Otter Trail - Day 3

Likhabiso Kaibe
Jul 21, 2022
3 min read

We decide to have a trail briefing before we depart. We studied our map; we have two rivers to cross and we confirm that the water sources along the trail are not drinkable.

The estimated distance for day 3 is 7.8km however we end up with 9.8km, an extra 2kms which took us 6 hours 16minutes . I did mention previously that the stipulated distances are rather inaccurate, but the beauty of the trail makes up for the inaccuracies.

It is another climb up the hill and the majestic sea splashing so close to you it feels like a dream.

I appreciate why the otter is named one of the most beautiful and popular trails. Its beauty keeps on expanding by the day. The zig zag flow of the coastline, the sheer cliffs dropping right to the sea, the numerous natural pools and waterfalls; it is pure magic.

It starts raining, we are prepared and make a prompt stop to cover our backpacks. What felt like few minutes into the walk, brings us to our first river crossing for the day - the Elandsbos River, classified as one of the major river crossings. It makes an easy cross as the tides are low, the water was about shin deep with slippery rocks. We formed a line in the water, held each other’s hands and safely walked through to the other side and was met with soft white sand that we inscribed with excitement “Otter July 2022” and spent some good time taking pictures.

I am tempted to take a break and soak it all in, I mean the abundance of beauty surrounding us demands unrushed time, but we needed to go so that we reach Lottering River on low tide by 11:10am.

We have gotten used to the constant ascends and descends. Few meters from the sand, is another ascend with great views, as we marvel the beauty. Somewhat TK’s hat slips off the cliff, it was a rather easy catch on a slip, but we decided against her picking it. Instead she has a “mini memorial” for her hat and closes off by “here lies a beloved hat on the hills of great beauty”. It’s a beautiful memorable video she took that will forever remind her of Otter for many years to come.

We navigate our way through the wet and muddy path. It is a narrow flat terrain with an abundance of fynbos and cactus. I also spot an aloe family that we grew up calling “seholobe”. Whenever you needed to cleanse your colon, my grandmother would boil “seholobe” and let you drink it. Let’s not talk about the ulgy taste of this medicine and the frequent loo visits you’d take.

Just before the Lottering River, the second largest crossing of the trail, we go through a shrewd descend that gets my feet trembling. We arrive at a low tide and thankfully it’s a shallow cross again. Few minutes later we are at our home for the night – Oakhurst hut.Unlike the previous hut, this one is surrounded by dramatic rocks but still maintains beautiful views.

This is the first time we meet the Rangers. We are excited to see people outside our group. They make us fire and tell us stories about the illegal fishermen that we must be on the lookout for. They also warn us about the baboons and genets and advise us to keep our huts closed and keep our food away.

We dry our clothes, take another cold shower and hunt for spots to take pictures.