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Hike South Africa

Cederberg day hikes

The Cederberg lies in the Western Cape, a few hours’ drive north of Cape Town. The Cederberg Complex includes the Cederberg Wilderness Area, Matjiesrivier Nature Reserve and Hexberg Nature Reserve, and is managed by CapeNature. This CapeNature document provides a good overview addressing climate, fauna, flora, rock art, and more: https://www.capenature.co.za/uploads/files/CapeNature-Cederberg-2025.pdf My post only covers […]

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Hike South Africa

Leopard Trail – Baviaanskloof

The Leopard Trail has become one of South Africa’s most popular multiday hiking trails. The hike follows a circular route and takes place over four days and three nights. It is usually fully booked well in advance. Many hikers extend the Leopard Trail by adding on the Cedar Falls day hike. Where is the Leopard […]

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Hike South Africa

Otter Trail

The legendary Otter Trail is a multiday hike along the spectacular unspoiled coastline between Storms River Mouth and Nature’s Valley in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The trail is 45 km in distance over five days and four nights. Booking the Otter Trail The Otter Trail is so popular, that you need to book a […]

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Golden Gate Highlands National Park Hikes and Area Guide

Golden Gate Highlands National Park is in the north-eastern Free State Province of South Africa, just north of Lesotho. The main focus of Golden Gate is the sandstone formations, including outcrops, cliffs, and caves, with their varied hues of ochre. There is a public road, the R712, that runs through the park. You can see […]

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Northern Drakensberg Hikes and Area Guide

The iconic view of the northern Drakensberg mountains is the Amphitheatre – an impressive, curved wall of basalt cliffs.Tugela Falls, the world’s tallest waterfall, drops over the Amphitheatre escarpment into the gorge below in 5 tiers. Tugela Falls may be very high, but it is low volume as it has a small drainage area. There […]

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Hike South Africa

Longer hikes in and around Gauteng

There are several hiking venues and hiking trails in and around Gauteng, but many hikers prefer a trail that provides some distance and elevation change (gain and loss). In general, I will be covering day hiking trails that are 10 km or more in length and have more than 400 m (total) elevation gain. Bokmakierie […]

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Monks Cowl Reserve in the Drakensberg

Where is Monks Cowl Reserve? Monks Cowl Reserve is in the central Drakensberg in KwaZulu-Natal and forms part of the Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site. It was previously known as Monk’s Cowl Forest Station. (The apostrophe seems to have been dropped in the official naming). In Google Maps, the location is indicated as Monks Cowl […]

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Hike South Africa South Africa

Encountering baboons in the wild

When away from the city for a break, I sometimes go for short walks on my own to exercise and enjoy nature. In recent times, I have often encountered baboons. A few months ago, on my outward-bound walk, I came across a troop of baboons. I called out my usual, “Hey baboons, I’m coming,” in […]