WILDERNESS
The name alone sounds promising and so my expectations were really high when we were driving there. It was a super long drive there, so just to warn you; if you plan on driving directly from Gaansbai to Wilderness, be sure to have a lot of fun music with you and/or a person you love talking to.
Fist of all i need to add the link to the cabin we booked. Like i said, i get nothing from it, it is just that you really shouldn’t miss this place. Just trust me on this and if you are planning a trip to Wilderness. Stay HERE.
What we didn’t expect from Wilderness is that it was kind of a touristy place with lots of people and well, the over all energy from the place just wasn’t my vibe. So i was really happy that Fran’s place is a bit outside, not directly in Wilderness but in the true Wilderness. Fran is really wonderful but what is even more wonderful are all of her animals. She has a pig and a few dogs. I have never seen a dog that overweight in my entire life but they seemed happy (i mean with the heat and all, i bet they would be happier with less weight. but, well. Meet the dog that looks like a cube. And who will sure visit you whenever you are cooking)
You do live on the same property as Fran but the cabin is far enough away from her house that you really feel alone. And she gives you all the privacy you need. (which her dog doesn’t) . We saw a sea eagle and monkeys in the trees. Again, trust me, THIS IS PARADISE!
From the cabin we made a day trip back to Wilderness because i wanted to go hiking. I read about a path that goes along old train rails to a magical beach. And along the rails you will also find a cave which was a restaurant, but is not anymore, it is kind of a place for the homeless, but not for all, it is some sort of…. well, i don’t know. It’s hard to descibe the place, even after i saw it.
But let’s start with the beginning of the hike. It’s actually kind of scary in a way and the whole thing felt like out of a movie. I guess you have to go and explore this for yourself. There are warning signs, saying that it’s a high mugging area. There is an old train tunnel you will have to pass. And after that you will arrive at “the cave” and meet the people who live there. For a small donation they will guide you to the beach (the one i wanted to go to. Little did i know that i would have to cross an old and rusty bridge and well, way too high for my liking) So, being there is all about donations. The cave is a shelter for the homeless. They will be happy to show you the beach, the cave, the toilet. But you have to pay for it. Which is totally fair. Clifford is the owner of the cave. God led him to it about ten years ago and he turned it into a shelter with everything he found. Now it’s the strangest place i’ve ever seen. Clifford didn’t like me for some reason eventhough i heard that he is actually a talker and quite welcoming. Well, he wasn’t with us. But that was alright. I payed for my trip through the cave and went back to Wilderness where i burned my feet in the hottest sand i ever experienced. That was quite an adventure and i would highly recommend going there yourself. And let me know how Clifford was with you.
For the next day we planned a canoe trip. Along garden route there is the legendary Tsitsikamma National park and sure enough you have the chance for a canoe tripe there but, don’t do it! This place was really crowded with tourists. I mean, if it’s not high season, give it a try. But i would rather canoe in Wilderness. You can rent your canoe, bring your cold beer and canoe your way to a place where you can leave your boat and walk up to a waterfall where you can go for a swim. And it was AMAZING!! I’d say that you should go in the afternoon. Everyone wants to go early in the morning but going in the afternoon we only saw a few people and it was, well, AMAZING!!! The place is THIS ONE. They will provide you with a map, so you can find the waterfall. But believe me, it’s easy and a hell lot of fun.
The rest of the time we tried to spend as much time in our little paradise as possible. We went jogging there with one of the neighbour’s dog and we had daily barbeques (with the square dog of course who wasn’t happy with us having vegetables only). Being there at night is the best sound backdrop you could possibly imagine. I could go on and on forever on how beautiful this place was and how much i fell in love with Wilderness.
