There is something truly special about being in a forest, surrounded by ancient giants and completely pure silence, broken only by the gurgling of streams and occasional bird calls. Where there are forests, there are hiking trails and Knysna’s 60,000 hectares of unspoilt indigenous woodlands provides oodles of opportunities to get out and explore nature at its very best.
From easiest to hardest, here are our favourite Knysna day hiking trails.
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The “Great Outdoors” has grown even greater in appeal thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic. Where many families used to opt for shopping malls on their days off, the combination of being locked for months together within four way-too-small walls combined with an apocalyptic fear of bringing Covid-19 into our homes has seen a tidal wave of people head into nature for relief.
And we are so very lucky that nature surrounds us in bucket-loads in Nelson Mandela Bay. Every way you turn there is a park or forest or beach to explore. But they’re not all open and they’re not all safe, so we have put together this list of our four favourite day-hiking destinations to inspire you to get out there with your families – to breathe in some fresh air, to get some healthy exercise and to fill your blood with happy endorphins to counterbalance the doom and gloom that surrounds all of us in these strange and uncertain times.
What makes a hike Covid-friendly?
- It’s open (Many local hikes still remain closed for public access)
- It’s free (Most of us are broke thanks to the virus AND no extra risk in exchanging money or standing in queues to pay)
- It has multiple routes (So we can enjoy visiting lots of times AND there is a route to suit every fitness level)
- It has loads of space (So we can safely social distance even when it’s busy)
Please remember – always hike in groups and if you are a small group, its best to visit when there are others around, like on weekends.
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Like the cavalry in historic battles, tourism was first in COVID-19’s economic line of fire. As the virus began its rampant spread across the world, in a mere matter of weeks usually vibrant establishments and crowded destinations now stand desolate and closed as nations across the globe find themselves under lock down.
In South Africa, our lock down has just begun, and I am sitting at home bursting with mixed feelings about where we find ourselves. Although we have been told that we are being brave and doing our bit for the world by staying in our property, I can’t help but feel rather useless as the world out there fights the onslaught head on.
But there is actually so much we can do from home, to support our communities and help each other through this terrifying crisis. We have been given the gift of time, and we can try and use our time wisely for many things – to connect with our families, learn new things, declutter our homes, work on our business strategies, the list goes on and on. But all those things are about helping ourselves and I think we all need to also donate some of our time to helping our communities survive this.
Here are three little (and enjoyable) things you can do during lockdown to help tourism businesses.
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We all have travel dreams – bucket lists that are brimming with places that we would love to see in our life. Right at the top of my very long list was the Victoria Falls – one of the seven natural wonders of the world. I didn’t know too much about the falls, except that they are magnificent and everyone who has been there raves about what a fabulous experience it is. And the thing I loved the sound of most was that there are rainbows suspended in the mist that sprays up from the falling water. Although our blog is about chasing a figurative rainbow – the ideal of contentment, peace and happiness – this was one literal rainbow that I was craving to see.
To my absolute delight, the opportunity to visit Victoria Falls recently presented itself and with great excitement and anticipation we headed to Zimbabwe to tick off our dream. When you have high hopes of something, it’s always a bit worrying that the actual experience could fall below your lofty expectations which would be a really sad disappointment. What I swiftly realised though, was that my expectations of Zimbabwe and Victoria Falls were in fact way too low and far too narrow.
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We South Africans live with an enormous amount of stress and anxiety, which seems to pile on heavier as time passes. Economic difficulty, drought, load shedding, crime and political uncertainty take their toll on our spirits and 2019 was positively brutal. That is why we love travelling – it gives us the chance to forget about our everyday worries, to open our hearts and minds and to rekindle the childlike spirit of adventure hiding beneath the weight of everyday responsibility within us.
A few years back we paid a brief visit to the Kologha State Forest in Stutterheim and were completely blown away by its enchanting beauty. We vowed at the time to return and explore it more thoroughly and decided that this mossy, lush paradise tucked away deep in the heart of the Eastern Cape was the perfect place for our family to start the new decade, to gain some perspective and realign our souls with the magic secreted in the untouched nooks of our beautiful country.
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