Robberg Nature Reserve is one of the highlights of the Garden Route, but choosing the right time of day can make a big difference to your experience.
Located just outside Plettenberg Bay, Robberg is famous for its dramatic coastline, beautiful beaches, rocky cliffs and incredible views across the Indian Ocean. It is also home to a large colony of Cape fur seals, which can often be seen from the coastal trails.
For us, early morning is one of the best times to visit.
The temperatures are generally more comfortable, particularly during the warmer months, and the reserve is often quieter earlier in the day. This makes a big difference when you’re walking the trails and stopping regularly to take in the scenery.
The morning light can also be fantastic for photography. The coastline, cliffs and ocean look completely different as the sun rises higher, and there are plenty of opportunities to stop, take photographs and enjoy the views.
One of the things we particularly love about Robberg is looking out to sea from the cliffs. Depending on the time of year and the conditions, you may be lucky enough to see whales and dolphins passing along the coastline. Standing on the cliffs and watching them moving through the ocean below is one of the things that makes Robberg such a great place to visit.
Robberg is also somewhere I have enjoyed long before I started taking clients around the Garden Route. I used to take my children there when they were younger, and some of my memories of Robberg come from those days. It is one of those places that I never seem to get tired of visiting, even after all these years.
It’s worth remembering that this is a nature reserve, not simply a viewpoint. Wear sensible walking shoes, take water and allow enough time to enjoy the area properly.
The reserve has several walking routes, ranging from shorter walks to considerably longer hikes. Even if you’re not doing one of the longer walks, you’ll want time to stop and enjoy the scenery.
Weather is also important. Conditions along the coast can change, and strong winds or hot weather can make the longer walks considerably more demanding. Checking the forecast before setting out is always sensible.
On our private Garden Route tours, Robberg is one of the places we particularly enjoy visiting because we can take our time rather than being tied to a large group’s schedule.
If you’re travelling through Plettenberg Bay, don’t simply drive past Robberg. Give yourself a morning to explore it. The combination of wildlife, coastline, walking trails and spectacular views makes it one of the Garden Route’s special places.
And if you’re lucky, you might be standing on those cliffs when a pod of dolphins appears offshore or a whale surfaces in the distance.
That’s the Garden Route at its best.
