I recently went on a short family holiday to one of the most remarkable places in South Africa. The almost eight hour road trip was nowhere near as dreary as I thought it might be. We stopped at farm stalls and roadside craft markets and to top it off we spent one night at Nature Valleys camping site, a truly magnificent camping spot I have discovered!

Wilderness also had a vast number of natural beauty as well as recreational activities to offer us – However our final destination was Tsitsikamma National Park where some of us would stay in the comfortable yet simple dwellings made entirely out of logs (log cabins) and others in our tents. The Tsitsikamma National Park is a protected area on the Garden Route it is well known a coastal reserve for its indigenous forests, dramatic coastline as some say, and the ever popular Otter hiking trail. Just before crossing the border into the reserve we had the privilege to visit the infamous Big Tree, the most popular tree in the entire South Africa from my perspective. This Yellowwood tree looms an astonishing 40m high and it is estimated to be 650 years old and has a lush green canopy spreading more than 30m wide shadowing all below its gigantic branches.

The trip was unforgettable, not only did we go paddling on the lagoon in Natures valley, but we spent hours of each day immersed in the numerous amounts of hiking trails skilfully set around the reserve for guests to enjoy, one such a hike we completed a rather harsh 3.7km walk to a spectacular waterfall. The hike was tiring but the sight of the water cascading over the rocks and the thunderous noise of the collision of water against the large boulders made the walk worthwhile. Now I could go on talking about this trip and the beauty of Knysna for at least 10 pages. But the real reason for this blog entry was to voice my concern about our plant and wildlife.

Visiting areas such as Tsitsikamma makes one realize precisely why there are nature conservations across South Africa, and internationally for that matter. We were eager to catch fish in Natures Valley and after obtaining the required permit at the local post office (all after a vast amount of trouble) we did enjoy a relaxing day on the lagoon wrapped in the serenity cloaking the area. But it worries me how many people might not be bothered with the rules and regulations regarding permits and such.. I for one cannot help but think that nature conservation and project such as protecting endangered animals should be made more public and more emphasis should be placed in the urgency of the communities’ cooperation.

Knysna can ensnare you with its beauty, its lush terrain covered in towering trees, its lagoons, rivers and marshlands all accommodation a variety of floras and fauna species. If you are not conscious of the environment I challenge you to visit Knysna, and I will ensure you that you will not leave there without a guilty thought – WHAT AM I doing to help protect our planet Earth?!