Wilderness is a beautiful town nestled between thickly forested hills and cliffs on the one side and a system of spectacular waterways, lakes, and lagoons along the coast. In the centre of the Wilderness National Park there is a rest camp that hires out paddleboats, row-boats, and canoes. At the camp a shop is available.

The town itself is situated at the mouth of the Touws River, where hippo's once used to play in the mud-holes. Wilderness is a very popular holiday resort and caters for every kind of tourist.

Hikers wont be disappointed by the 10-kilometer(6 mile) Pied Kingfisher trail which covers the river, marshes and lagoon. While hiking you will be able to see five of the ten kingfisher species of South Africa. For the bird-watchers there are two hides available in Upper-Langvlei and Rondevlei, which are located in the wilderness wetland marshes and draws birds from all over the country.

The wilderness lakes provide excellent opportunities for watersports like swimming, sailing, and waterskiing. Canoeists can explore the lagoon and channels. Surfers will enjoy the excellent waves and fishermen wont be disappointed by the ample fishing opportunities.

Over the years Wilderness has become a popular honeymoon destination. According to legend when George Bennet of Cape Town wanted to get married, his bride said yes on the condition that they live in Wilderness. He bought the whole area in 1877 for 500 english pounds and had to struggle to clear away some the forest just so that he could build a house. A real wilderness.