- 39 Formosa Street , Storms River , Tsitsikamma , 6308
- bookings@tsitsikamma.org
- +27824523361
Keurbooms River Nature Reserve
Keurbooms River Nature Reserve is a small, intensely scenic slice of the Garden Route just outside Plettenberg Bay, centred on the dark, slow-moving Keurbooms River as it threads through indigenous forest and a steep-sided river gorge before reaching the Keurbooms estuary and the ocean. CapeNature describes it as a World Heritage Site and places its size at about 740 hectares, but what it lacks in scale it makes up for in atmosphere: sheltered water, high green banks, and a sense that you’ve slipped into a quiet, protected corridor of forest and fynbos.
The reserve’s name comes from the Western keurboom tree, and CapeNature highlights that the area is a sanctuary for indigenous forest species—including Cape beech, giant stinkwoods, and Outeniqua yellowwoods—which gives paddling and riverside walks a distinctly “Knysna forest” feel in places. It’s also a reserve that’s best experienced at water level: CapeNature notes you can explore it via walks, boat trips, and canoe trails, with swimming and birdwatching being popular add-ons.
A practical highlight is how visitor-friendly the main access area is. CapeNature’s info sheet notes a large picnic area at the entrance gate with braai facilities, and that double canoes/kayaks can be hired at the entrance gate (with lifejackets and oars included). Importantly, canoe/kayak hire is first-come, first-use (i.e., you can’t pre-book). If you plan to bring a motorised craft, CapeNature specifies that motorised boat users must hold a valid boat permit, and its boating guidance adds that permit access requires the relevant SAMSA boat registration number and an operator certificate of competence.
For budgeting, CapeNature publishes a dedicated tariffs page for the reserve; at the time of writing, it lists day-visit and picnic rates (adult/child) and a double canoe hire fee—always worth checking close to travel dates because tariffs can change.