Otter Trail (Day 1)
[Stormsriver Mouth → Ngubu Hut] (4.8 km)
It is the big day, it is the day you have been planning and preparing for for maybe a year. I know you can’t hide your excitement that its finally here and that you’ll finally fulfill one of your bucket list dreams…so don’t! it is the first day of the Otter Trail & it deserves all the excitement you are feeling:)
The first day of this famed trail is a nice introduction to the trail as it is the easiest of the 5 days. The total distance that you’ll hike today is only 4.8 km from Stormsriver Mouth to Ngubu hut which roughly takes 4.5 hours to complete, yet it’ll be as rewarding as every coming day of this masterpiece of a trail. And being a short day is an advantage as it’ll allow you time for last minute shopping & packing before taking your transport to Stormsriver Mouth, but don’t start later than 2pm (in the summer) to allow yourself time to enjoy all the highlights of this day bearing in mind that if you are based in George, it’ll take you around 3 hours to reach Stormsriver.
When reaching Stormsriver Mouth entrance there will be a designated road for the start of the Otter Trail where, at its end, your transport will drop you at the registration office. Here you’ll sign-in for the entire trail, and do all the necessary paperwork; in addition, they will give you valuable information about the trail, timings of each day, location of emergency exits & numbers to call, the location of the drinking water sources, and above all, a very good map of the trail and the, all important, tide chart (click to request info). After finishing the registration process, there is a preparation room on the opposite side of the street where you can make final adjustments to your backpack, weigh it, and fill your water bottles; and next to this room is the start of your adventure!!
All excited and ready for 5 days of absolute nature beauty away from civilization, then take a picture of this milestone of a step and start:)
The first part of the trail is a downhill hike through the lush green forest. In this part, you’ll be very excited and hike quickly on the sounds of birds & squirrels, then you’ll start getting a glimpse of the magnificent ocean through the thick trees.
You’ll continue hiking downhill for almost an hour till you reach a rocky beach.
At this point, you’ll find a lot of day hikers coming from the direction of the beach aiming for the waterfall which is the furthest they are allowed to go. Right after the beach is the Guano Caves. Often overlooked by hikers who are excited to reach the waterfall, this cave is definitely worth exploring. Although it’s a bit eerie to go inside, the adventurous spirit in you will encourage you to go inside and you’ll feel like a true explorer into the unknown with some amazing rock formations.
After taking your time exploring the cave, the next part of the trail will involve a lot of boulder-hopping along the coast. At first it’ll be physically demanding, but you’ll get the hang of it;
and after, approximately, 2 km from the start you’ll get closer and closer to the ocean and the roaring sound of the waves crashing into the rocks. Throughout this section you’ll find some wooden paths to help you navigate the rocks, but don’t let your enthusiasm to reach the waterfall make you forget that there are amazing pictures to be taken here…so take your time & lots of pictures:)
Just before the 3 km mark you’ll reach the waterfall. Whether the waterfall, itself, is at full force or not, it is still an amazing refreshing sight to admire and the natural pool below it will be a very welcome refresher, so put on your swim suit, unleash your spirit, and take a dip in this amazingly pure fresh water.
Now you are three quarters of the way to the hut so take your time, have a picnic, and don’t let the waterfall distract you from the opposite sight. So grab a comfy rock and relax with a view like no other…the endless ocean and the white washing waves!
Now you’ll realize that all the talk about the beauty of this trail is not exaggerated; and from now on, it’ll be all exclusive for you and your other fellow 11 hikers!!
The final section of this day will start by more boulder-hopping, then you’ll hike a bit uphill info the forest… and it’ll be only you…no more day hikers! Soon after 1 hour, you’ll reach the Ngubu hut and you’ll get a taste of the amazing nights to come.
Settle in, pick a bed for yourself, and get to know your fellow hikers, as they will be the only people you’ll see for 4 days:) At every hut, you’ll find drinking water, fire wood, bbq facilities, fire pits, and toilets, so prepare your first dinner & ENJOY:)
