Keurbooms River, Plettenberg Bay

This trip we went to the Forever resort on the Keurbooms river, just outside Plettenberg Bay. I had driven in to look around many years previously and have always wanted to stay there, so it seemed a good time to fulfill that dream. Plett is approx 250km from Port Elizabeth (P.E.), so it was an easy drive. We arrived at about 11.00am and after booking in drove into the campsite.

What a shock! The place was wall to wall with caravans and motor homes, we couldn’t believe it! It was immediately obvious that the majority of people there were long stay campers. The grass under some of the vans was tall and you could see that they hadn’t moved in weeks. We were devastated, what we had envisaged as a quiet break on the river seemed destined to be a nightmare! As we drove around looking for a site to pitch camp, we were amazed at the huge caravans and motor homes. Wagtail seemed so ridiculously small in comparison. We were super lucky to find a really nice site (there were very few open ones) and set up camp, all the time wondering if we’d done the right thing.

What we found was an amazing group of people who spend a minimum of a month there every year. They start arriving mid January and some stay till the end of March. Our neighbours, Gabriel & Martie from Jeffreys Bay, soon popped over to say hi and filled us in on camp news. When we commented on the size of the motor homes we were seeing, Gabriel mentioned that the value of the bigger ones was anything from R1,5 to R3,5 million! Some of the bigger caravans are similarly priced. Many come complete with air conditioners, onboard bathrooms, satellite TV and more! How the other half camp! Later, when we took a walk around the camp, we spied another Tiny almost hidden behind a tent, so we didn’t feel completely alone. Jan and Marlene had been there for weeks and were only leaving at the end of Feb.

Wagtail looked so tiny compared to the ‘supervans’

Thankfully all our fears of noise and crowds was misplaced, the campers were quiet and friendly, as we’ve come to expect. However, on the Wednesday afternoon we noticed a buzz of excitement and soon learned why. That evening was the annual long stay pensioners braai, put on by the resort management! Soon we could see workers setting out tables, chairs and braais in front of the main ablutions. Management supply rolls, salads and braai fires, as well as music and prizes for the long stay campers. We looked at each other and wondered why we had to choose that week, out of the entire year, to camp there! It turned out to be lovely though, 60s & 70s music (Dire Straits, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bee Gees, etc.) which we enjoyed and promptly at 10.00pm they all packed up and went to bed.

What was very interesting to me was the fact that the vast majority of tow vehicles in the park were Toyotas – mainly HiLux twincabs and Fortuners. I estimated that, given an average price of R350,000 per vehicle, there was around R25 million worth of them in the camp! It’s possible that the value of caravans, motor homes and tow vehicles may have been in the order of R40 million! It’s mind boggling!

The resort is very well run, there were cleaners on duty from early morning till late evening, so everything was spotless. The grounds are beautifully maintained and there are trees everywhere, providing shade. The birdlife is amazing and we saw more Knysna loeries than we have ever seen anywhere. They were literally everywhere. Once we counted at least six in the tree above us and we could hear many more around the camp. There was also a family of Egyptian geese on the lawns – the goslings were soo cute!

Knysna Loerie and Egyptian geese

The camp is on the banks of the Keurbooms river and it is possible to go approx 9km upstream in small boats. We had our canoe and on two mornings we paddled up the river. It is stunningly beautiful and there are little sandy beaches where one can go ashore to picnic, swim and just explore. There are birds everywhere, we saw giant kingfishers, cormorants, egrets and many more. The first morning we paddled we left late, around 10.30, and the wind had already picked up, making paddling back difficult. We decided that the next morning we would leave early, so we were on the water by 8.00. Wonderful, there was a gentle breeze coming down the river and we looked forward to having it at our backs on returning. We paddled much further upstream than we had the day before. It is stunningly beautiful! We eventually found a lovely beach and stopped for a snack and a rest. As soon as we started to paddle back, guess what? The wind swung 180 degrees and started blowing strongly. Did we battle too paddle against it! By the time we eventually got back to camp we were quite exhausted!

River views

Plett has a very interesting history. The first inhabitants are thought to have lived there 120,000 years ago. Two caves they inhabited are still being excavated at present. In the 18th century the Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias (read more about him in the blog on Cannon Rocks) mapped the bay, naming it ‘Bahia das Alagoas’ (Bay of the Lagoons). Later a group of shipwrecked sailors lived in Piesang Valley for a period, while they built two boats form the wreckage and local timber, before sailing away. One of the first commercial whaling stations in South Africa was established on Beacon Isle, where the hotel now stands.

Today it’s a very touristy town and the prices match. There is lots to do in the area. The Birds Of Eden bird park at the Crags is a must – an entire ravine has been netted over and is filled with every kind of bird you can imagine. Nearby is Monkeyland, a primate sanctuary and Lawnwood Snake Sanctuary.

Some of the beautiful birds at Birds of Eden

There’s also the Knysna Elephant Park, the Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary, the Robberg Nature reserve and beautiful beaches.

Adrenaline addicts have lots to keep them happy in and around Plett.

• The world’s highest bungi jump is at Bloukrans, just 38 km from Plett towards P.E.
• There’s a plethora of fun things to do at Storms River Village, a little further on towards P.E. You can take a Forest Canopy Tour on ziplines through the indigenous forest, raft and tube down the Storms river gorge, abseil and follow the underwater trail at the mouth.
• Hikers can do the Harkerville trail, the Otter trail, the Robberg trail and many more in the area.
• There are also many beautiful routes in the area for mountain bikers and motor cyclists.

All too soon it was time to pack up and head home. On the way we stopped for lunch at Marilyn’s 60’s Diner, in Storms River Village. It has an amazing collection of 50s jukeboxes, pinball machines, vintage cars and bikes. The food is typical of the era – hamburgers, milkshakes, etc., beautifully prepared and super tasty.

We’ll definitely be going back to Keurbooms, just later in the year when the resort is quieter.

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Happy travelling!