Canyoning Adventure in Plettenberg Bay

The Crags and the gorges behind Plettenberg Bay

The Crags is a rural area on the N2 about fifteen to twenty minutes east of Plettenberg Bay, where the farmland of the coastal plateau meets the forested foothills of the Tsitsikamma mountains. Rivers that rise in those mountains have carved narrow, shaded gorges on their way to the sea, and this is where the canyoning base is found. It is the same corner of the Garden Route that holds the animal sanctuaries, so many visitors combine the two in a single day.

How to get to the base is simple: follow the N2 east from Plettenberg Bay or west from Tsitsikamma and turn off at the signposted road at The Crags. From Knysna allow about fifty minutes. There is parking at the base, changing rooms for getting into the wetsuits and a short walk to the top of the gorge where the adventure begins.

The canyon: abseils, zipline and cliff jumps

The standard canyoning trip is built around a series of obstacles that the river has created over thousands of years. After the briefing and a practice abseil on a low wall, the guides rope you down a succession of rock faces and small waterfalls, each one a little higher than the last, with a guide at the top and another at the bottom. A zipline carries you across the gorge, and at several points you can choose to jump from a ledge into a deep, clear pool, or climb down instead if you prefer.

Nothing is compulsory except the abseils that are the only way down, and the guides judge each section with the group. The pace is unhurried: there is time to float on your back and look up at the forest canopy, to photograph the waterfalls and to catch your breath on the warm rocks before the next descent.

Rock pools, swims and the forest canopy

Between the vertical sections the river opens into pools of cold, tea-coloured water filtered through fynbos and forest, which is why wetsuits are provided even in summer. You swim, float and wade from one pool to the next, scramble over boulders and walk short stretches of riverbed under yellowwood and stinkwood trees, with Knysna turacos and other forest birds calling overhead. The light filtering through the canopy makes the gorge one of the most photogenic places near Plettenberg Bay.

Canyoning is a team activity: guides help every person over the tricky steps and the group waits together at each obstacle. Confident swimming is essential because some pools are deep and cannot be walked around, but no climbing or rope experience is needed. Many first-timers describe it as the highlight of their Garden Route stay.

Standard trip or short trip: which to choose

The standard trip, which is the default option on this page, spends about two and a half hours in the canyon and includes all the abseils, the zipline, the optional jumps and the longer swims. The short trip lasts about two hours with a single guided abseil, optional jumps, swims through the rock pools and the hike down the gorge; it is a good introduction if you are short on time or travelling with younger children. Both include the full gear and the same qualified guides.

Whichever you choose, arrive about one hour before your start time. That hour is used for signing in, fitting wetsuits, harnesses and helmets, and the safety briefing. Morning starts are cooler and leave the afternoon free for the sanctuaries next door or a swim at one of the beaches of Plettenberg Bay.

Best time of year for canyoning on the Garden Route

Canyoning runs year-round, but the experience changes with the seasons. Summer, from November to March, brings warm air that makes the cold pools refreshing and long days that allow afternoon starts. Winter is cooler but the Garden Route is mild, the wetsuit keeps you warm, and the gorge can be greener and the waterfalls fuller after rain. Heavy rain can raise the river and force a postponement; the guides decide on the day and we rebook you where possible.

Among the things to do in Plettenberg Bay with teenagers and active adults, canyoning is one of the few that combines forest, water and heights in a single morning. Pair it with the Monkeyland, Birds of Eden and Jukani sanctuaries a few minutes away, or with a whale watching cruise from Central Beach in season.