Head for the hills
The Lotheni Camp is very central and you can hike in various directions.
The Wolkberg Trail in the Tzaneen region is a challenging hike of 18 km.
This grandmother from Modimolle loves to lace up her hiking boots. Sophia Potgieter shares her five favourite hiking trails.
Lotheni Camp in the Drakensberg
The Lotheni Camp is very central and you can hike in various directions. One autumn morning in April I crawled out of my tent to be greeted by this picture. It was dead quiet and the mist totally enfolded us. The weather improved later. Book well in advance if you want to go.
Contact: 033 702 0540; www.kznwildlife.com
zaneen’s Cloud Mountain
The Wolkberg Trail in the Tzaneen region is a challenging hike of 18 km. We started hiking late in the morning and only finished in the dark, but we were rewarded with the most beautiful scenery.
The mist in the distance shows how “Misty Mountain” got its name. We also slid down “Oom Paul se neus”, a narrow, slippery crevice between two cliffs. From a distance it looks like a nose in profile.
Contact: 082 808 4030 (Louis Fouché); 015 583 0118 (Wolkberg Nature Reserve)
The Waterberg mountain kingdom
The Waterberg mountains are only about 7 km north of Modimolle, and have something new to offer on every hike.
Sometimes, when you’re on the plateau, you almost forget that you’re high up in the mountains. Then there are kloofs and cliffs that make you feel small and insignificant. When you’re hot from hiking, you’ll find a clear mountain pool to cool off in – just remember to take your cellphone out of your pocket first!
Contact: 014 743 3540 (Serendipity Eco Trails)
Hanglip in the Soutpansberg
This trail is outside Louis Trichardt. The tropical climate of the indigenous forest at the foot of the cliff wall that ends at Hanglip ensures a relatively cool hike through diverse vegetation. Keep a lookout for the turn-off to the overnight hut! The roof and walls
of the rondavel are formed by boulders stacked on top of one another.
Contact: 013 754 2724 (Komatiland Eco-tourism)
Tsitsikamma hiking trail
In this shot, we just started hiking the Tsitsikamma Trail at Nature’s Valley. From the Bloukrans Hut you climb the steep path up Pig’s Head. At the top there’s a 360-degree view of the sea and the fields on the plateau. There are also enormous proteas and ferns in the kloof. The silence is heavenly.
Contact: 044 302 5600 (Garden Route National Park); www.sanparks.org
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