SANParks.org Forums

Hi me again.

It is time to plan on the Otter again

We completed the Otter in January 2009 and have booked it again for February 2010 (That is how much we enjoyed the trail)

If anybody is hiking the same time as us (24Feb 2010 till 28 Feb) lets discuss transport arrangements.

What is the best web site for the tides, the site I enter nl. www.satides.co.za shows that our Bloukrans crossing is at 08h45. Can this be? That obviously mean that we would have to start hiking at 3 am.

We have done it previously, can do it again.

What is the possibility of hot water on the hike?
OK just asking...lol

Regards
Frik

There are now showers at the huts ?

Correct but only cold water available at all the showers. Freezing but nice.

Afraid it is not possible as the crossing will be at 20h45 and then to hike the remaining 3.8km after dark. no can do. Where can I find out about the tides? In January we had a situation where the Low tide was not low tide at all (completed crossing at neck height) Still enjoyed it though.

Hi,
I am a newbie and have made a request for reservation for the Otter in June 2010. Would anyone on this forum be able to tell me what my chances are to get allocation for a group of 12? And is there anything I still need or could do to procure the booking? See; I don't want to be caught out if there is anything I need to know that will help. As far as I know now my request has gone to reservations and it would seem that I have to wait to hear from the office. Is that correct?Hopefully I will hear from them soon.
cheers

Hi Frik

We have recently booked the Otter Trail for the 24/02/10 - 28/02/10 (OMG!), and a night at Storms River Mouth on 23/02/10. Have no idea what else we're doing and how we're getting around. We will start looking at that soon.

We're Australian, currently living in Angola, and have just moved a few days ago from Luanda (the capital) to Soyo (a charming town in the north of Angola).

Apart from passing through Johannesburg Airport, next February will be our first trip to South Africa. Can't wait!!

Mish

Hi Mish

Glad to see your response. We are a group of 9 persons from Secunda, South Africa that is hiking the Otter on the same dates as you.

The information I can provide is that you will land on O.R.Tambo, and from there, book a flight with Kulula or One Time (Much cheaper than SAA) to George (GRJ).

The transport from George to Stormsriver mouth is quite a rip off, choose wisely. My advise to you is, do not part with your money too easily. The cost could range from R5000 to R80,00 per person, hence my advise choose wisely.

I have more information if you are interested. Ask me specific questions and I will answer them accordingly.

Regards
Frik.

Hi guys

I will be walking the Otter trail from 23-27 August 2009
Will post a trip report with a few pictures after the hike.

Thats if I survive

Oki I did survive the hike, just been a bit busy, will try to put something together soon. Lets see how the week goes..

Please do !
Would like to see pics and read your perspective - was last there 29(?) Dec 1999 - 2 Jan 2000 , also May 1996 .

We just completed the otter trail a week ago.
Only 4 of us walked it and we loved it! Not quite as tough as I thought it would be. We had a little rain on day one and a lot of mist on day two, otherwise, kindly overcast. The rivers that were for fresh water collection were all quite dry and hardly running.
I learned a few things on the trail:

- Clothing:
You don't need a lot of it! I wore one pair of lightweight long pants with zip off legs for the whole trip. Modern hiking clothes are FANTASTIC! I took 2 modern, "wicking" lightweight shirts. They seemed to shrug off dirt and smells, and were fantastically quick to dry. The long sleeved shirt was comfortable in the spring sun and prevented sunburn.

A clean tracksuit is a treat to wear around camp after a shower.

Good, comfortable, waterproof boots make for happy feet. I got a cut under my foot, but the good boots made it easy to walk on.
Good thick hiking socks also help.

A poncho works well! It stops the rain from wetting the back of your pack when you use a rain cover (if you throw it over the pack)

- Walking poles:

Ha! I used to think they were for sissies! They are amazing! I used only one and the help it gave was awesome! I found myself "punting" myself uphill, taking about 15 to 20% of the load off my legs. On the downhills, the stop the jarring on your knees as you gently lower yourself down. USE THEM!

- Kit
- A decent head torch is a good idea.
- Modern gas burners are fantastic.
- A candle or two would have been great to have. We omitted them but the would have made the hut nights better.
- If you don't want to take firelighters, a tube of "waterless hand cleaner gel" (alcohol based) works a treat!
- One of us had a UV light steriliser pen, which we used to sterilise the water. (a lot of development upstream). We had no tummy upset at all!
- A "Camelbag" type water bag is worth it! Some of the marked fresh water rivers looked a little stagnant to me. Having 2litres to sip on while you walk is very comforting and keeps you hydrated without you ever feeling the need to fill your belly with water.
- if you have an old backpack, borrow a new one!
- in spring, a lightweight sleeping bag with a liner was more than adequate.

- River crossing stuff:
Read this..

Right so, heres the breakdown...

Take a guy foolish enough to live in the Kalahari Desert, and add an extra load of foolishness to that guy and get him really amped up for the Otter Trail.. Sound great? YEAH!!

But...

I am a hard-conditioned desert dweller, and have very (VERY) little knowledge of water in vast quantities, does anyone have any tips and/or info on the water aspect of the Otter Trail? Rivers, crossings, etc etc etc.

How do I go about preparing myself, and my equipment for the trail?

That would be nice, a TR on the Otter , would love to see the route now as I did it in 2002, was most enjoyable just a killer on the knees the huts where a great sight after the days hike and the river crossing (Bloukrans) was an experiance not to forget...got there and crossed at the mouth waist high, current was a bit rough . It was an awesome hike

How much walking have you done in your boots, and with your (fully-loaded) backpack?

As mentioned in the previous post, I can recommend a hydration bladder. (I use a 20-year old Backpacker Boulder and put the bladder in one of the upper side-pockets, with the tube going through a loop in the shoulder strap).

If water quality is an issue, (I don't know what the situation on the Otter is now), get yourself a bottle of Aqua Salveo (chlorine pills taste horrible). I'd also recommend a second (smaller) bottle which you can drink from while waiting for the water purification to work (it'll take a while in a 2l hydration bladder).

Very interesting idea!

Thanks joshilewis, but I think you misunderstood my problem, water to drink is no issue, it's the water to get through thats worrying me...