South Africa is a country famous for its trails cross amazing mountains and green forests. If you are looking for an adventurous hiking trails, South Africa is one of the top choices. I went South Africa just for a peaceful trip but it converted into an adventure as I explore the hiking trails. The path of the trails went through amazing forests and mountains. Now I will enlist some amazing hiking trails exist in South Africa.
Top Hiking Trails in South Africa
Below are the hiking trails in South Africa:-
The Otter Trail
The Otter trail is located in Garden Route National Park in South Africa. It lies along the cost of Tsitsikamma region for almost 42 km. While hiking this trail, hikers enjoy the amazing view of green forests, sea cliffs full of rocks and the beaches. The trail has 5 days hike with good campsites and well managed huts for night staying.
The Otter trail is not only amazing for its adventurous trail but also for its amazing experience for the coastal wilderness. The hikers cross the river streams, hikes over rocky paths and an amazing view of Indian Ocean. Every day ends with comfortable night in a hut.
Table Mountain’s Platteklip Gorge
This mountain located in Cape Town city of South Africa. Basically, Platteklip Gorge is a hiking trail located at Table Mountains. The significance of this trail is that it is one of the famous and difficult hiking routes at the top of Table Mountain. This hiking trail is best for the adventure lover hikers who look for adventurous paths for hiking. The 3 km slope trail is the direct path to the top and gives amazing view of the city. This trail has uneven path for almost 700 meters. For hiking on this trail, hikers should be well prepared and good boots and enough water.
One of the main features of this hiking path is reaching the iconic flat-topped peak. When the hikers reach to the peak, they witness an amazing view of Robben Island and Wineland. Several hikers through cable car visit their and makes an amazing trip for visitors of Cape Town.
The Drakensberg Amphitheatre Hike
This trail is located in the northern Drakensberg region. The Amphitheatre hike in the Royal Natal National Park is an amazing trail that features high cliffs and ridges over 1200 meters high. The trail itself is almost 12 km round trip usually takes almost 6-8 hours to complete the hike.
Hikers on the path of Amphitheatre enjoys the view of Tugela falls that is the world’s 2nd largest waterfall. The route also provides encounters with different floras, old Sand Rock art sites and the chance to spot baboons and several bird species. The cool mountain climate and fresh air makes the path amazing escape from urban life.
The Seweweekspoort Traverse
This hiking trails is located in the Klien Swartberg Mountain. It is a multi-day hiking adventure almost 65km through amazing mountain passes. This trail is recommended for those experienced hikers who look for solitude and wilderness. The path of this trail results in remote landscapes with less human presence.
The path features beautiful rocks, cliffs and natural pools perfect for cooling off after a long day trip. Alon the way, hikers encounter rare plant species and amazing views of the Cango Valley and Swartberg Range. Given the length of remoteness of the trail, thorough preparation and navigation skills are important.
Robberg Peninsula Trail
The Robberg Peninsula trail near Plettenberg Bay beautifully combine coastal hiking with rich biodiversity. This circular trail is almost 9km long and offer a mix of sandy beaches, rocky cliffs and forests. Hikers there usually witness local wildlife such as seals and dolphins on the offshore. The path of trail keeps changing with some rocky patches in between and makes it difficult to hike. This makes it suitable for intermediate hikers.
While hiking on this trail, hikers also witness birds and other species such as African black oystercatcher and Cape Sugabird. The combination of sea, sky and rough path make tourist and hikers refresh.
Conclusion
The trails of South Africa gives amazing natural beauty to the nature lover hikers. From coastal beauty to rough mountains, the trails have amazing view and sceneries. By hiking on these trails, hikers can witness the country’s amazing land and create long lasting memories.
FAQs
- What is the toughest hiking trail in South Africa?
Amatola is considered as the toughest hiking trail located in Eastern Cape. This trail is challenging of almost 100km and took several days to cmplete. This makes it toughest hiking trail in South Africa. - What is the highest hike in South Africa?
The highest hike in South Africa is the peak of Mafadi. This is almost 3,451 meters above the sea level. It is located between Drakensberg Mountain on the border between South Africa and Lesotho. - What is the name of the famous mountain in South Africa?
The most famous mountain in South Africa is Table Mountain. - Which mountain is one of the most popular places for tourists in South Africa?
Table Mountain is one of the famous places for tourists in South Africa.