Visiting the Tsitsikamma Big Tree

The Tsitsikamma area in the Eastern Cape holds a bitter sweet place in my heart. It’s the site of the Otter Trail, which was a hard hike for me in many ways, but’s it is just so incredibly gorgeous that I can’t outright hate it for it’s evil cliff trails.

On my recent visit, I did quite a few things that I’ve never experienced before and also saw some incredible sites that I just had never had a chance to get to. One of these was the Tsitsikamma Big Tree.

When I asked about the Tsitsikamma Big Tree, the response was simple: “It’s a REALLY big tree, basically.” And having seen it, I can confirm that is rather massive and probably deserves a slightly more majestic title. In any case, the tree is a pretty awesome site to visit, and for the pitance SANParks charge for entry (R12 for adults), there is no excuse not to stop by and take 20-30 minutes to see this natural wonder.

The tree is only 500m from it’s entrance off the N2 and it’s popularity with tourists is no secret. This ancient yellowwood tree is estimated at over 1 000 years old and is an incredible specimen of South Africa’s national tree. There are busses of people stopping by to see it, but if you visit in the late afternoon like we did, you’ll like miss them and get to spend some time under the tree’s outstretched branches in the quiet.

There are other hiking trails in the park to visit some other trees, also marked out by winding wooden walkways, we just ran out of time, but I would imagine these are worthwhile checking out if you enjoy the outdoors. Pack a jacket though, this is a rainforest after all!

My visit to Tsitsikamma forms part of Travel Cacadu’s Seven Wonders Campaign. As with all my posts, I retain full editorial control.

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Kate Els