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Author: BazBus Editorial Team
Quick Summary: Storms River village is small, sits in old-growth forest, and packs more adrenaline per square kilometre than anywhere else on the Garden Route. Within a short radius you have the world’s highest commercial bungee jump at 216 metres, the Tsitsikamma suspension bridges over a river gorge, blackwater tubing, and some of South Africa’s best-preserved indigenous forest. This guide covers what to book, what it costs, and how BazBus fits Storms River into a Garden Route itinerary.
Worth clearing up immediately, because it causes more confusion than any other point on the route.
Storms River village is a small settlement just off the N2, in forest, about 4 km inland. This is where the accommodation is, where the adventure operators are based, and where BazBus drops you at your door.
Storms River Mouth is a separate location roughly 10 km away inside the Tsitsikamma Section of the Garden Route National Park, where the river meets the sea through a gorge. This is where the famous suspension bridges are, and where the Otter Trail begins. It requires a SANParks entry permit and a vehicle or transfer to reach.
Plan for both. Staying in the village and never getting to the Mouth is a common and avoidable mistake.
At 216 metres — 708 feet — the jump from the Bloukrans River Bridge is the world’s highest commercial bungee. The Bloukrans Bungee Jump uses a pendulum system, so after the initial free fall you swing into a long arc rather than bouncing straight back. Jumps run hourly, with first departure at 9:00am and last at 4:00pm, and the whole experience takes about an hour including the safety briefing. No prior experience is needed, all equipment is provided, the minimum age is 14 and the maximum weight is 150 kg. Photos and video are available for purchase afterwards.
The bridge is at The Crags, west of Storms River village, and is itself a scheduled point on our route between Plettenberg Bay and Storms River.
If jumping is not for you, the Sky Walk offers most of the view for none of the terror: a one-hour guided tour onto a walkway bolted to the underside of the bridge deck, leading out to the top of the arch where the jumps happen. Africa’s biggest bridge is worth seeing from underneath whether or not you leap off it.
Blackwater Tubing sends you down the Storms River Gorge on a specialised one-person inflatable tube, through rapids, natural water chutes and calm pools, with forest and canyon walls rising on both sides. Two routes are offered: the Red Route for adventure seekers, lasting 6 hours with a minimum age of 12, and the family-friendly Green Route at 3 hours with a minimum age of 6. Both depart at 9:00am and 10:00am.
Included are refreshments on arrival, a high-energy snack on the river, helmet, tube, personal flotation device and transport. Wetsuit hire runs $10 USD / R175 and bootie hire $8 USD / R135 — worth budgeting for, because the water comes off the forest and it is cold regardless of the air temperature. Bring sunscreen and comfortable shoes. Difficulty is rated moderate.
Blackwater tubing is the included Day 3 activity on our 4 Day Garden Route Adventure, which departs Cape Town daily and prices from $399, with two nights in Storms River.
Zipline courses run through the forest canopy above the Kruis River. Guided forest mountain-bike rides and horse trails operate from the village. Segway forest tours exist for the curious. And the Tsitsikamma Wolf Sanctuary, just outside the village, houses rescued wolves and wolf-dog hybrids — an unusual thing to find in South Africa and a genuine rescue operation rather than a photo attraction.
BazBus does not operate these activities directly. We work with vetted local operators, our drivers know who is currently running well and who is not, and passengers receive discounts on tours and activities along the route.
“Bazbus had come highly recommended by a few mates and it didn’t disappoint for one second. Solo travelling can sometimes be a little stressful getting from place to place but all of this was eliminated with Bazbus.” — Rob H, Ireland.
The three suspension bridges across the Storms River gorge are the most photographed structures on the Garden Route, and the walk to reach them — about a kilometre of boardwalk and rock path from the Mouth restcamp — passes through coastal forest and past sea caves. It is not a difficult walk but it is uneven in places and slippery when wet.
Beyond the bridges, a short steep climb leads to a lookout point over the river mouth. Longer options include the first day of the Otter Trail as an out-and-back day hike to a waterfall, which requires a day permit.
Entry is through the SANParks gate, with a daily conservation fee that differs for South African citizens, SADC nationals and international visitors. Check current rates before you go, and note that the Tsitsikamma Section is one of the busier parts of the Garden Route National Park in peak season.
Getting there without a car means arranging a transfer from the village, which most accommodation providers can organise. Ask when you check in rather than the morning you want to go.
It is easy to treat Tsitsikamma as an activity venue and miss what it actually is. This is one of the last substantial tracts of South African indigenous forest, dominated by Outeniqua yellowwood — some individual trees estimated at several hundred years old — along with stinkwood, ironwood and a dense fern understorey. The name comes from the Khoisan, generally translated as a reference to clear or sparkling water, which anyone who has been tubing down the gorge will recognise as accurate.
The Big Tree, a signposted yellowwood on a short boardwalk off the N2, is the easiest way to stand under a genuinely old tree with no fitness requirement at all. It takes fifteen minutes and costs a small permit fee.
Storms River is a scheduled stop on the Cape Town to Port Elizabeth hop-on hop-off route, which prices from $119 (was $199) across 14 stops. Travelling westbound from Port Elizabeth, the bus reaches Storms River in the morning after Jeffreys Bay and departs around 9:30am for The Crags. Travelling eastbound from Cape Town, it arrives in the evening after Plettenberg Bay and Bloukrans.
That eastbound arrival time is worth planning around. Storms River activities all run in daylight and most start in the morning, so an evening arrival means your first full activity day is the following day. Passengers heading east frequently book two nights here for exactly this reason.
Between October and February, buses depart every day. From March to September, the Cape Town to Port Elizabeth direction runs Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the Port Elizabeth to Cape Town direction runs Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. No services operate on 25 and 26 December or 1 and 2 January.
| Factor | BazBus hop-on hop-off | Self-drive rental | Long-distance coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drops at your accommodation | Yes | N/A | No — N2 roadside or terminal |
| Access to Storms River Mouth | Local transfer required | Direct | Not practical |
| Activity booking help | Onboard driver and discounts | Self-arranged | Self-arranged |
| Night driving on forest roads | None | Likely | Yes |
| Cost for a solo traveller | Single pass covers all legs | Fuel, insurance, one-way fees add up | Cheap per leg, taxis extra |
Self-drive genuinely wins on one point here: independent access to Storms River Mouth and the Big Tree without booking transfers. For a group of three or four, that convenience may justify the cost. For solo travellers and pairs, a pass plus occasional local transfers usually works out cheaper and considerably less stressful, particularly given that the N2 through the Tsitsikamma involves several long descents and mountain passes.
Related guides in this series cover Nature’s Valley, Plettenberg Bay, Jeffreys Bay and Knysna.
The unlimited passes — 8 days at $139, 14 days at $169, 21 days at $199 — let you make that decision after arrival. Terms are on the 14 Day Travel Pass page.
Do I need to book the Bloukrans bungee jump in advance?
In peak season — roughly December through January and over Easter — booking ahead is sensible, as hourly slots fill. Outside those periods you can generally arrange it a day ahead through your accommodation or with your BazBus driver, who can also advise on transfer timing from the village. Jumps run hourly from 9:00am to 4:00pm and the whole experience takes about an hour, so it fits comfortably into a half day either side of a travel leg.
What is the difference between Storms River village and Storms River Mouth?
The village is a small forest settlement just off the N2 where accommodation and adventure operators are based, and it is where we drop passengers. The Mouth is roughly 10 km away inside the Tsitsikamma Section of the Garden Route National Park, where the suspension bridges cross the gorge and the Otter Trail begins. Reaching the Mouth requires a SANParks day permit and a transfer or vehicle, which your accommodation can usually arrange with a day’s notice.
Is blackwater tubing suitable for people who aren’t strong swimmers?
The Green Route is designed to be family-friendly, runs three hours, and accepts children from age six, with a personal flotation device provided and guides throughout. Basic water confidence is expected but strong swimming ability is not a requirement. The six-hour Red Route is more demanding and has a minimum age of 12. Both are rated moderate in difficulty. If you are uncertain, discuss it with the operator when booking rather than on the riverbank.
How cold is the water in the Tsitsikamma?
Cold, year-round. The rivers run off forested mountain catchments and stay chilly even in midsummer when the air is warm. This is why wetsuit hire at $10 USD / R175 and bootie hire at $8 USD / R135 are offered alongside tubing trips, and why our drivers consistently advise taking them rather than trying to save the money. The same applies to swimming at Storms River Mouth, where the sea is exposed and cold.
Can I do Storms River as a day trip instead of staying overnight?
Not practically from Cape Town, which is a full day’s drive away. It is feasible as a long day from Plettenberg Bay if you have a car, but you will fit one activity at most and spend a lot of the day in transit. Storms River rewards an overnight stay, and our 4 Day Garden Route Adventure from Cape Town builds in two nights there precisely because a single day does not do it justice.
Activity prices, wetsuit hire rates and departure times listed here come from our published tour information and are set by independent operators, so they can change without notice and the US dollar figures depend on the prevailing rand exchange rate — confirm current pricing at the time of booking. SANParks conservation fees and permit requirements for the Tsitsikamma Section are set annually and differ by nationality, so check directly with SANParks before travelling and budget for the international visitor rate unless you hold South African or SADC documentation.
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