South Africa
Description
Located on the southern tip of the African continent, South Africa offers an enormous variety of landscapes and is a popular hiking destination. Famous are the alpine Drakensberg mountain range, the Blyde River Canyon, the Eastern Cape Wild Coast, Cedarberg, and the Otter Trail along the southern Tsitsikamma Coast. And there is so much more!
South Africa counts a full 21 National Parks, many of which have hiking or backpacking trails. Take a look at the excellent website of South African National Parks (or SANParks), which also offers online bookings.
Hiking being popular, there are a multitude of other hiking clubs and tour operators offering their services, ranging from booking lodging to providing guides and even transporting your luggage from one hut to the next (euphemistically called 'slackpacking').
Surrounded by both the Atlantic and Indian Ocean, South Africa's climate is largely temperate, though there are some inland extremes in terms of high and low temperatures. Best time for hiking in South Africa is generally during the dry and cool season, between March and November.
Trails
Regions
Links
Facts
- South African Hiking Trails
Website giving a good overview of and info about hiking trails in South Africa. By Wilhelm van der Hoven from Johannesburg.
- South African National Parks
Official website of South African National Parks (or SANParks), giving good general info on all parks and their facilities.
- Trailinfo on South African hiking trails
Nice website, though it looks pretty outdated. Just browse around and you will find quite a lot of info.
- Trails for Africa
Though also a commercial tour operator, the Trails for Africa website also gives info on what they call self-organise-trails, particularly in South Africa.
- KanStra Travel
Website by Rolf Kanwischer aiming to provide info on (among other things) hiking trails in South Africa and Namibia.
- Linx Africa trails list
Commercial website giving an overview and short descriptions of mostly day-hikes and some longer hikes in different parts of South Africa, but mostly linked to specific accommodations or other commercial parties.
Reports
- Ralph Pina's Blog
Great blog to browse around. Ralph reports on countless hikes he does in South Africa, with nice pictures too.
- Outdoor Adventures
Interesting website on outdoor activities in South Africa, particularly for the Trail Reports (click on Trails). Although the website itself looks a bit outdated, the info appears to be pretty up-to-date. Nice to browse around.
- Stephan de Klerk's hiking album
Photographic reports of hikes along different trails in South Africa.
Guides and maps
- The Maps
Online shop selling books and (hiking) maps.
Lodging
Organisations
- Footprint Hiking Club
Website of the Footprint Hiking Club, with numerous reports and info on short and long hikes in South Africa. Fun to browse around.
- Johannesburg Hiking Club
Website of the Johannesburg Hiking Club, South Africa.
- Meridian Hiking Club
Meridian Hiking Club is based in Cape Town, South Africa.
- Mountain Club of South Africa (MCSA)
Official website of the national Mountain Club of South Africa.
- Pretoria Dapper Stappers Club
Website of the Pretoria Dapper Stappers Klub/Club (PDSK). They organise hikes and offer GPS Maps too.
- South African Mountaineering Development and Training Trust
Website by the South African Mountaineering Development and Training Trust. May be of use.
- Florida Hiking and Adventure Club
Website of the South African Florida Hiking and Adventure Club, giving some info and reports on hikes in South Africa.
Tour operators
GPS
- GPS Maps by the Pretoria Dapper Stappers Klub/Club
GPS maps by the Pretoria Dapper Stappers Klub/Club
Other
Books
Netherlands
2010
- Wandelgids Drakensbergen - Walking in the Drakensberg Zuid Afrika | Cicerone |
- Uitstekende wandelgids van dit geweldige gebied. goed beschreven met veel praktische informatie om de route te kunnen lopen, inclusief redelijke kaarten. Walking guide to u-Khahlamba-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, accessible from Johannesburg, Harrismith, Pietermaritzburg and Durban. 75 day walks, from 1 to... Read more
- Also available from:
- The Book Depository, United Kingdom
- Cicerone Press , United Kingdom
United Kingdom
2010
- Walking in the Drakensberg
- 75 Walks in the Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park Read more
United Kingdom
2010
- Walking in the Drakensberg
- Walking guide to u-Khahlamba-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, accessible from Johannesburg, Harrismith, Pietermaritzburg and Durban. 75 day walks, up to 20km, in Royal Natal National Park, Cathedral Peak, Monk's Cowl, Injisuthi, Giant's Castle, Highmoor, Kamberg, Lotheni, Cobham, Garden Castle. Read more
Germany
2010
- Iwersen, Walter: Südafrika West
- 65 Touren in den Kap-Provinzen Rother Wanderführer. 1. Auflage. Read more
- Also available from:
- De Zwerver, Netherlands
Netherlands
2010
- Wandelgids Zuid Afrika - west / Südafrika West Die schönsten Wanderungen und Trekkingtouren | Rother verlag |
- Duitstalige wandelgids met zeer goed beschreven wandelingen in de genoemde gebieden. Redelijk kaartmateriaal, vooral de beschrijving van de route en de praktische info die er bij hoort is meer dan goed. Südafrika ist für Naturliebhaber ein Reiseziel der Superlative. Kaum ein Land der Welt verfügt über solch einen Artenreichtum in der Tier-... Read more
Netherlands
2009
- Wandelgids Top 12 Hiking Trails of the Western Cape - Zuid Afrika | Map Studio |
- Features the top 12 hiking routes of the Western Cape region. The trails covered include the Cederberg Heritage Route, the West Coast Crayfish Trail, Whale Trail (De Hoop Nature Reserve), Boland Hiking Trail, Hoerikwaggo Tented Classic (Table Mountain), Swellendam Hiking Trail, Postberg Wild Flower Trail, Oystercatcher Trail (Mossel Bay), Otter... Read more
Netherlands
2008
- Wandelgids Slack Packing : A Guide to South Africa´s Top Leisure Trails | Gazelle books |
- Slack packing is backpacking without the schlep, allowing hikers to travel light while someone else takes care of their overnight bags. This handy little guide, which tells you all you need to know about some of South Africa´s top slackpacking trails, is for everyone, from hardcore mountain lovers, twitchers and botanists to family groups and... Read more
Netherlands
2006
- Wandelgids Best Walks of the Garden Route - Zuid Afrika | Struik publishers |
- The Garden Route offers a large number of day walks in magnificent natural surroundings. This book describes in detail 29 recommended walks in the region. An accurate map accompanies each description, together with a summary giving distance, estimated time, permits required, directions on how to get to the start and the walk´s special features.... Read more
United Kingdom
- Classic Safari Camps of Africa
- Classic Safari Camps of Africa was started 11 years ago as an association of independent, privately-operated camps and lodges - each situated in some of the finest and most unusual wildlife destinations in Southern and East Africa. In this spectacular, full-colour coffee table book, author and photographer David Rogers journeys to more than 40... Read more
United Kingdom
- South Africa Key Guide
- South Africa in the Key Guide series from AA Publishing; exploring a range of international destinations and recently been re-launched with full colour pages. Thorough and detailed in style, the guides are targeted at an older audience, exploring the principal sights, walks, activities, restaurants and accommodation of the destination. A... Read more
Germany
- Knemeyer Thomas: Südafrika
- Südafrika entdecken und erleben. Baden, Bummeln, Ausgehen. Essen, Trinken, Übernachten. Ausflüge, Wanderungen, Sehenswertes. 4., Aufl. Read more
Germany
- Hagemann, Albrecht: ADAC Reiseführer Südafrika
- Hotels, Restaurants, Museen, Nationalparks, Wanderungen, Strände, Wunder der Botanik. neu bearbeitete Auflage. Read more
- Also available from:
- eBooks.de, Germany
Germany
- Hagemann Albrecht: ADAC Reiseführer Südafrika
- Hotels, Restaurants, Museen, Nationalparks, Wanderungen, Strände, Wunder der Botanik. neu bearbeitete Auflage. Read more
Germany
- Hagemann, Albrecht: ADAC Reiseführer plus Südafrika
- TopTipps: Hotels, Restaurants, Museen, Nationalparks, Wanderungen, Strände, Wunder der Botanik. neu bearbeitete Auflage. Read more
Maps
United Kingdom
- Pretoria Street Atlas
- Pretoria conurbation on detailed street plans at 1:20,000 combined into an A4 size paperback atlas from Map Studio, South Africa Read more
United Kingdom
- Bloemfontain and the Towns of the Free State Street Atlas
- Bloemfontain and cities of the Free State, including the Vaal Triangle, on detailed street plans at 1:20,000 combined into a 209-page, A4 size paperback atlas from Map Studio, South Africa Read more
Netherlands
- Topografische kaart 3128 Umtata-Oostelijke Kaap - Zuid Afrika | |
- Topografische Detailkaart van de Oostelijke Kaap met duidelijke hoogteverschillen. Beslaat de districten Umtata, Tsolo, Libode, Ngqeleni, Lusikisiki Umzimvubu, grotendeels Mqanduli en deels aanliggende districten. Oppervlakte van 31° ZB 28° OL tot 32° ZB 30° OL. >Surveys and Mapping, Mowbray> Topo-Cadastral Map of South Africa,... Read more
Walking holidays
Netherlands
- Wandelvakantie Zuid-Afrika, 15 dagen
- Zuid-Afrika leent zich uitstekend om te voet te ontdekken. Ruige natuurgebieden met goed uitgezette ‘trails’ maken dit land tot een paradijs voor wandelliefhebbers. Read more