Slackpacking in Mossel Bay (Mosselbaai).
Step into nature, walk through history, and sleep in comfort. This is the joy of slackpacking. Mossel Bay, the official start to the Garden Route, has a beautiful rugged coastline where slackpacking, a soft version of multi-day hiking, is offered. On a slackpacking trip, you will be accompanied by a guide who has intimate knowledge of this coastal environment from its tides and weather systems to its ancient history and important archaeological sites.
Your attention will be drawn to things you would definitely miss if you were on your own- a pile of old empty shells is actually a late stone age forager’s midden, an indentation in the ground scattered with a few bits and pieces from the beach is an Oystercatcher’s nest. Precious flora and impressive fauna like southern right whales are pointed out. The pristine, impossibly long and beautiful beach is suddenly fully alive with things you did not see before.
The fact that all you have to carry is a couple of personal items in a small day pack makes this a winning activity. Of course, the best thing about slackpacking is the luxurious accommodation at the end of a good day's walking- balm for a tired body.