MOUTH TO NGUBU HUTS |
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Friday |
The trail starts from the S.A. National
Park's Storms River rest camp. The first part |
4.8 |
3 |
(H) 02H22 |
1.64 |
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20-Apr-01 |
of the trail to Ngubu hut involves quite a
lot of boulder hopping & with full packs, care |
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(L) 08H21 |
0.44 |
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must be taken to prevent injury. After a
while the hiker reaches a large cave & it is |
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(H) 14H37 |
1.60 |
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worth taking a break here to explore this
natural feature. Beyond the cave the trail |
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(L) 20H36 |
0.4 |
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continues to the base of a majestic
waterfall. After heavy rains, the crossing at the |
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bottom of the waterfall is the first real
obstacle on the trail. At the waterfall the Otter |
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hikers leave behind any day hikers that
have ventured from the rest camp & continue |
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the short remaining walk to Ngubu
overnight huts. |
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Day 2 |
NGUBU HUTS TO SCOTT HUTS |
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Saturday |
The second day is probably the most varied
& beautiful walk of the trail. It starts with |
7.9 |
6 |
(H) 02H51 |
1.76 |
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21-Apr-01 |
a steep climb away from Ngubu & then
follows a walk through a beautiful area of virgin |
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(L) 08H50 |
0.34 |
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forest. Eventually the hiker reaches the
solid quartz outcrop of Skilderkrans. Here it is |
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(H) 15H07 |
1.70 |
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time to take a break & have a look if
one can see the dolphins or whales from this |
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(L)21H02 |
0.32 |
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incredible vantage point. The trail then
descends to cross the beautiful Kleinbos river |
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before reaching the sandy shores of Blue
Bay (an ideal spot for lunch). From Blue Bay |
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a steep climb awaits, but it is not long
before Scott Hut comes into view & the end of |
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the second day's walk is accomplished. |
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Day 3 |
SCOTT HUTS TO OAKHURST HUTS |
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Sunday |
The third day starts with the crossing of
the Geelhoutbos river which flows next to the |
7.7 |
5 |
(H) 03H21 |
1.85 |
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22-Apr-01 |
huts. The trail follows the rocky
coastline until the Elandsbos river is reached at about |
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(L) 09H20 |
0.26 |
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morning tea time. This is a good place for
a swim, either in the river or the sea. The |
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(H)15H37 |
1.78 |
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trail continues along the shore, passing
through fynbos until the Lottering river comes |
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(L) 21H29 |
0.26 |
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into view with the Oakhurst huts situated
on the far bank. |
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Day 4 |
OAKHURST HUTS TO ANDRE HUTS |
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Monday |
This is the longest section & the need
to reach the Bloukrans river at low tide makes |
13.8 |
8 |
(H) 03H51 |
1.92 |
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23-Apr-01 |
this day the most difficult, depending on
the time of low tide. The distance to the river |
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(L) 09H49 |
0.20 |
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from Oakhurst is about 10km. This section
is particularly well marked to help hikers |
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(H) 16H07 |
1.83 |
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who have to set off before dawn. The
estuary at Bloukrans is deceptive when first seen |
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(L) 21H57 |
0.22 |
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from the cliff top. The estuary is wide
with the dark hint of the river on the far side. It is |
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important to cross the river within half
an hour of low tide unless one wants a difficult |
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Set off by |
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swim followed by a dangerous rock
scramble. Once across the river, the hikers can take |
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05H00 to reach |
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a well earned rest in the pebble cove
adjacent to the Bloukrans estuary before |
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Bloukrans river |
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completing the last stretch to Andre. |
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by low tide |
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Day 5 |
ANDRE HUTS TO NATURE'S VALLEY |
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Tuesday |
The final leg of the trail is a relatively
easy walk to Nature's Valley. It starts off with a |
6.8 |
3 |
(H) 04H22 |
1.96 |
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24-Apr-01 |
boulder hop across the Klip river before a
steep climb up to the top of the cliff. From here |
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(L) 10H20 |
0.18 |
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the trail continues along the edge of the
cliffs through fynebos before dipping briefly to |
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(H) 16H38 |
1.85 |
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cross Helpmekaar river. Eventually
Nature's Valley comes into view and all that’s left of |
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(L) 22H26 |
0.22 |
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this incredible trail is a steep descent
followed by a walk across a sandy beach to the |
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trails end. |
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The trail participants were Keith (leader)
and Margaret, Coenraad and Vicky, Graham and Grethe, Danny, Rod, Merle,
Carolee, Peter and Helen. |
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For a more detailed write-up of the trail
by Peter & photographs by Rod visit our website or contact me for a
hardcopy - Keith. |
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