I love the garden route! I grew up in South Africa and lived mostly in Paarl, Stellenbosch and Cape Town but whenever I got the chance I would go up to George, Knysna, Sedgefield and Wilderness and just explore for days on end! One of my favourite spots was following the river up from the Ebb and Flow Camp site in Wilderness. Loads of rock pools to swim in! Stunning peaceful, surreal environment! I've never been on the otter trail but I will be sure to check it out next time I'm in South Africa, thank you for the great recommendation! Btw just a word of advice to anyone visiting South Africa. Getting mugged is not the only danger you can run into. Snakes like puff adders like to lie across foot paths and trails to bask in the sunlight and are very loathe to move. If you come across one do not attempt to cross over the snake. If you are bitten by a puff adder you have about 2 minutes to apply anti-venom serum. After that you will go into cardiac arrest and your nervous system will shutdown with severe multi organ failure! Venomous spiders and other insects are also plentiful in this part of the world so just remain aware of your surroundings and you will be fine. Generally it is safe to say that you should not encounter a puff adder on the otter trail as it is not their natural environment. You are however more likely to come across a boomslang! An equally venomous snake that lives in trees (the Afrikaans word- boom means tree and the word slang means snake, hence boomslang!) They are back fanged so it is more difficult for them to bite you but be wary if they do, also about the same amount of time as the puff adder bite to receive medical attention or anti venom serum! Not wanting to scare away anyone from hiking in South Africa, just to be careful and most certainly don't do it alone!