Blackwater tubing down the Storms River is an exhilarating adventure activity to do in the Garden Route. Enjoy stunning scenery while floating down the river on an inflatable tube…
Looking for a good time in the Tsitsikamma National Park? Look no further. Nothing is more fun than a day spent blackwater tubing in Storms River with your family & friends.
Embark on an exciting voyage through the unique landscape of the world famous Tsitsikamma, surrounded by tall indigenous trees. It is the only Tsitsikamma activity that offers a chance to explore these untainted forests, rivers and distinctive coastline all in one mesmerising outing.
There are two tubing options available:
1) The Red Route Canyon Adventure
After a scenic 20-minute drive from Storms River Village to the drop-off location in the Goesa Nature Reserve, pick up your tube and embark on a steep 800m walk down the side of the gorge, which brings you to the river’s brink. Dressed with specialist equipment and accompanied by local and knowledgeable guides, you are set for an adventure of a lifetime! For the next 4 to 5 hours, navigate your way down this incredible river using flat-water paddling, bouldering as well as optional tube and cliff jumps. A rest station with a chocolate bar and a tube-balancing exercise is located halfway down.
Before the canyon majestically opens out at the Storms River Mouth Suspension Bridge in the renowned Tsitsikamma National Park, the cascade down leads you to your final few pools. It takes around 20-minutes to walk back to the parking area where the shuttle bus awaits. The 20-minute return trip through the National Park to Storms River Village completes the day’s activities, with a complimentary media and cash bar. Children under the age of 12 or people in poor physical condition are not advised to go on this excursion. Anyone with weakened hip or leg joints must take into account the numerous steps and bouldering areas.
2) The Green Route Forest Adventure
From Storms River Village to the drop-off and pickup locations in the historic Storms River Pass, the Green Route Forest Adventure includes a 20-minute spectacular forest drive. After receiving your tube at the river’s edge, a short paddle upstream brings you to a sandy beach where you must sling your tube over your shoulders and walk another 200 meters to the next tranquil pool. Hop onto your SUPs and paddle for another 800 meters to an optional 8m cliff jump. Don’t worry – your guide will perform a demonstration first, and if you’re interested, you’re welcome to jump. For those who prefer to take things a little easier can opt for swimming, SUP handstands and tube balancing while the other participants jump.
You then turn around at the jump location and paddle back to where your tube was left at the river’s shore, and reward yourselves with a well-earned chocolate bar. From here, you will be taken on a breathtaking round trip down the river while tubing and swimming your way back to the low water bridge where you began. The 1.5 hours of light activity that make up the Green Route is suitable for people of all fitness levels as well as families with young children (as old as five years). You travel through pristine forest on a beautiful route to reach the access to Storms River.
The Storms River’s blackwater tubing is a simple, safe and enjoyable adventure activity that lets you truly experience Tsitsikamma’s secluded and unique areas. It was tubing on the Storms River that established the Tsitsikamma adventure scene more than 50 years ago and that made the 25km Storms River Gorge one of the most widely recognised adventure destinations on the Garden Route and in South Africa.
