The
coastal plain of the Garden Route is backed by the Outeniqua Mountains
which send rivers tumbling down their sides to meet the sea. Rocky
gorges make the mountains inaccessible, except to determined explorers,
but the passes that negotiate the mountains are essential detours
for travellers. The lush and tangled forests that have survived are
a reminder of the origin of their name ? Outeniqua means the
man laden with honey. Although the Khoi who named the land are gone
the descendants of the 18th century woodcutters still live deep in
the forest.