Tsitsikamma Forest Zipline Canopy Tour, Storms River

Storms River village, gateway to the Tsitsikamma

Storms River is a small, leafy village just off the N2 highway at the eastern end of the Garden Route, surrounded by forest and only a few minutes from the Tsitsikamma coast. It grew up around the old forestry and road-building history of the area and today lives from nature and adventure: the canopy tour, forest trails, river activities and the national park on the coast all start within a short distance of the village.

The canopy tour begins in the village itself, where you check in, sign the safety form and are fitted with your equipment before a short transfer into the forest. Storms River works as an easy Tsitsikamma day trip from Knysna or Plettenberg Bay, and it is also a natural stop on the drive between the Garden Route and Gqeberha. If you are not driving yourself, we can arrange a private transfer to the start.

The Tsitsikamma indigenous forest

The Tsitsikamma forest is part of the largest stretch of indigenous forest in South Africa, a cool, evergreen afromontane woodland that grows between the mountains and the sea. Its giants are the Outeniqua and real yellowwoods, which can live for centuries, alongside stinkwood, ironwood, Cape beech and tree ferns, with mosses and lichens hanging from the branches. Much of this forest was felled for timber in the past, and the trees you glide between today are protected.

From the platforms you see the forest as birds see it, at the level where the crowns meet. Listen for the call of the Knysna turaco, a green forest bird that flashes bright crimson wings when it flies, and watch for sunbirds, robin-chats and the occasional samango monkey. The guides share how the forest regenerates and why it matters, so the activity is as much about nature as it is about adrenaline.

The zipline canopy tour: how it works

The Tsitsikamma canopy tour was the first adventure of its kind in Africa and still feels special. A series of wooden platforms is built around the trunks of tall trees, joined by steel cables of different lengths. You wear a full-body harness, helmet and gloves and stay clipped to a safety line throughout; one guide goes ahead to receive you and the other stays behind to send you off, so you are never alone on a platform.

The highest platforms stand up to about thirty metres above the forest floor, and the longer slides give a real sense of flying through the canopy, yet the speed stays gentle enough for first-timers. Braking is done with a gloved hand on the cable, which the guides teach you before the first slide. The whole experience, including the briefing and the transfer, takes about two and a half hours and ends with a certificate.

Tsitsikamma National Park and Storms River Mouth

Below the village, the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park protects a wild coastline of cliffs, forest and pounding surf, together with a marine reserve that stretches out to sea. The best-known sight is Storms River Mouth, where the river cuts through a narrow gorge into the ocean. A boardwalk trail through coastal forest leads to a suspension bridge that sways above the river mouth, with the Indian Ocean crashing on the rocks below.

Many visitors combine the canopy tour with a visit to Storms River Mouth on the same day, since the park is only a short drive from the village. Is Tsitsikamma National Park worth visiting? For dramatic coastal scenery on the Garden Route it is hard to beat, and the waterfall trail and the first stretch of the famous coastal hiking trail start from the same rest camp.

Planning your visit: getting there and the best time

How to get to Storms River: from Knysna the drive east along the N2 takes about an hour and a half, from Plettenberg Bay about fifty minutes and from Gqeberha about two hours. On the way you cross the Bloukrans River Bridge, one of the highest single-span arch bridges in the world, and you can stop at the Big Tree, a giant yellowwood estimated to be many centuries old, just outside the village.

The canopy tour runs all year with departures roughly every twenty to forty minutes from early morning to late afternoon. The best time to visit the Tsitsikamma is from October to April for warmer, longer days, while winter brings crisp, clear mornings and fewer people. Rain is part of life in a rain forest, so tours continue in light rain but may pause in storms or strong wind.