Eersterivier - the Tsitsikamma's hidden gem

Hidden on the rugged eastern coastline of the Tsitsikamma is a little gem that not a lot of people know of.  Somewhere you can get away from it all and enjoy stunning scenic coastal landscapes bordered by cliffs and lush vegetation.  Somewhere you can take in a bit of beach life and lots of vitaminSea without being trampled underfoot by crowds.  This little hidden corner on the Garden Route is Eersterivier.

 

One can't really call Eersterivier a town or a village.  Its rather a collection of privately owned (mostly) holiday homes.  There aren't any hotels and I can't remember seeing any guesthouses, but  it is possible to rent on of the 19 houses that Tsitsikamma Seaside Accommodation manages on behalf of the owners.  A couple of weeks ago Penny of Tsitsikamma Seaside Accommodation invited us for a Sho't Left weekend and we got to stay at Shick Shack while we were there.  Shick Shack was anything but a shack as it sleeps eight people in four bedrooms and has the most stunning view of the coastline (bottom middle picture).

 

The area around Eersterivier is really beautiful but the main attraction is the beaches.  Its is a rugged and rocky coastline but there are lots of little coves and gullies along with the main beach on the western side of the village.  The centerpiece of the beach are fossil dunes with very interesting sand stone features.  It is here that you find one of the most inviting swimming spots around, the blue hole.

At low tide we took a walk around the sea side of the sand stone formations and found a couple of holes in the rock.  We came back at high tide and looked down onto it from above.  They turned out to be blow holes, shooting water up into the air from them every time a wave hits the rocks.  When you explore the rock pools and around the back of the sand stone formations, just be aware and keep an eye out for spiky sea urchins, specially if you have children with you.  The pools and gullies are actually excellent for snorkeling so bring your equipment with you if you would like to explore a bit under water as well.  Another warning though.  Keep within the safe zones when swimming and snorkeling as there are dangerous rip tides beyond the rocks and gullies.

 

In addition to beach walks there is also a couple of short hiking trails in the area where you walk through the surrounding fynbos, some that follow the top of the coastal cliffs and look down on the whole area from above.  Golfers would love the nearby 9 hole Fynbos Golf Estate with its views of the ocean and the Tsitsikamma Mountains as a background.  About 30 minutes away is Storms River Village with its forest walks and adrenalin filled adventure activities. 

 

Eersterivier isn't a proper village so there are no shops and atm's.  Luckily the Oudebosch Farm Stall and coffee shop is only about 10 minutes away with most visitors getting what they need from the supermarket there.  Its also ideal for breakfast and lunch or just a quick coffee and milkshake.

 

The Tsitsikamma is a true Garden of Eden and if Adam and Eve lived in this garden and had the opportunity to go to the beach, Eersterivier would have been that beach.

 

Disclosure: We enjoyed this visit as guests of Tsitsikamma Seaside Accommodation and transport was courtesy of the team at ECTOUR.  I received no further remuneration, wasn't asked to write a positive post and keep full editorial control.

A Tsitsikamma Sho't Left

We really don't need much motivation to pack our bags and head somewhere for a Sho't Left weekend.  Not at all.  Even more so when the invitation for that Sho't Left comes from the Tsitsikamma which is only an hour and a half from our home base in Port Elizabeth.

 

A call from Penny of Tsitsikamma Seaside Accommodation along with an earlier invitation by Anneline of Storms River Adventures had us planning a weekend that included some beach time, nature time, family time and ultimately, adrenalin time.

 

An early departure on Friday afternoon had us driving west on the N2 from PE and taking the Oudebosch turnoff on the eastern side of the Tsitsikamma.  A short time later we reached the seaside town resort village cluster of houses called Eersterivier.  Eersterivier is just that, a collection of holiday homes along the beautiful Tsitsikamma coastline and Penny manages 19 of these which get rented out to the public when the owners aren't using them.  We stayed in Shick Shack which was anything but just a shack.  It sleeps eight in four bedrooms and has a sublime view of the coastline from its deck .  Perfect to sit and relax on after a hard day of Tsitsikamma'ing.

 

Saturday morning we spent a bit of "beach time" exploring the Eersterivier beach with its fascinating fossil dunes and sandstone formations.  The two most notable features for me were the blue hole, perfect for swimming, and the blow hole which gets spectacular at high tide.  We decided to head inland for a little while and went to explore the town of Kareedouw just across the mountain before stopping at Oudebosch Farm Stall for lunch.  Just a few kilometers from Oudebosch is Regyne Protea Farm, the biggest commercial protea farm in the world.  Oudebosch Farm Stall organizes tours of the farm for groups during the week, but we were lucky enough to join a couple of travel bloggers on a private tour that afternoon.

 

Sunday started with a bit of a sleep in before packing up and returning to Oudebosch brunch.  Then it was time to head to Storms River Village for the highlight of our trip, a Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour with Storms River Adventures.  And what an adventure it was.  Being in the business I'm in I've had the opportunity and privilege to go on this a couple of times before, but it was a first for the rest of the Famdamily with Chaos Boy volunteering to take the lead just behind the guide.  Drama Princess was slightly nervous but the second guide was on top of things and she got to do a couple of tandem slides with him until she was comfortable enough to go on her own.  Sliding along the 10 slides through the canopy of the indigenous Tsitsikamma forest 30 meters up is always a highlight and something we will remember for a long time.

 

I will do separate posts with some more information about all the activities

we participated in in the coming weeks.

 

  Disclosure: We enjoyed this visit as guests of Tsitsikamma Seaside Accommodation, Oudebosch Farm Stall, Storms River Adventures, Tsitsikamma Tourism and the team at ECTOUR.  I received no further remuneration, wasn't asked to write a positive post and keep full editorial control.

Sunset in Eersterivier

I have never been disappointed with sunsets at Eersterivier.  We recently spent a weekend in this part of the Tsitsikamma courtesy of Tsitsikamma Seaside Accommodation and even though most of the weekend was a bit on the grey side, the cloud did open enough on our first evening to get this beautiful sunset enhanced with a couple of gulls strolling around on the wet sand.

Danger Rip Current

Eersterivier in the Tsitsikamma is a beautiful piece of coastline with stunning swimming spots between the rock.  If you do decided to hit the ocean itself you have to be careful of the rip currents created by all the reefs and rocks as indicated by this sign I photographed at sunset.

Eersterivier sonsondergang

'n Goue sonsondergang op Eersterivier aan die ooste kant van die Tsitsikamma in die Ooskaap

Tsitsikamma Sunset

Sunset along the Tsitsikamma coast near Eersterivier

Visit Skywatch for more pictures featuring the sky

Eersterivier Rock features

The rocks at Eersterivier form a lot of interesting little coves and other features. This gully runs along the western side of the village and had lots of kids in it at low tide trying to catch fish with their nets. Next to is was the most amazing deep gully where we swam for most of the day.

In between the rocks we found this stunning spot to swim. At its deepest it takes you just below the shoulders. The only problem is that you shouldn't try entering the hole without shoes on because of the sea urchins.

Blow holes are always an interesting feature along the coast. There were three holes all together and every time the waves hit the rocks and causes the water to be forced up through the holes.

Sandstone rocks and ancient dunes

One of the features of Eersterivier is the ancient sandstone rocks along the sore. They used to be dunes many moons ago but time and other factors (just don't ask me which ones) have hardened them to what they are today. The rocks are very sensitive and visitors to the area are asked not to climb on the or break off pieces.

A view down to the small bay on the left hand side of the village where the sand stone rocks start.

I followed a path to the top of the rocks and on the sea side are quite a few interesting features, amongst others a small arch through which the waves were breaking. Unfortunately my camera conked in before I could go beck there the next day when the sun was shining.

Eersterivier sunset

Sunset at Eersterivier in the Tsitsikamma

The sunset reflecting in the windows of the houses overlooking the beach

Visit the great people at Skywatch to see some more picture that feature the sky.

Eersterivier

A week or so ago we spent a weekend at Eersterivier in the Tsitsikamma. I hesitate to call it a village as it is nothing more than two rows of houses wedged between the beach in front and the hill behind. Eersterivier (picture above) and Skuitbaai (in the background of the picture below)next door has less than 100 plots each to avoid it being classified as a village.

The weekend's weather was gorgeous, the water turquoise (but for some reason freezing cold) and the place stunningly beautiful. The beach is also spotless. Its a gated area which means that you will only find residents (either owners or people renting houses for the weekend) on the beach. Thus no crowds.

A major feature of Eersterivier is the sandstone rocks and ancient sandstone dunes in front of the village. The sandstone is very sensitive and visitors are asked not to climb on them unnecessarily or to break them at all.

My mom grew up in the Langkloof on the other side of the mountains from the Tsitsikamma and she was telling us how they visited Eersterivier on weekends. In those days there were just a handful of houses, most of them nothing more than shacks. Today most of the houses has been extended and rebuilt, but there are still some of the original structures around.

GPS: 34° 4'16.96"S, 24°12'57.11"E