The Touw River cuts through the dunes to reach the sea at the western end of Wilderness Beach. Behind the dune ridge the river widens into a calm tannin-coloured lagoon, sheltered from the ocean and ideal for canoes, paddleboards and small dinghies. The estuary mouth opens and closes seasonally depending on rainfall and sandbar dynamics.
Canoes can be rented at Ebb and Flow rest camp inside the national park, or in the village itself from one of the activity operators. Paddle upstream past the railway bridge and you enter indigenous milkwood forest; the river narrows and snakes for several kilometres before reaching a small waterfall. The whole route is part of the Touw River canoe trail.