Canoeing the Wilderness Lake

Kayakers enjoying a beautiful morning on the Wilderness waterways.

There’s nothing quite so pleasant as a summer’s day spent drifting around in a canoe on one of the Garden Route lakes at Wilderness.

The sounds of trickling water, rippling fish and ribbiting frogs providing a restful background symphony and the steady, rewarding rhythm of paddling setting a workout tempo dictated only by the pulse of your own, balanced breathing.

I love the rhythmic sound of a paddle dipping into water the feel of cool droplets splashing onto your arms, and the beautiful tssssst of a chilled can of drink being opened at anticipated intervals. It’s a bit like exercise, but without the discomfort of sweat, pain, cramps and antisocial armpit odour.

Tssssst. Ah! Another cold drink. What more could one want?

The Garden Route Lake District is, of course, one of the most wonderful places in Africa for exploring in such a relaxing fashion. It has tidal lagoons, winding rivers and wide bodies of water all accessible, none raging, and all void of nasty things like crocodiles and hippos.

Eden Adventures, a Wilderness-based outdoor activity tour company, has long known about the natural treasures of this picturesque area and has successfully capitalised on these indigenous assets. They can arrange abseiling trips for you, forest hikes, kloofing adventures and off-road mountain bike tours, all within the area. But their mainstay is running canoe tours and renting out canoes with which you can explore the placid waters of Island Lake, Wilderness Lagoon and the stunningly scenic Touw River.

A boat launch jetty, and a party of canoeists racing up the Touw river.

Eden operates within the Wilderness National Park, situated between the bustling town of George and the quaint and quieter coastal town of Sedgefield. Five lakes of varying size, separated from the sea by a series of towering fynbos-covered dunes, run in a chain parallel to the park’s wild and rugged coastline.

From their northern shores, verdant forests rise up the sloping foothills of the great Outeniqua Mountains, offering home and shelter for a veritable menagerie of wildlife, including such treasures as KnysnaTuraco, Cape clawless otter caracal, bushbuck, and five species of beautiful kingfishers.

And if some of the locals are to be believed, the enchanting misty forests also host a flourishing (but elusive) population of fairies, elves, hobbits and other mythical beasts.

“OK, here’s your canoe. It seats two people and has a watertight space towards the rear for your cameras, spare clothing and binoculars,” announced Chris Leggatt, Eden Adventures founder and owner “They are easy to control and stable too. Just get in, paddle, and if you get into any trouble, call me over and I’ll be only too happy to help.”

With that our long sleek vessels were pushed into the water and off we went at a steady pace along the Touw River

Schlip-shlosh-schlip-sholsh …Tssssst gulp gulp!

“The whole Wilderness water system has been proclaimed a special Ramsar site,” said Chris as we paddled down a stunning emerald valley, sipping at our cold drinks. “These lakes are one of only two coastal systems in Southern Africa which empty into the ocean. As a result it’s a dynamic environment – very important to many species of waterbird.”

And indeed, there were many waterbirds present. I saw cormorants, herons, egrets and bitterns, all lined up among the towering waterside grasses, picking at frogs and stabbing at fish. Sapphire-coloured kingfishers flitted among the branches, and it felt good to know that because the area is protected, it will all still be here for our grandchildren to see.

A hiker taking a break in the Touw river valley

“For me, this is one of the best areas in Africa to live, work and play,” said Chris. “I grew up in Cape Town but as a child I used to spend my holidays here at my grandparents’ house. Every day was an adventure and I got to know the rivers, lakes and mountains really well.

Later in life, when I was looking to open up a guiding business, it just seemed natural that I should move to Wilderness permanently. It was a good decision and now I couldn’t be happier”

Chris’s vision for a canoeing tour company within the Wilderness National Park came at a perfect time for the park’s administrators.

Back then, in 1996, SANParks were trying their best to raise funds through their own canoe tours and rentals. But their staff were mostly wildlife rangers or office people and not dedicated kayakers or canoeists.

As a result the business failed to make much money. So when Chris arrived with his proposal, they were happy to grant him the only concession permitted in the park. It’s a two-way partnership though. Although Eden have a monopoly on canoeing tours and rentals, they raise a great deal of much-needed capital for the national park service.

Chris feels proud that his company is helping to supply the country’s wildlife guardians with money that will be spent on equipment, salaries, vehicles, comfortable office chairs and coffee supplies.

Despite the growing popularity of Eden Adventures canoe tours, Chris has decided to put a cap on how many boats he’ll allow on the water at any given time.

The serene scenery of the Touw River

“You see what’s around you?” he asked us rhetorically. “It’s beautiful, right?The last thing you would want is for this experience to be marred by canoe gridlock.”

A sensible, far-thinking philosophy if ever there was one.

“Not everyone will get a canoe in summer unless they book in advance,” he continued.

“But during winter we are usually quieter – and believe me, this place looks stunning in winter The water is even calmer and becomes a perfect mirror.”

An hour or so up the river, we hauled our canoes ashore and journeyed on foot along a charming forest trail to a beautiful waterfall. Here we ate sandwiches and drank on coffee from a flask while the water thundered and churned by like a giant, angry lion.

If only I had brought a bottle of chilled champers with me…

Three hours later and we were back at the SANParks Ebb and Flow campsite where sausages sizzled in readiness for a meeting with our molars. And although we didn’t spot the elusive local leopard or the prancing fairies which are reputed to hang out along the Touw, we did have a magically mellow day.

Wilderness is a special place indeed (that’s why I live there) and one of the nicest things you can do when visiting it is to explore the lakes. And there’s no better way to do that than in a kayak.

Text and photos by Dale Morris. Article taken from the November ’09 edition of Country Life magazine.