The Whale Trail is a must-do if you love hiking and appreciate the outdoors. The trail is suitable for medium-fitness hikers. It is a five day, 56-kilometre slack-packing trail through the De Hoop Nature Reserve that introduces you to some of the most beautiful scenes along the Western Cape coastline. The reserve is part of the Cape floral region and is a World Heritage Site that hosts one of the largest marine protected areas in Africa. Famous for the large pods of whales that congregate during breeding season annually.
Between June and November, scores of the large endangered Southern Right whale, calve close to the shoreline. That being said, the hike itself is just as wonderful when the whales are not present. De Hoop Reserve acts as a nursery to the young whales during breeding season. It is said to be one of the world’s best land-based whale-watching areas. The Southern Right whale spends the summer in the far Southern Ocean feeding close to Antarctica and migrates north in winter for warm-water breeding. If you’re lucky you’ll also see large schools of resident dolphins and seals, as well as sharks in the marine reserve.
Expanses of fynbos, grasses and proteas lie before you every step of the way. The landscape is constantly changing as is the vegetation. The first two days are mountainous and as you move along the coast on the third, fourth and fifth day, the coastal scenery is breathtaking. De Hoop is part of the Cape floral region, which is one of the planet’s smallest, and most threatened floral kingdoms. The reserve is essential in conserving rare lowland fynbos. De Hoop has an estimated 1,500 plant species.
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