Our Oystercatcher Trail experience started off on an inauspicious note when I realised, somewhere along the N2, that I’d left the chocolate cake behind.

It was a particularly nice chocolate cake, being chocolate fudge and pecan nut, and travel editor Richard, who was driving, was particularly unimpressed with me.

But it was too late to turn around, and the open road was calling, so we carried on, arriving at the tiny fishing village of Boggomsbaai at sunset on a Friday evening, with thunder crashing and lightning flickering in the sky.

The Oystercatcher, according to its developer Fred Orban, “is for people who like to suffer in comfort,” and that pretty much sums the trail up. Comfortable accommodation, three (very) square meals a day, ferrying of luggage, and personal guiding take all the hard work out of the walking trail — except for the slogging along the beach, of course.

A view from the Oystercatcher Trail…

Rated as one of the top 15 walking trails in South Africa by Getaway magazine, the leisurely four-day Oystercatcher Trail takes in the tail-end of the Garden Route, from Mossel Bay south to the Gourits river mouth.

We were doing the two-day option, and so joined the trail at Boggomsbaai one Friday night, with a thunderstorm to welcome us. Boggomsbaai, approximately midway along the Oystercatcher, is one of those forgotten places where romantic Cape vernacular-styled cottages overlook the long white beach — along with the facebrick-styled holiday home your neighbour thought was the last word in good taste. Quite.

Lofty ambitions
There’s a serious motive to the walk though, which aims to foster awareness of the African Black Oystercatcher. Despite its name, the oystercatcher feeds only on black and white mussels.

Everyone’s seen them — those distinctive black birds with the long red beaks and red eyes — but in fact it’s estimated that there are only around 5000 of them left along South Africa's coast. Like so many other species, they’re innocent victims of human development, with many falling prey to dogs, offroad vehicles, and fishermen. According to Fred, 38 of these birds call the trail area home, including 18 breeding pairs.

After a rather large breakfast on Saturday morning (and, if truth be told, a rather large supper the night before), Richard and I set off with our guide Willy Komani, suitably armed with lunch packs and — alas — raincoats.

A pair of African Black Oystercatchers

Seeing some oystercatchers on the rocks, Willy took a moment to explain their feeding habits.

"When the wave washes over the rock, the mussel opens its shell little bit —" he cups his hands together to show a partly-open shell "— and then the bird takes his beak, and reaches in, and he twists it, like so —" he mimes grabbing the mussel out of its shell with his hand.

Musings on mortality
Just off the coast of Fransmanshoek, our lunch-spot, the ‘Le Fortune’ man-o-war was wrecked in 1763. According to Willy, all 400 souls survived and walked the 400-kilometres back to Cape Town.

The terrain is mostly flat, with a lot of trudging through soft sand and a few small cliffs to negotiate. It’s basically a long beach walk and should be no problem even for those who haven’t been keeping up their gym attendance. It’s similar to the Cape Point hiking trail, although you’ll pass plenty of holiday cottages along the way, and it’s not as strenuous.

At sandy Snuifklip (apparently named after snuff), Willy paused. "Over here, they found the skeleton of a man. It was —" he drew the figures slowly on the sand with his stick, "two thousand five hundred years old".

Somehow it seems longer when you write it out like that. Two thousand five hundred years old. 2500 years old. That’s a lot of time.

The interior of our cottage at Boggomsbaai

Anyway. Our musings on mortality continued when we came across what appeared to be the Grim Reaper sunbathing on the beach, with white death’s-head and billowing black cloak — and then realised it was actually a dead seal. Phew.

That afternoon, mindful of rumbling thunder, we pushed it a bit and arrived at Kanonpunt, the next overnight cottage, around 4pm. Standing proud and alone on a windswept point, it’s an idyllic house in the traditional Cape fisherman’s cottage style where groups spend the last night of the trail.

The white mussel expedition
It was starting to rain in earnest now, but we were determined not to be deprived of an essential experience — hunting for white mussels buried in the sand. We’d been led to believe there were veritable forests of white mussels on the beach simply waiting to be plucked. But I guess they didn’t like us. Or something.

Digging our feet into the sand in the 'white mussel shuffle', digging frantically, finding nothing, moving on. At last I felt something sharp and unexpectedly large, and yelled, “I’ve got one!” Bent over, pulling with both hands, I was completely soaked when a wave crashed over me, but was too thrilled to notice or even care.

“I’m not letting go,” I vowed through salty lips while lightning crashed around me.

It’s a walk on the beach…

“Great!” said Richard, as he started digging next to me. “They’re normally found in banks.” He too found a decent-sized mussel and both went into my pockets.

But that was all the luck we were going to get. Another rainy twenty minutes went by before we gave up and headed back to the cottage, to enjoy our spoils as a tasty hors d’ouevre.

We were dogged by thunderstorms all weekend, and the last day was no different. Sunday morning was the shortest day of the trail, made even shorter by the relentless drizzle which hastened our steps. An hour’s walk from Kanonpunt brings you to the Gourits River and a scenic boat trip, which was where the rain really let loose, before the trail finishes with a champagne breakfast — or in our case, tea and cake to comfort chilled extremities. We finished the trail somewhat wet, somewhat muddy and rather cold, but very satisfied with our weekend walk.


The Oystercatcher Trail introduces walkers to a not-quite-pristine stretch of coast, with human development almost always visible. On the plus side, this is the walk to do if you enjoy meeting people — you’re constantly being offered tea or coffee and everyone’s always eager for a chat.

Everything about the Oystercatcher Trail is outsourced. Fred may have initiated the trail and built some of the cottages, but the local community provides guides, cooks, accommodation and warm hospitality, making the trail’s success a team effort.

The four-day, four-night trail begins at Mossel Bay and finishes at the mouth of the Gourits River. Cost is R2685 for everything (including accommodation, food, guides and portaging) except alcohol. Those with less time can consider the 'Weekend' option, a two-day, two-night trail costing R1380. Hikers on the weekend option would spend the first night at Boggomsbaai and the second at Kanonpunt, to end at the Gourits.

Discounts are available for youth groups and children under 12 sharing with parents.

For more information, visit The Oystercatcher Trail website or contact Fred Orban on (044) 699 1204 or via email to forban@mweb.co.za