Day hikes and luxury slackpacking trails in the Eastern Cape Drakensberg

Hi Juanita,

Love your site on blogspot. If you could add our Wartrail Skywalk it would be fantastic.

Location: Wild Mountain Adventures
Name of Reserve / Area: Eastern Cape Drakensberg
Nearest Town: Barkly East / Rhodes
Province: Eastern Cape
Country: South Africa

Directions to get there:

ROSSTREVOR GUEST FARM
GPS Coordinates:  S 30° 48' 30"      E 27° 35' 33"
From Barkly East take the R58 towards Aliwal North. After 3kms turn right (signed New England & Tiffindell). Follow this road for approx 9kms crossing the Kraai River at Loch Bridge (National Monument). You might want to pause at the layby further up this cutting to take in the scenic views including the famous Barkly Railway Reverses (only 3 of their kind in the world).

At the T junction turn right (signed Wartrail/Tiffindell) and follow this road for 11kms. Rosstrevor is on the left hand side - look out for the 'Cattle Crossing' road sign and our stunning sandstone barn.

Duration of hike:
4 day slackpacking trail – approx 4-6 hours hiking per day.

Best time of year to go:
A typical highland climate with moderate summers and cold winters. The area has summer rainfall with afternoon thunderstorms. It is suggested that you start your trails early in the morning so that you have descended the mountain soon after lunchtime. There is not much shade on the hike, but the temperatures are never opressively hot at this altitude.


Fresh Water:
Fresh water provided at at all overnight stops and you can safely drink from any of the mountain streams and fountains. as we hike very close to the sources and  there is no habitation in-between.

Difficulty:
Would need to be reasonably fit. We are hiking at altitudes of 1800m-2200m and there are steep inclines and descents. If necessary we can adapt the trail to a less strenuous contour route. No climbing required.


You might also want to give your version of the Mike Lundy rating which is a combination of the following two grades:

3C

1 = Easy stroll;
2 = Moderate;
3 = Streunous excersise;
4 = Only for the very fit

plus
A = No exposure to heights;
B = Mild exposure to heights;
C = Moderate exposure to heights;
D = Very exposed to heights;

Pets:
Not recommended as we are walking through sheep faming country.

How safe is it:
Extremely safe area and fully guided.

What costs did you incurr to do this hike:
R3,575-R4,395 depending on the numbers.
This is a luxury slackpacking trail that includes:
Guest Farm accommodation (approx 3*)
Guiding by farm owners each day
Fully catered: Famhouse breakfast, packed lunch and delicious home-cooked dinners

Pics taken by:
Wartrail and New England Community Tourism Association

Describe the hike from beginning to end:
I have not been on this route, but it comes highly recommended by Kate of Wild Mountain Adventures :)   Thanks for sending us this route Kate. I hope our readers will come and join you! Regards, Juanita


Contact:Kate Nelson
Wild Mountain Adventures
Rosstrevor & Millard Guest Farms
PO Box 101, Barkly East 9786, Eastern Cape
Tel: 079 536 3996
Web: www.wildmountainadventures.co.za
Email Wild Mountain
Skype: kate.nelson101

The Big Tree in the Tsitsikamma forest

Hiking Trail: Big Tree and Ratel Trail
Name of Reserve / Area: Tsitsikamma National Park
Nearest Town: Storms River Village, Plettenberg Bay
Province: Garden Route
Country: South Africa



Duration of hike: 1 - 2 hours depending on how far you wish to walk. The boardwalk to the Big Tree is a 1km circular walk, from there you can continue along the path for up to just over 4km walk to more big trees and fallen giants.



Directions to get there: From Cape Town, take the N2 towards Plettenberg bay. About 60km pass Plettenberg bay, and just after the turn to Storms River Village on your right, is the turn to the left which takes you to the parking area for the Big Tree walk.



Contact Information:
SANparks - Tsitsikamma Indigenous Forest
Phone: +27 (0) 42 281 1557
www.sanparks.org



This is a 800 year old Yellow wood tree, with a height of 36.6m, Trunk length is 18.3m and it takes 8 adults holding hands around the girth.

Best time of year to go: Anytime.



What costs did you incur to do this hike: R8-00 Adults and R4-00 Children
Free entry (if you are a South African Citizen) for Wild Card Holders (www.wildinafrica.com)



How safe is it: Even though we felt very safe walking through the forest, we are always equipped with a mace pray and a shocker.



Visitors Hours: 06h00 - 18h00



Fresh Water: All running water in the river is drinkable. The brown colour of the water is due to tannins and humic acids leached from leaf litter on the forest floor.



Difficulty: Three routes have been laid out and colour coded with red (4.2km), yellow (2.6km) and green (1km) footprints giving a choice of walking distances. All three these walks are relatively easy.



Pets: No pets allowed in the park.



Permits:
Access to the Ratel Nature Walk (after you have entered the park for the Big Tree Trail) can be obtained by means of self-issue permits that are available at the start of the walk. You are requested to carry your permit with you at all times.




How will I rate this hike? We loved the neatly laid out boardwalks. Its always sad to see only 1 or 2 of the 800 year old trees around, but its good to know they are still standing.



I was so excited to see a Knysna Dwarf Chameleon. He survived a crowd of 8 people walking over him.



These chameleons are a favourite for the very poisonous boomslang that frequents the eastern cape region. The boomslang is a very non-aggressive and shy snake, which makes the risk of a bite very low. We happen to run into a female boomslang later on in our travels, I was so excited to finally see one in the wild - wowee :)

Storms River Mouth Circular Route

Hiking Trail: Storms River Mouth Circular Route

Name of Reserve / Area: Tsitsikamma Coastal National Park
Nearest Town: Storms River, Plettenberg Bay
Province: Garden Route
Country: South Africa




Directions to get there: From Cape Town, take the N2 towards Plettenbergbay. About 60km pass Plettenbergbay, and just after the Blaauwkrantz River is a turn to the right which takes you to the entrance of the Tsitsikamma National Park by the Storms River Mouth Rest Camp.




Contact Information:
SANparks - Tsitsikamma Section
Phone: +27 (0) 42 281 1607
Reservations: +27 (0) 12 428 9111
www.sanparks.org/parks/tsitsikamma
reservations@sanparks.org




Duration of hike: 1 hour





Best time of year to go: Anytime.

What costs did you incur to do this hike:
Entrance to the Park: Free entry (if you are a South African Citizen) for Wild Card Holders.
Accommodation: Cost varies from Camping to Stunning self Catering log cabins of up to R900 per night in season.
Actual hike: Free when in the park.

How safe is it: We felt very safe walking in the park.




Fresh Water: Only at the camp, none on the route.






Difficulty: Easy, short 2km circular walk. Most of the walk is fairly flat and on the boardwalk. The route continues - after the main suspension bridge over the Storms River Mouth, up the cliff about 300m above.

Pets: No pets allowed in the park.




After you cross over the hang-bridge, the route continues to the lookout point ontop of the hill.



A short easy climb takes you to view the Storms River Mouth resort from the other side...







We stopped here for a short coffee break and to enjoy the view.



Having gone back down the mountain, the route takes you back on the lower level of the boardwalk to the campsite.







How will I rate this hike? Very easy, but so beautiful and well worth visiting.