Stormsrivier combines hiking trails with clear distance information and tours that offer different ways to explore the forest. The Plaatbos Nature Walks are distinguished primarily by their trail lengths; the Goesa Nature Walk leads through indigenous forest. On the Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour, participants travel between tree platforms, while the Woodcutters Journey takes them over the old pass in a specially designed vehicle. A single, named tree is a special destination along the way. These different formats give you concrete ways to choose nature activities by distance or type of activity.
Forest trails and distances
The Plaatbos Nature Walks comprise three routes: the yellow route is 8.09 km long, the red 7.78 km and the green 5.09 km. The green route is 3 km shorter than the yellow one; the red is 0.31 km shorter than the yellow one.
The Goesa Nature Walk is a 2 km trail through indigenous forest, making it shorter than any of the Plaatbos routes.
Starting points and entry requirements
The Plaatbos routes start at the Forestry Office in the village of Storms River; the Goesa Nature Walk starts and ends at the Storms River Forestry Office in Stormsrivier. The Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour and the Woodcutters Journey start at the adventure centre in Stormsrivier Village. Before your visit, check with SANParks for the current entry requirements for the Plaatbos Nature Walks and the Goesa Nature Walk.
Forest tours in different formats
On the Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour, participants glide along steel cables between ten tree platforms through indigenous forest, up to 30 metres above the forest floor. The height and movement between platforms define the tour format and set it apart from the hiking trails.
The Tsitsikamma Woodcutters Journey travels through the Tsitsikamma forest along the old Stormsriver Pass in a specially designed vehicle. The drive leads to a tree estimated to be 450–500 years old, called the “Human-like Tree” and “Forest Guard.” Compared with the Canopy Tour, this experience combines a drive over the pass with a named tree as its destination; steel cables and platforms define the Canopy Tour format.
A cultural heritage connection nearby
In the vicinity of Stormsrivier, the Stormsriver Mouth Cave is located along the Mouth Trail. It is described as a Khoisan Heritage Site. Trail conditions may vary; check them before your visit. The cave adds a cultural heritage connection to the natural attractions in the area.
Compare the activities
To choose, you can consider two questions separately: Which stated trail length suits your plans, and which way of experiencing the forest interests you more? Plaatbos and Goesa can be compared by kilometres; for the tours, the movement between platforms and the drive over the pass in a vehicle are the contrasting options. This lets you compare hiking trails by distance and tours by their respective formats.
Discover more destinations: Somerset East, Adendorp, Sidbury, Grahamstown, Addo, Weston, Willowmore, Cambria
For the broader travel overview: Western District.
