South African Hotels

Wilderness Tourism Information

Quick Facts: Wilderness

  • Recreational activities in Wilderness include waterskiing, hiking, mountain-biking, bird- and whale-watching, hang- and paragliding, horseriding, scenic drives, day tours, angling, boating and other water sports
  • Kaaimans River Bridge
  • Outeniqua Tjoe-Choo Steam Train
  • 'Map of Africa' view point and Dolphin Point
  • Wilderness Lakes Art Route
  • The Woodville Big Tree is over 800 years old
  • The lagoon is called the Touw River Estuary
  • Touw River, Island Lake and Rondevlei
  • In close proximity to attractions near Oudtshoorn ( ostrich farms, Cango Caves, Cango Wildlife Ranch), George, Knysna ( Knysna Waterfront, Knysna Elephant Park) and Plettenberg Bay ( Monkeyland, Birds of Eden, Elephant Sanctuary Plettenberg Bay)

Distance to Airport: 25 km

Distance to City: 16 km

Introducing Wilderness

Wilderness is situated a short distance east from the city of George, on the N2 down the Kaaiman's River Pass along the magnificent South African coastline.  This resort along the Garden Route is known for its long white sand beach and lagoons. The town caters mostly to holiday-makers and is situated directly on the Touw River Lagoon.  The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe steam train runs through the town en route between George and Knysna.  The town experiences an extremely mild climate which is typical of the Garden Route and has little temperature variation, seldom dropping below 10°C and above 28°C, with year-round rainfall.

Nestling in the foothills of the Outeniqua Mountains in a region of incomparable beauty, Wilderness is an attractive holiday resort with beautiful beaches and numerous vantage points from which to watch the whales and dolphins. The resort of Wilderness lies 15 km east of George, between the Kaaimans River in the West and the Goukamma Nature Reserve in the east, bordered by the Outeniqua Mountains in the north and the Indian Ocean in the south. Wilderness is renowned for its vast stretches of beach, its peace and tranquillity and the absence of windswept headlands and wild, stormy seas. The long stretch of beach embraces the mouths of the Touw and Kaaimans Rivers, and is backed by northward cliffs over which the fringe of the forest reaches down to sea level.

Wilderness not only overlooks the sea, but also the lagoon called the Touw River Estuary, the Serpentine, which meanders between the Touw River, Island Lake and Rondevlei. Woodville Big Tree, over 800 years old, creates shaded areas with its massive branches, making it a great picnic spot. Take a stroll along the boardwalk (also wheelchair-friendly) which is part of the Pied Kingfisher Trail and home to a wide variety of birds.  There is 2500 ha National Park with five rivers, five lakes, two estuaries and 18km of coastline. Many types of water birds breed here and this makes it ideal for bird-watchers.

The many other types of recreation include hiking, dolphin and whale-watching, hang-gliding, paragliding, horse riding, mountain-biking, scenic drives, Wilderness Lakes Art Route, day tours, ferry cruises, angling, boating and other water sports. A place that must be visited by any tourist in the Garden Route, it truly is a place of timeless beauty. There are many things to do and see in this small village. The famous "Map of Africa Viewpoint" offers fantastic view of the Kaaimans River Valley and an ocean vista rivaled by few. Another great viewpoint is Dolphin Point which gives a magnificent view of the ocean for miles and was named after the number of dolphins which can be spotted from here on a regular basis as well as whales during the winter months which is their breeding season.

The Kaaimans River Bridge is known as an excellent spot for taking photographs of the scenery and the Outeniqua Tjoe-Choo  as it passes over the ocean on its journey between George and Knysna. The Woodville Tree is another attraction in the area, thought to be about 800 years old and is a favorite picnic spot.