The Otter Trail is a hiking trail along the
Garden Route coast of
South Africa and is named for the
Cape clawless otter[1] which occurs in this region. This trail is widely regarded as one of the finest in the world and stretches from
Storms River Mouth in the east to
Nature's Valley in the west, is 26 km long as the crow flies and 44 km as the hiker walks. Walking the trail takes 5 days, and the 4 nights are spent in comfortable huts with superb views. The route is located entirely within the
Tsitsikamma National Park, which protects an 80 km long strip of coastal mountains, forest and beaches.
The trail traverses a very scenic landscape, never straying far from the shoreline, but often climbing steeply and then descending to the beach or a river crossing. Vegetation along the way is either
fynbos, dense
gallery forest or open, rocky sections near the sea with an abundance of wildflowers.