If a location was specifically designed for slackpacking it would look like the Garden Route after construction. Idyllic landscapes, softly beautiful; forests, beaches, lagoons and mountains all seemingly gathered in one locale and hand in hand with a range of guest houses and hotels to suit every budget.
For hikers, that means options. Lots of them. You can combine some of the best trails in South Africa with comfortable places to stay; move through an indigenous forest, emerge onto a beach, cross a river and suddenly you’re at a place with linen sheets and a hot shower and a meal somebody else cooked. The scenery changes constantly. One minute you are under a canopy of trees seeing the flash of a Knysna Lourie; the next you are in the bright light of a white beach staring at the sparkling ocean.
The Otter Trail is famous, of course, now doable as a slackpacking option. But there are many other multi-day walking options around areas such as Wilderness, Knysna, Tsitsikamma and the broader Garden Route. Special interest hikes also feature, where you follow the routes of hunter-gatherers examining ancient shell middens and caves.
Though the Garden Route has an overall feeling of gentle foresty fuzziness, the ocean can be wild and rain lashed mountains can send unexpected torrents down streams. A well planned trip with a support team who know the area and its quirks will definitely ensure the best slackpacking experience.
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