Four Trail Hiking Series

Four Trail hiking series. Epic!! 

Tsitsikamma

Alexandria

Strandloper 

Shipwreck

Trail 1: Tsitsikamma

The Tsitsikamma Trail is a hiking paradise, journeying through extensive indigenous afromontane forest and mountain fynbos. Ancient river gorges and abundant rivers and streams remind us of the creative power of water and the origins of the word Tsitsikamma. This is an enchanted world where echoes of past giants such as elephant and buffalo can still be felt. Some of the finest specimens of South Africa’s national tree, the Outeniqua yellowwood, keep sentinel over the forest canopy while hikers clamber over their enormous roots beneath.

Beginning in Nature’s Valley and ending 62.3km further at either the Storms River Bridge or Village, this six day, unidirectional trail takes hikers through the heart of the Tsitsikamma Mountains.

Trail 2: Addo's Alexandria Hiking Trail

Hiking the two-day Alexandria Hiking Trail in Addo Elephant National Park is an unforgettable experience that leads the hiker through three distinctly different environments ranging from forest to coastal dunes, to seashore. No other trail in the country can boast this diversity, as you clamber up the desert-like dunes and stand aloft cliffs crumbling into the sea, trek through high forest, and along spectacular beaches. The trail traverses sand dunes of the largest coastal dune field in the Southern Hemisphere. Fantastic! 

Trail 3. Strandloper. 

The Strandloper Trail runs from the Kei River Mouth to Gonubie - almot 60 kms of gorgeous beaches, rivers, cliff tops and coastal forests. It’s not called Strandloper (beach walker) for nothing

Trail 4: Shipwreck

This six day, five night hike takes you along the Shipwreck Coast. The hike includes the sheer beauty of this wild, unspoilt strip of coast, beautiful estuaries, showering in the rough, cooking your food over a bush fire and a complete escape from civilisation.

The scenery is exquisite and the trail takes advantage of the unspoiled natural beauty of the environment to deliver an experience that is diverse and interesting. From the beach to the mountain, dune to the forest, and a canoe trip up the Klenemond River. Each hut is completely different, adding to the magic of the hike.

Table Mountain’-Kirstenbosch Excursion (2 Days / 1 night)

Overnight at the Overseers Cottage, located high above Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and the Southern Suburbs of the city, overlooking False Bay. By the evening all the day walkers have left, the experience of the tranquility is great.

Description

Day 1

Enjoy a leisurely walk through the Gardens until you reach the contour path, where the mountain hike begins. From here your mountain guide will select the route to be taken to the top, according to the group’s ability and the weather. The walk to Overseers Cottage is approximately 2 – 3 hours.

However it is great to first explore around the Back of Table Mountain and enjoy lunch somewhere on the back table before heading to the Overseers Cottage in the late afternoon. Visit the railway museum and the old reservoirs. On to Kasteelspoort for the vital photograph of ‘the diving board’ that overlooks Camps Bay and the Atlantic Coastline, far below. In the evening enjoy the fire place, the stars and tranquility on Table Mountain.

Day 2

Set off along the historic Smuts Track towards Skeleton Gorge and Nursery Ravine and Echo Valley, on your way to Maclears Beacon and the highest point of the mountain. Enjoy the interesting rock formations, the spectacular views and the wide variety of fynbos species, including proteas, ericas, restios and many others. Enjoy lunch on the way to the top of Platteklip Gorge and the Western Table en route to the cable station. The final challenge is the walk off the Table, down the steep, but well defined Platteklip Gorge route. Weather permitting, there is an optional alternative of taking the easy way down with a ride in the cable car. 

Cape of Good Hope Overnight Trail

The Cape of Good Hope Overnight Trail is a two-day, one-night trail that follows a circular route through the reserve. The trail begins and ends at the Cape Point entrance. The total distance of the hike ± 33 km (you can add 10-12km extra by walking around Cape Point and taking longer routes and loops). The trail can be done either clock or anticlockwise. 

Day one, ± 23km, or longer day of the trail takes hikers through some of the most pristine wilderness of the reserve, cutting through vast plains of fynbos and over isolated beaches, populated only by ostrich, baboons, bontebok, eland and klipspringer. Wildlife, though skittish, is often seen on the route, and dynamic plant and birdlife abound. 

The overnight Hut is perfectly situated with breath-taking views. Very special! 

The second day, or shorter day, 1 ± 13km, is very rocky and included a lot of ups and downhills but very scenic. For most of the hike you are walking near the edge of the cliffs, with stunning views of the ocean and the rest of the reserve. 

Longer day ±23 km:

Shorter day ± 15 km:

 

Ziplining in Cape Town

Day 28. We go ziplining in Cape Town. Lovely scenery and loads of fun!! 

Cape Town Ziplines boarders on the Table Mountain National Park Reserve.  Walking and ziplining between the 12 PLATFORMS, it feels like being inside the Table Mountain Nature Reserve since it is surrounded by natural beauty, fauna and flora. 

The Zipline experience offers you a tour of the cables starting high in the mountain and slowly descending down the slopes. The platforms offer visitors the most amazing panoramic views of Cape Town.

Guides on the tour will assist with your extreme journey and ensure you have a memorable experience. Some of the Ziplines are as high as 155 Meters with the tree top canopy below and the longest of the Ziplines in the tour is just under 500 meters.

It is truly fantastic.

South Africa Tour: Day 47 Cobra Cars

Day 47 of our virtual tour and we will explore Cape Town in the most unique way possible… from the seat of a Cobra car. Relax in the seat with the wind in your hair and enjoy the scenic beauty of Capetown and surrounding areas. An unforgettable experience.

South Africa Tour: Day 46 Skydiving and Paragliding Capetown

Day 46 of our virtual tour through South Africa and we will explore the beautiful Capetown with Sidecars and Tandem Paragliding from Lionshead. Lovely and loads of fun!

South Africa Tour: Day 45 Skydiving and Speedboat

Day 45 of our virtual tour is action packed! We will go skydiving and go on a speed boat.

Skydiving. Perfect for first time jumpers/parachuters a tandem skydive is a quick and easy way of experiencing the thrill of free fall. It also is a ridiculous amount of fun! 

On a tandem skydive, you are strapped to a Tandem Master with a special harness that’s attached to a state of the art parachute large enough to support both of you. You will enjoy a spectacular 20 minute aircraft ride to 9,000ft above ground level, experiencing the finest views of the West Coast, Cape Town, Robben Island and Table Mountain.

Then it's action time! Out the door for a 120mph/ 200kph freefall for about 30 seconds. Your Tandem Master opens the parachute at about 5000ft, and a peaceful 5 minute parachute ride to the ground follows where you may be able to assist in steering the parachute 

The speedboat is an action packed eco-adventure boat ride around Cape Town’s unspoilt coastline. Experience an eco-adventure aboard a stunning Rigid-hulled Inflatable Boat – a combination of power and exploration as you cruise the Atlantic coastline to view the spectacular sea and birdlife, under the guidance of experienced skippers.

The experienced skippers will share with you the beauty of the ocean as well as the beauty of the Cape Town Atlantic coastline with a chance to see Cape Fur Seals, Dolphins, Whales, Penguins and Sun Fish and potentially much more as you search the bay for sea life.

South Africa Tour: Day 44 Helicopter

Day 44 of our South Africa Tour and we enjoy a Scenic Helicopter in Cape Town: the Most Epic Way to Experience the City

You don’t have to be a high flyer to enjoy a breathtaking helicopter ride over Cape Town.

There are several packages to suit every budget and occasion, from a 20-minute ride over the Atlantic Seaboard to a 3-hour flight into the Winelands.

Photos credit: NAC Helicopters & Andriette Pretorius