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Nice website, though it looks pretty outdated.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 Although the website itself looks a bit outdated, the info appears to be pretty up-to-date.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
- Wandelgids Südafrika: Drakensberge Giants Cup Trail - Zuid Afrika: Drakensbergen | Conrad Stein |
- Dutch, 2010
- Mooi - Duitstalig - wandelgidsje van de Drakenbergen in Zuid Afrika.Weite raue Hochlandgrasflächen, die im Frühjahr kräftig grün leuchten und im Herbst purpur- und bronzefarben schimmern. Dahinter die dramatische Kulisse von bis zu 1.000 m hohen Felsklippen. Der Giant`s Cup Hiking Trail erschließt dem Wanderer eine in vieler Hinsicht... Read more
- Wandelgids Drakensbergen - Walking in the Drakensberg Zuid Afrika | Cicerone |
- Dutch, 2010
- 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
- Wandelgids Zuid Afrika - west / Südafrika West Die schönsten Wanderungen und Trekkingtouren | Rother verlag |
- Dutch, 2010
- 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- und... Read more
- Walking in the Drakensberg
- English, 2010
- 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
- Wandelgids Hiking Trails of South Africa | Struik |
- Dutch, 2009
- Every major trail in South Africa is covered, with a clear description of each hike, its length and estimated time, plus information on hike accommodation, facilities and activities, such as abseiling and diving. Complete contact details for booking your hikes are listed under each entry. Whether you want to experience the beautiful, barren... Read more
- Wandelgids Top 12 Hiking Trails of the Western Cape - Zuid Afrika | Map Studio |
- Dutch, 2009
- 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
- Wandelgids Zuid Afrika - Wild coast Trail | Conrad Stein Verlag |
- Dutch, 2006
- Klein handzaam gids je over deze route: veelal goede beschrijvingen, maar kaartmateriaal schiet tekort.Für viele zählt die Wild Coast zu den schönsten Küstenabschnitten des afrikanischen Kontinents. Der knapp 250 km lange Wild Coast Trail liegt in der Provinz Eastern Cape in Südafrika. Weitläufige, einsame Strände, Felsküste und Wasserfälle,... Read more
- Wandelgids Best Walks of the Garden Route - Zuid Afrika | Struik publishers |
- Dutch, 2006
- 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
- Iwersen, Walter: Südafrika West
- German
- 65 Touren in den Kap-Provinzen Rother Wanderführer. 1. Auflage. Read more
- Hagemann, Albrecht: ADAC Reiseführer Südafrika
- German
- Hotels, Restaurants, Museen, Nationalparks, Wanderungen, Strände, Wunder der Botanik. neu bearbeitete Auflage. Read more