Discover Wilderness

Wilderness offers two perspectives for planning your day: named hiking trails and a viewpoint in town, or canoe trips in the surrounding area. Other visitor features include The Boardwalk on 6th Ave and the Wilderness Lagoon Boardwalk. When choosing where to stay, it therefore matters whether you would rather spend your time on trails in Wilderness or on water-based activities in the surrounding area.

Hiking trails and viewpoints in Wilderness

The Bosduif Loop has a stated walking time of one hour. The Brown Hooded Kingfisher hiking trail has a stated walking time of two to three hours; for the Half Collared Kingfisher and the Pied Kingfisher, it is three to four hours each. The stated walking time for Woodville Big Tree is 40 minutes. These different time estimates help you gauge whether a hike should take up a smaller or larger part of the day. When travelling with children, you can factor the time budget into your shared day plan without letting it alone determine the choice of activity.

Dolphin's Point is a viewpoint in Wilderness. The Boardwalk on 6th Ave and the Wilderness Lagoon Boardwalk are also visitor features. If you would like to visit these places, check access in advance. This lets you compare the named places with your own day plan rather than deciding based solely on the length of a hike.

Canoe trips in the surrounding area

In the surrounding area of Wilderness, an early-morning canoe trip goes around the northern part of Swartvlei. Another canoe route follows the Serpentine River to Island Lake. There, visitors can have lunch on the water or at the jetty. The stop at Island Lake also includes braai facilities. This gives you two different options for a day on the water: an early trip around a lake and a route with a lunch stop. Check in advance whether your preferred tour is offered on your travel dates.

Choose the right focus for your stay

When looking for holiday accommodation in Wilderness, the differences between activities in town and canoe trips in the surrounding area can help guide your choice. If hiking trails and a viewpoint are your priority, focus your search on Wilderness itself. If you would also like to include a canoe trip, take its location in the surrounding area into account when planning your trip. The hiking trails have different stated walking times, while the water activities offer different experiences, with an early trip or a lunch stop. For families, this comparison helps organise day plans by time available and preferred activity.

Discover more destinations: Riversdale, Jongensfontein, Groot Brakrivier, Herolds Bay, Plettenberg Bay, Plathuis, Still Bay, Calitzdorp.

For the main travel overview: Eden.