The Tsitsikamma
Storms River · the Big Tree
Old-growth forest running down to the sea, and the best known yellowwood in the country.
Walking trails
Stays near the TsitsikammaWhere to see
Where to see the Outeniqua Yellowwood in South Africa
The Outeniqua yellowwood is the giant of South Africa’s forests, a straight, grey trunk rising out of the Afromontane forest of the Garden Route and the Eastern Cape. Most of the old trees were felled for timber in the 1800s; those left standing are protected, and some are many centuries old.
Afrocarpus falcatus
Planning a trip
When and where to find the Outeniqua Yellowwood
The Outeniqua yellowwood is the giant of South Africa’s forests, a straight, grey trunk rising out of the Afromontane forest of the Garden Route and the Eastern Cape.
Where to base yourself
- The Tsitsikamma
The Knysna forests
Garden Route National Park
The Knysna forestsDiepwalle, Goldfields and the forest walks above Knysna and Wilderness.
Walking trailsStays on the Garden Route
Species
Afrocarpus falcatus
Records
2,579
iNaturalist observations
Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.
Questions travellers ask
A record means a host has seen the Outeniqua Yellowwood on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.
More about the Outeniqua Yellowwood
The Outeniqua yellowwood is the giant of South Africa’s forests, a straight, grey trunk rising out of the Afromontane forest of the Garden Route and the Eastern Cape. Most of the old trees were felled for timber in the 1800s; those left standing are protected, and some are many centuries old.
The best known is the Big Tree at Storms River in the Tsitsikamma, reached on a short boardwalk through the forest. The Knysna forests, the Diepwalle and Goldfields walks, and the forests above Wilderness and Hogsback have more of them, along with stinkwood, ironwood and the real yellowwood, South Africa’s national tree.
The forest is cool and green all year. Go early for the birds, Knysna Turaco and Narina Trogon among them.
Where is the Big Tree?
At Storms River in the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park, a short walk from the N2 on a boardwalk through the forest.
Is the yellowwood South Africa’s national tree?
The real yellowwood, Podocarpus latifolius, is. The Outeniqua yellowwood is its taller cousin, and both grow in the forests of the Garden Route.
When is the best time to see the Outeniqua Yellowwood?
The Outeniqua Yellowwood is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep; Tsitsikamma National Park: Apr-Sep; Garden Route National Park: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct; Giants Castle Game Reserve: year-round, dry season May-Sep. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.
What is the Outeniqua Yellowwood?
Afrocarpus falcatus (syn. Podocarpus falcatus) is a species of tree in the family Podocarpaceae. It is native to the montane forests of southern Africa, where it is distributed in Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, and Swaziland.
Stays that give back
Where to stay for a chance to see the Outeniqua Yellowwood
Every stay on the Outeniqua Yellowwood page lists the species its host has recorded on or near the property. A record is a sighting, never a promise.
See where to stay