Wilderness - garden route

Attractions

Wilderness offers beaches, rivers, lakes and estuaries, hiking trails, boat trips, canoeing, mountain bike trails, bird watching, giant trees and a farmers market, world class restaurants and much much more. This is really is a hidden paradise in a sub tropical climate. Wilderness its the place to be.

Extreme

Paragliding Map of Africa is a mellow site with a fantastic view, overlooking the tranquil Indian Ocean and the holiday town of Wilderness. A favourite for flying schools. This is the premier paragliding site in the Garden Route.
WildX Adventures Wilderness offers Quad biking trails in the heart of the garden route. fun forest and bush quad biking trails twisting through trees and around bends. All rides are guided, quad bikes are automatic which makes this suitable for first time riders.

Family

Adventure Land is a watery wonderland guaranteed to excite the whole family. One entry fee gives you all the fun on all the rides all day. Enjoy the super tubes, the kamikaze slide, the 12m high free fall slide, the 2 lane racer and the raging rapid tube ride. For toddlers there is a mini version of the kamikaze and free fall slide and plunges into a kiddies pool. Little ones can also keep busy in the playground. There are braai areas and a take-away kiosk. An ideal venue for family entertainment
Wilderness River Safaris Enjoy the natural beauty of Wilderness by cruising on the Touw River or Island lake in a safaris style aluminium boat. Encounter magnificent bird life and breath-taking scenery. A leisurely and magical experience for people of all ages. A great way to experience and explore the Wilderness Section of Garden Route National Park. Cruises daily every 1.5 hours

Markets

Timberlake Village is a well known eating, shopping and activity destination on the Garden Route. Featuring an exciting mix of local shops, studios, and artists, with eating venues such as an oyster bar and Pause Coffee Roastery, as well as Acrobranch’s tree top adventures and zipline over the village. Trading since 2007 Timberlake is a safe outdoor venue with a relaxed feel set among beautiful indigenous trees. The perfect stop when visiting the Garden Route
WILD OATS COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKET: Award-winning Garden Route farmers & food producers market open every Saturday morning till 12 noon, come rain or shine!

Nature

The Half Collared Kingfisher hiking trail is located in the beautiful Wilderness. This is the most populart outdoor hiking trail in Wilderness and leads to the beautiful Touw river waterfall where you can take a dip before heading back. You can either canoe halfway and then continue with the trail or do the trail from the starting point. It is all up to you
We quite enjoy visiting the Malachite Bird Hide at Langvlei to watch the local birds going about their daily routines. Birds perch quite close to the hide giving you a great opportunity to observe and photograph them. A small bird hide on the Bo Langvlei with a good view of the lake at the end of a boardwalk through the dense riparian Vegetation. Fabulous bird hide. Short, safe walk on the wooden walkway out to the hide. Peaceful .
Woodville Forest Walk is a circular route that takes about 1.5 hours to complete. It is an easy walk and suitable for the whole family. The main attraction along this beautiful route is the ‘Big Tree’. This fossil is a Outeniqua Yellowwood tree that is roughly 850 years old and is a must see. Hikers follow a pathway through the forest, the trees are labeled along the way so that you know what is what. When you cross the lovely stream, you will find a fantastic picnic spot where you can relax and take in the beauty while the kids play. There are wheelchair friendly walkways in the forest and ablution facilities.
The Brown Hooded Kingfisher Trail is another favourite in Wilderness, and you can expect the terrain to be slightly more rough underfoot, but you wont need more than a pair of regular hiking shoes. There are a few river crossings which range from a bridge/stepping-stone crossing, to large boulders that you need to climb across. It is not very long, just under 5km in total and will take you between 2-3 hours to complete the out-and-back route.The reward at the midway, turn-around point is a beautiful, deep rock pool that you can swim in. Depending on the time of year you do this trail, there is also a large waterfall flowing into the rockpool.

Outings

Gericke’s Point is a stunning place you can walk to in the Garden Route, with sparkling rock pools and breathtaking rock formations. It is a short walk from the parking lot near the Sedgefield caravan park (about 45-minutes). On the you can spot sea stars, sea urchins and the occasional octopus.
The Kaaimans River beach is a tranquil hidden gem, requiring a leisurely stroll from the nearest parking spot to reach. However, the effort is well worth it, as this idyllic spot is perfect for spending countless hours basking in the sun and enjoying the serenity of the waves. To add to the adventure, we opted to rent kayaks and paddled to the beach from the old bridge, which made for an adventure.

Beaches and Lakes

Wilderness has sandy beaches stretching as far as the eye can see and the backdrop of the bush and surrounds. We have taken many early morning walks, absolutely stunning to see the early morning sun on the ocean.
Island Lake is the perfect place for an outing with the family for there is lots to do! There is a large grass field with braai facilities to camp out for the day and is a lovely picnic spot. There are also very tidy bathroom facilities available. And not just can you enjoy all the water activities like swimming, rowing, fishing and boat skiing. There are playgrounds for the kids too

Restaurants

At Salinas Beach Restaurant, we do good, fresh food… beautifully. In undoubtedly one of the most breathtaking settings on the coast of southern Africa. You’ll find us just off Wilderness Beach – in the heart of the Garden Route
From The Girls on the Square "Located in the heart of the Wilderness village, we are a multi award winning, Top 10 Restaurant on the Garden Route. Come and relax in a cosy, African inspired atmosphere highlighted by stunning artwork by local artist, Peter Pharoah. Our beautiful garden setting is ideal for enjoying the warm African weather! We have an imaginative menu and popular menu items include fresh linefish, succulent prawns, tender steaks and flavoursome curries all cooked to perfection in our open kitchen where you can see the chefs at work! Our award winning wine list has been carefully chosen to offer a wide selection of local South African wines to enhance your dining experience - not to mention our ever popular gin tasting platters!!
The Green Shed Coffee Roastery has an old-style feeling and reasonable prices. They sell many local-home-made food products. Very good place to sit, eat, relax, and enjoy the place in the center of Wilderness town. The owner lady is very energetic, welcome customers, and does most of the work. Staff are very friendly. It has sitting tables indoor and outdoor. Visiting this place if you are in visiting Wilderness/Sadgefield/Knysna area is highly recommended
Pomodoro's pizzas are possibly the best on the Garden Route and the beautiful salads, antipasto, pastas, grills and seafood never fail to satisfy. All dishes are based on traditional recipes that Werner sourced while travelling through Italy and working on private yachts on the Mediterranean for many years. A relaxed, warm atmosphere, seriously good Italian food, great wines and friendly service make this one of the best food stops on the Garden Route.

and much much more ........