Dutch couple attacked at Garden Route National Park

Two Dutch tourists have been mugged and robbed of their valuables while walking a nature trail at Wilderness on the Garden Route.

SANParks said on Tuesday its rangers and police officials are on high alert after the robbery.

"We received the news with shock at about 14.30 yesterday and immediately responded by increasing the number of rangers patrolling the Brown Hooded trail‚" said Paddy Gordon‚ park manager of the Garden Route National Park.

Gordon said the couple had been walking on the Brown-hooded trail in Wilderness.

"They are staying in a private establishment close to the National Park.

"The couple is expected to attend a trauma debriefing session organised by the police.

"While SAPS continues to search for the suspects‚ SANParks has escalated the number of patrols on the trail and continues to engage the policing forum for Wilderness."

Gordon said while this is the first criminal incident reported in Wilderness‚ "SANParks is requesting all visitors to its trails to not make expensive valuables visible while on trails. This includes jewellery‚ cameras‚ cellphones" and other items.

The Brown-hooded trail is a three-hour linear route which is about 5km. It goes through forest patches and hikers get to cross the Duiwe River at least five times whilst on the trail.

In September last year‚ dozens of elderly Dutch tourists‚ who had just arrived at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg for a three-week holiday in South Africa‚ were attacked by armed robbers posing as police. The suspects apparently followed them from the airport.