Three sections of the Garden Route National Park (Tsitsikamma, Knysna and Wilderness) have put new measures in place to make visits easier.

In Tsitsikamma, work is under way to build a third lane to allow traffic to move faster. There will also be extra staff at the gate from this week (12 December) to help with filling out indemnity forms. Rangers will also conduct spot checks on permits during their patrols of the camp, so visitors must ensure that they have their stickers after registration at the gate - red for day visitors and yellow for overnight visitors.

The official park hours are from 07h00 until 19h00, and visitors planning to visit the Cattle Baron must have reservations as no visitors will be allowed into the park after 19h00 without reservations.

The construction of the main gate is scheduled for completion in 2018. It is part of a R19 million (€1,2 million) project to upgrade infrastructure in the Storm River Rest Camp, which also includes the development of the visitor node around the Big Tree.

The Harkerville section of the Garden Route National Park was the area most affected by the Knysna fires in June. All the cycling and hiking routes are open, except for the two-day Harkerville Coastal hiking route.

In Sedgefield (Wilderness), new signage will be rolled out for walking dogs on Sedgefield beaches. The maps will also direct visitors to areas where dog walking is permitted. “Discussions were held with the local conservancies as well as dog walking representatives to finalise the zoning and design of the signage and maps,” said Jonathan Britton, Marine Ranger for Wilderness.

• Gericke’s Point to the Myoli beach remains a no dog walking zone
• Myoli to Cola and Platbank are still dog walking beaches.
• A leash-only zone has been introduced at Myoli beach.

The rezoning will help coastal bird populations and the red and orange zones are safe zones for coastal birds, such as the white-fronted plovers whose population has been declining nationally.

The same zoning is being tested on the Pletternberg Bay and Nature’s Valley beaches.