Go! Hiking Guide 2021

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go2 min read
Mountain Therapy
The other day, I sat down on the contour path below Platteklip Gorge on Table Mountain. My soul was tired and I needed a half-hour stroll in Deer Park above the suburb where I live, but the paths on the mountain lured me higher, first to the King’s B
go1 min read
Go! Hiking Guide
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF (WEG & GO): PIERRE STEYN EDITOR GO! HIKING 2021: SOPHIA VAN TAAK COPY EDITORS: MARIJCKE DODDS, MARTINETTE LOUW, JON MINSTER ART DIRECTOR: LYNNE FRASER CARTOGRAPHER: FRANÇOIS HAASBROEK CEO MEDIA24: ISHMET DAVIDSON GENERAL MANAGER – MED
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Get A Map And Don’t Get Lost!
Most well-known hiking trails in South Africa have been mapped. Hikers usually receive a printed map with information about the trail, overnight spots and landmarks along the way. But what about places like the Wolkberg Wilderness Area (p44)? You won
go8 min read
Meet The Hikers
You sometimes forget how far north the Drakensberg stretches, all the way beyond Kaapsehoop in Mpumalanga. My husband Hancu and I often explore this area on day hikes, and we’ve also done the Kaapsehoop Trail (60km, 4 days). Like the Fanie Botha (p88
go5 min read
The Gurus’ Gear
This flask keeps my coffee hot and my Energade cold – for hours. The lid has a ring you can connect to a carabiner if you want to hang the flask from your bag or belt. The flask is double-walled for insulation, has a volume of 530 ml and is available
go6 min read
What Else Works?
Are you new to hiking? Treat yourself – or another newbie – to these basics. There are several reasons why this guide by Willie Olivier has been reprinted eight times. It lists more than 500 local hikes, from the shortest day hikes to the wildest mul
go7 min readDiet & Nutrition
Lightweight But Tasty
Dry weight per portion: Is it just a packet of air, or is there enough to eat? Ease of preparation: Will someone with sunstroke be able to make sense of the instructions? How long does it take to prepare? Packaging: Is it user-friendly and eco-friend
go10 min read
Greyton’s Greatest Hikes
Greyton Nature Reserve comprises 2 200 hectares around town. There are three entrances to this protected area: One at the top of Vlei Street, one in Park Street, and the lesser-known entrance on the other side of the Zig-Zag Trail. There’s a big map
go10 min read
Wild And Wonderful Wolkberg
The Wolkberg is not a place I would explore alone, so I recruited two friends and fellow mountain guides, Garry Townsend and Shane Anderson, to join me on an expedition. We only had three free days, so it would have to be a fast mission. The morning
go8 min read
Climb A Magic Mountain
I love surprises. As we drive out of Cape Town, I’m excited. For my (belated) 60th birthday, my hiking buddy Shaen Adey and some other friends have planned a mountaineering trip into the unknown – the unknown for me, at least! We leave the N1 at Worc
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Hike Under A Full Karoo Moon
It’s just after 1am on a Sunday, deep in the Karoo. The moon is almost full but it’s playing hide-and-seek. It draws silver linings around the clouds that hang like shredded flags against the dark grey sky. Seven people walk in silence on a deserted
go8 min read
Do It For Grandma!
When I was in school, we used to go on a hike on the first day of spring every year. This feels just like that. Look at all the blossoms! Our group of about 40 hikers set off from the farm Werda in the east of the Witzenberg Valley this morning and w
go11 min read
Termites For Tea
My five friends and I are on the stoep of Faans se Huis. As we tie our shoelaces and ready our backpacks, we watch a leopard tortoise patrolling the fence of a prickly pear field, looking for a hole to squeeze through. It’s going to be a fun week wit
go9 min read
A Slice Of Seashore To Call Your Own
De Hoop Nature Reserve is a 34000ha sliver of coastal wilderness between the mouth of the Breede River in the east and Arniston in the west. It also extends 5km out to sea – one of the largest marine protected areas in Africa. There are certain secti
go10 min read
Get Fit For The Fanie Botha!
“It’s like when Frodo runs down the forest path to greet Gandalf,” says my hiking buddy, Rachel Fischer. It’s our first day on the Fanie Botha Trail and Rachel, Annelize Mare and I have just started off from the Ceylon Hut, where the scenery is defin
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Thin Air And Mega Views
The journey begins in a rickety old Land Cruiser, chugging its way up the mountainside from Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge; 8km of pitching and bouncing along the utterly neglected road to the Sentinel car park. You could take your own vehicle, but only
go12 min read
Survivor IMfolozi
The night sky looks like a royal blue dome tent. The only light is the fire by my feet. I also have a headlamp, but the batteries have to last for a few more nights so I only switch it on when necessary. Meerkats have a sentry to watch for danger. On
go1 min read
Pass-to-pass 9km George
Marianne Barnard, George @mbarnard_gardenroute Pass-to-Pass is a trail that links the historical Montagu Pass with the Outeniqua Pass in the Outeniqua Mountains near George. Most people hike it one way, leaving a vehicle at the other end, but you can
go1 min read
Three Firs 6,5 Km Table Mountain
Helene de Wet, Somerset West @helendewet19 Our friend group varies in age from 64 to 76 years old, but we’re all still teenagers at heart. We use every opportunity to enjoy life and experience new places and things. In June 2021, we hiked up Table Mo
go1 min read
Wilderness Beach 19 Km Wilderness
Chris Leggatt, Wilderness @chriscrossingsa The walk between Sedgefield and Wilderness takes you across a long expanse of deserted beach – it’s a wonderful walk on a spring low tide, when the sand is hard and easy to traverse. I love the softness crea
go1 min read
Point Circuit 9km Plettenberg Bay
Andrew Barton, Gqeberha @andrew3008 Robberg is spectacular! Like the Comrades Marathon is for runners, this is the equivalent for walkers – every South African has to do it. Robberg is a peninsula that shields Plett from the brunt of the Indian Ocean
go1 min read
Kettlespout Falls 5,5 Km Hogsback
Louis Roodt, East London @louis_roodt Hogsback is in the Amatole Mountains. From the Hogsback Arboretum close to town, you can walk various paths through the state forest to the waterfall. You can also walk along Forest Drive to a parking area right
go1 min read
Panorama Trail 17 Km Jonkershoek Nature Reserve
Elsje Kemp, Stellenbosch @elsje_bob Jonkershoek never disappoints! My friend Chris Spies and I adapted the Panorama Trail a little – we started at the Second Waterfall Trail and went up a steep path called the Kurktrekker (corkscrew). From there, we
go1 min read
Tugela Falls 14 Km Royal Natal National Park
Nicolette Griffioen, Underberg @nicolette7g One of my all-time favourite South African day hikes is also a Drakensberg classic. Start early from the Sentinel car park and try to get to the edge of Tugela Falls by sunrise. There are few other day hike
go1 min read
Loerie Trail 14 Km Sabie
Hirome Shigeaki, Worcester @hirome_shigeaki The view of the 70 m-high Bridal Veil Falls makes every step of this hike worth it. It’s a tough day out, taking you through pine and eucalyptus plantations, as well as patches of indigenous forest. Besides
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Sleeping Beauty Cave 7,5 Km Garden Castle
Charlene McMurray, Ballito @charlsaccount I took this photo within the first half hour of our hike. It was chilly even though it was December – we were glad to be wearing beanies and jackets. It was stunning to walk through the wildflowers, and throu
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Miaspoort Trail 7km Klein Drakenstein Mountains
Alex Kock, Paarl @grondspore When the first snow fell this winter, my friend Riaan Storm and I wanted to head into the mountains to see it. Miaspoort is a challenge. It’s a very steep climb and the trail doesn’t see many hikers as a result. We figure
go5 min read
Awalk In The Veld
The dogs go nuts as soon as I step out onto the front stoep and put my cap on my head. We go for a stroll in the veld at around five every afternoon, and they know it. The two sausage dogs called Geitjie and Noetsie resemble yelping aquarium seals th
go1 min read
Africa At Its Best
The Fish River Canyon doesn’t have forests or abundant wildlife. A waterfall? Nope. A peak to climb? Also, no. So why do hikers speak of this place with such reverence? Because it’s so majestic. Just think: What did it look like – and sound like! – w

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