mare TV - South Africa: The Garden Route
Miles of sandy beaches, rugged cliffs, lagoons, deep forests and rugged mountains: these are the many faces of the Garden Route. "mareTV" travels South Africa's legendary coastal strip from Hermanus to Port Elizabeth. To the first Europeans who approached this area by ship, this landscape looked like a colorful garden. In the Knysna lagoon, a team of biologists has dedicated itself to saving a unique sea dweller. The Knysna seahorse is a distinct species and endangered. Part of the Garden Route is served by the historic Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe railroad. With his steam locomotive, engine driver Sydney pulls freight and passenger cars along a spectacular route: for several kilometers, it runs on stilts through the middle of the sea. At Hartenbos, the train passes a railroad graveyard where entire locomotives are welded apart, and at Mossel Bay station you can even spend the night in parked sleeping cars. Stingrays should not normally be approached too closely. But the stingray of Struis Bay is tame. 20 years ago he swam to shore. Fishermen provided him with tidbits in the harbor. Today, he even eats out of the swimmers' hands. When the Two Oceans Aquarium Cape Town captured the ray and put it in a tank, the residents of Struis Bay took to the streets. Until they got their ray back... The highlight of a trip through the Garden Route region is the Tsitsikamma National Park. In the language of the African people Khoi Khoi Tsitsikamma means "place of many waters".
Broadcasting on 12th of June 2022 at 03.15pm on NDR + Radio Bremen/ARD
Music: POPVIRUS Library