This two and a half hour Kayak & Lilo Adventure up the Storms River Gorge in the Tsitsikamma National Park is our most popular activity for good reasons. You’ll get to explore deeper into the hidden world of the Storms River Gorge than most people ever do and experience the long, bottomless pools, deep caves and ancient indigenous forests with nothing but the quiet noises of nature around you.
If the ocean is calm, we Kayak across the ocean & under the Storms River Suspension Bridge
We paddle from the Storms River harbour across the ocean and pass underneath the famous Storms River Mouth Suspension Bridge. From there we Kayak up the beautiful Storms River Gorge.
If the ocean is unsafe to Kayak across, we hike to the Suspension Bridge
If sea conditions do not allow for ocean paddling, it won’t rock our boat – we simply change the adventure. We take a short guided hike through the captivating indigenous Tsitsikamma Forest and over the famous Storms River Suspension Bridge and start our Kayaking trip from higher up the river mouth.
Kayaking up the Storms River Gorge
This is where the true adventure begins – paddling up the majestic Storms River, the ultimate treasure of Tsitsikamma National Park. We paddle right into the bats’ cave and spend time gazing up in awe at the spectacular cliffs all around us – all from the comfort of our double sit-on-top kayaks.
Lilo deeper up the Storms River Gorge
At the low-water point, we say goodbye to our kayaks and hello to our floater friends – the lilos. (A short information break for those who do not know: A lilo is a small inflatable boat and our unique ones are specially designed for this trip to access the narrow parts of the gorge). From here on we walk over a short section of rocks and then simply float deeper up the river gorge on the lilos – weightlessly relishing in the serenity of this paradise and feeling insignificantly small as we ogle up at the sky-scraping cliffs surrounding us.
Upon reaching our destination, we make a U-turn and float back down the river to our kayaks.
Cliff jumping
After all the tranquillity, we have to keep the balance and add a healthy dose of adrenaline! On the trip back, you will be given the exhilarating opportunity to leap off the overhanging cliff walls of the gorge into deep pools. This offers not only a good test of your bravery but also some good occasions for laughter (or nervous giggling), friendly encouragement (or daring) and one-of-a-kind photo opportunities (because you will need to brag to your buddies at home!). Although cliff jumping is not compulsory – you can simply enjoy the spectacle as you leisurely float on the long pools below – we do recommend not missing out on the thrill.
We’ve had kids as young as 5 and grandparents as old as, well… grandparents take the leap and enjoy the time spent on the water, so this is family-friendly fun that truly floats everyone’s boat.
As you can probably comprehend – this unique Storms River adventure is our most popular and best-recommended trip by local and international tourists. Be sure not to miss it!
