Blackwater Tubing in Tsitsikamma National Park, Storms River

The Storms River gorge

The Storms River rises in the Tsitsikamma mountains and cuts a deep, narrow gorge through ancient sandstone on its way to the Indian Ocean. Its water is stained the colour of strong tea by tannins washed out of the fynbos and forest upstream, which is where the name blackwater tubing comes from. The water is clean, just naturally dark, and it makes the reflections of the cliffs look almost like a mirror.

On the tube you lie back and paddle with your hands through long, quiet pools, then bump gently down small rapids and swirl through narrow channels between the rocks. Your guides read the river ahead, show you how to steer and choose the safest line. In places you may climb over boulders or swim a short stretch, and when the water is lower the trip includes a little more scrambling between pools.

Tsitsikamma, Garden Route National Park

Tsitsikamma was first protected as a national park in 1964 and is now part of the larger Garden Route National Park. It protects a strip of rugged coastline, deep river gorges and indigenous forest of giant yellowwood, stinkwood and milkwood trees, together with a pioneering marine protected area offshore. The name is often explained as a Khoekhoe word meaning 'place of much water', which fits this wet, green corner of the Cape.

Wildlife along the river is mostly small and shy: look for kingfishers, trumpeter hornbills in the trees, otters' tracks on the sandbanks and colourful forest butterflies. Sightings are never guaranteed, but the sense of being deep inside a wild gorge is the real highlight. Park fees are included in this tour, so you simply meet the guides and enjoy the river.

Storms River Village

The tour starts in Storms River Village, a small forest village just off the N2 highway, about an hour and a half's drive east of Knysna and under an hour from Plettenberg Bay. It is the main base for adventure activities in Tsitsikamma, with guesthouses, cafés and outfitters lined along quiet, tree-shaded streets.

If you are planning a Tsitsikamma day trip from Knysna, it is easy to combine the tubing with other sights nearby. The Big Tree, an ancient Outeniqua yellowwood a short drive from the village, is reached by a gentle boardwalk through the forest. The village is also close to the high road bridges that span the Storms River gorge, with viewpoints where you can look down on the river you have just floated.

Storms River Mouth and planning your day

Within the national park, a separate road leads down to the Storms River Mouth rest camp, where a suspension bridge swings over the river's estuary between dark cliffs and the ocean pounds the rocks below. It is worth a visit on your own after the tubing or on another day; park entry for that area is separate from this tour.

When is the best time to visit Tsitsikamma for river adventures? The warmer months from October to April are the most pleasant, as the water is still cool but the air is warm when you climb out. The river level changes after rain, so the guides may adjust the section or the start time, and trips can be postponed if heavy rain makes the river unsafe.