Otter Trail

Otter Trail
View from Skilderkrans across Bloubaai-Wes
Length	41 km (25 mi)
Location	Garden Route, South Africa
Trailheads	Storms River Mouth Nature's Valley
Use	Hiking
Trail map

v t e Otter Trail
Kilometres End 6.8 De Vasselot Campsite Grootrivier Mouth (Nature's Valley) Klip River Mouth 13.8 Andre Huts Bloukrans River Mouth Escape Route 6 7.7 Oakhurst Huts Lottering River Mouth Escape Route 5 Elandsbos River Mouth Escape Route 4 7.9 Scott Huts Escape Route 3 Kleinbos River Mouth Escape Route 2 Escape Route 1 4.8 Ngubu Huts Blue Duiker Waterfall Trail Storms River Camp Start Storms River Mouth

The Otter Trail is a hiking trail along the Garden Route coast of South Africa and is named for the Cape clawless otter ^[1] which occurs in this region. This trail is widely regarded as one of the finest in the world and stretches from Storms River Mouth in the east to Nature's Valley in the west, is 26 km long as the crow flies and 44 km as the hiker walks. Walking the trail takes 5 days, and the 4 nights are spent in comfortable huts with superb views. The route is located entirely within the Tsitsikamma National Park, which protects an 80 km long strip of coastal mountains, forest and beaches.

The trail traverses a very scenic landscape, never straying far from the shoreline, but often climbing steeply and then descending to the beach or a river crossing. Vegetation along the way is either fynbos, dense gallery forest or open, rocky sections near the sea with an abundance of wildflowers.

Trail landmarks

• Storms River Mouth 34°01′15.6″S23°52′48″E / 34.021000°S 23.88000°E / -34.021000; 23.88000 (Storms River Mouth)
• Ngubu huts 34°01′2.9″S23°50′31.2″E / 34.017472°S 23.842000°E / -34.017472; 23.842000 (Ngubu huts)
• Oakhurst huts 33°59′42.7″S23°44′2.5″E / 33.995194°S 23.734028°E / -33.995194; 23.734028 (Oakhurst huts)
• Scott hut 34°00′22.4″S23°47′10.1″E / 34.006222°S 23.786139°E / -34.006222; 23.786139 (Scott hut)
• André huts 33°58′45″S23°37′5.3″E / 33.97917°S 23.618139°E / -33.97917; 23.618139 (André Huts)
• Grootrivier, Nature's Valley 33°58′56″S23°34′36″E / 33.98222°S 23.57667°E / -33.98222; 23.57667 (Grootrivier)

Trail stages

• Day 1 - 4.8 km (± 2 hours) Storms River Mouth - Ngubu
• Day 2 - 7.9 km (± 4 hours) Ngubu - Scott
• Day 3 - 7.7 km (± 4 hours) Scott - Oakhurst
• Day 4 - 13.8 km (± 6 hours) Oakhurst - André
• Day 5 - 9.8 km (previously 6.8 km) (± 3 hours) Vasselot - Nature's Valley
• Total distance 44 km

Elevation distances - vertical climb and descent

• Day 1 - 561 m total vertical - Climb 188 m - Descent -373 m
• Day 2 - 1480 m total vertical - Climb 746 m - Descent -734 m
• Day 3 - 1257 m total vertical - Climb 623 m - Descent -634 m
• Day 4 - 1905 m total vertical - Climb 945 m - Descent -960 m
• Day 5 - 926 m total vertical - Climb 466 m - Descent -460 m
• Total elevation gain: 2 968m

Gallery

• 
  Tidal pools at Ngubu huts
• 
  Oakhurst huts at Lottering estuary
• 
  Sunset at André huts, Kliprivier
• 
  Bloukrans river mouth

See also

• South African National Parks

References

1. Delien Burger (ed.). "20. Tourism". South Africa Yearbook 2007/08 (15 ed.). South African Government Communication and Information System. p. 548. ISBN   978-0-621-37568-8. Archived from the original on 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2009-02-02.

• Official site at South African National Parks
• General Information on the Otter Trail

External links

• Download - Google Earth trail route KMZ file
• SANPARKS - Otter trail page
• - The Otter Trail Guide
• - The Otter Trail Run page
• - Otter Hiking Trail