Bad weather forces evacuation of Otter Trail hikers

Hikers were being evacuated from the Otter Trail on Wednesday as bitterly cold and stormy weather swept the Southern Cape coast, the Garden Route National Park said.

The picturesque 43km, five-day trail had been closed until further notice, park spokesperson Zanemvula Gozongo said.

He said rangers went in on foot on Wednesday morning to evacuate the 29 hikers currently on the trail after park authorities decided that the massive waves pounding the coast posed a threat to their safety.

Much of the trail runs along the rugged Tsitsikamma coastline, and hikers also have to make river crossings.

Gozongo said the park’s rest camp at Nature’s Valley had also been closed due to a surging sea and high winds.

It was earlier reported that lapping waves had reached as high as the top of the wheels of hikers’ cars parked at Nature’s Valley.

The weather service has warned of snow, rain, gale-force winds and waves of up to 9m in the area as a series of cold fronts sweep through.—Sapa