Hiking the south coast of Africa - Nature's Valley to Salt River

Hey there intrepid travelers and adventurers, today I want to share with you some photos of my recent hike which I'm sure you'll love. Here on the South coast of Africa there is plenty of wide item space to explore.

One of the most awesome regions is called the Garden Route, and just a few kilometers east of the town called Plettenberg Bay, is a little seaside village called Nature's Valley. You travel down a steep, winding valley road from the main N2 coastal highway until you arrive at the village of a few houses nestled beside a fine lagoon at the beach.

Park at the one main shop and restaurant and from there you can walk into the beach and to the west. By hugging the coastline, it's possible to make your way to the Salt River mouth just a short hike away.

By hugging the shore, you will need to clamber over some rocks and follow an easy trail that takes you to the Salt River mouth. It helps to hike in a group and the route is ready enough for kids to enjoy.

It only takes two hours roughly to reach the river, and on our hike we timed our walk to coincide with low tide. Thus the river was really shallow when we arrived because it's subject to tidal surge that affects it's levels.

The kids enjoyed swimming in the river and the adults had a relaxing picnic on the banks on arrival. You can wade across the river at low tide if you wish to hike further to the west along the shoreline.

We chose to rather circle back to the Nature's Valley car park this time, by hiking from the river up the hill through beautiful indigenous forest which provided shade for the hikers.

The view from up above the river valley is just spectacular. It's a small by steep hike up the hill slope and easy for most people to accomplish.

The trickier part is actually scrambling along the jagged rocky shoreline in places to initially reach the Salt River mouth. It's not dangerous, though you just need to watch your footing and not slip or get cut on the sharp rocks.

This is just my favorite pastime here on the southernmost shores of Africa. The coastline is very long and provides many places of raw, natural beauty to explore.

This was my first time to explore this particular stretch and one day I aim to hike the other half, across the Salt River and continuing west toward the next big beach, called Keurbooms. Or I'll start at Keurbooms and hike east to the Salt River, and back again. It's longer so needs more hours to complete.

Either way, you'll love this little hike, so be sure to add this region to your travel itinerary when you get to this part of the world. You won't be disappointed.

Written and published via my mobile device onto the Hive blockchain from the beach.

Photos my own