Garden Route National Park

Garden Route National Park
Storms River Mouth in the Tsitsikamma section of the park
Location of the park
LocationWestern Cape & Eastern Cape, South Africa
Nearest cityGeorge
Coordinates34°0′S 23°15′E / 34.000°S 23.250°E / -34.000; 23.250
Area1,210 km2 (470 sq mi)
Established6 March 2009
Governing bodySouth African National Parks
www.sanparks.org/parks/garden-route
Garden Route National Park (South Africa)

The Garden Route National Park is a national park in the Garden Route region of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces in South Africa. It is a coastal reserve well known for its indigenous forests, dramatic coastline, and the Otter Trail. It was established on 6 March 2009 by amalgamating the existing Tsitsikamma and Wilderness National Parks, the Knysna National Lake Area, and various other areas of state-owned land.

The park covers about 1,210 km2 (470 sq mi) of land; of this, about 685 km2 (264 sq mi) was already part of the predecessor national parks. The park includes a continuous complex of approximately 605 km2 (234 sq mi) of indigenous forest.

The Garden Route National Park (Tsitsikamma, Knysna and Wilderness Sections) has a pleasant, temperate climate; it is unique in Africa as the only area in which rainfall occurs throughout the year.