Some places on the Garden Route are spectacular from the moment you arrive. Others are quieter and reveal themselves slowly. The Big Tree in Tsitsikamma belongs to the second group.
Located just off the N2 near Storms River, the Big Tree is an enormous Outeniqua yellowwood thought to be between 600 and 800 years old. It stands 36.6 metres tall, rising above the surrounding indigenous forest.
Those numbers are impressive, but they do not fully capture what it feels like to stand beside it.
The walk to the tree takes around ten minutes along a wooden boardwalk through the forest. Almost immediately, the sounds of the road disappear. You are surrounded by giant ferns, tangled roots and tall indigenous trees, with sunlight finding its way through the canopy above.
Then you reach the Big Tree.
Photographs struggle to show its true scale. You need to see a person standing beside the trunk to understand just how enormous it is. This tree was already growing centuries before Europeans arrived at the Cape, and it has survived storms, fires and generations of human activity.
There is something very grounding about standing next to something that has been alive for so long.
The Big Tree is not an attraction that requires several hours. The walk is short, gentle and suitable for most visitors. That makes it an easy stop while travelling between Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park.
However, it should not be rushed.
Take a few moments to look upwards, listen to the forest and imagine everything that has happened during the tree’s lifetime. The Garden Route is famous for its coastline, beaches and dramatic mountains, but its ancient forests are just as important to its character.
Some travellers may drive past because they are eager to reach Storms River Mouth or the suspension bridges. That would be a shame. The Big Tree offers something completely different: a peaceful encounter with one of the oldest living inhabitants of the Garden Route.
On a private Convoy Tours Garden Route tour, we have the freedom to include small stops like this without watching the clock or waiting for a large group. Sometimes the quieter places become the most memorable part of the journey.
The Big Tree does not need to demand your attention. It has been standing in the forest for hundreds of years.
It can wait another ten minutes for you to arrive.
For a Limited time we are offering a FREE Private Cape Peninsula Tour with every Garden Route Tour!
