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Each day of The Namib100 has a unique charm and a much wider variety of landscapes than you could imagine. You’ll see thousands of birds and seals, jackals and maybe even gemsbok and brown hyenas. You’ll hike off the grid, away from civilization, deep into the dunes, and you’ll camp wild under a blanket of stars. The daily distances are long, but the hiking isn’t technical. You’ll feel like the last people on earth… The Namib Desert is one of the oldest deserts on earth and seems totally devoid of life at first, but look closely and you’ll find unique plant and animal life perfectly suited to deal with climatic extremes. As you explore forgotten diamond-mining settlements, you’ll also get a glimpse into the history of this magnificent wilderness area.…

It’s 9.30 on a sunny morning in January when farmer Lindo van der Merwe and I strike out from the Wilgefontein farmstead. The magazine’s Renault Duster is safely parked inside the shearing shed – I’ll see it again the day after tomorrow, when the trail ends back here. Lindo and his wife Elmarie have a handful of farms covering 10 635 hectares of some of the most beautiful mountainous Karoo I’ve seen for a while. Lindo grew up here – the main homestead, Bovlei, has been in the family since 1912. After studying in Bloemfontein and finishing his army stint in Potchefstroom, he returned to the farm in 1986. Lindo met Elmarie in Potch – they got married soon afterwards and joined his parents, CN and Elize, in the farming…

North of Mokopane, a granite koppie rises from the earth. The Bapedi people once farmed with their Nguni cattle at its base, and in Sepedi, each Nguni skin pattern has a name. When the koppie shimmered white in the sun after rain, with dark patches of vegetation in-between, they said the koppie looked like a black-and-white bull. And so it was named: Thabaphaswa, the mountain of the black-and-white bull. Thabaphaswa is not just a single koppie – the entire sanctuary to the south-east is mountainous, full of beautiful heights and secret kloofs. There are many hiking trails of varying difficulty, allowing hikers of all levels of fitness – and their dogs – to explore the area and enjoy its spectacular views, indigenous vegetation, prolific birdlife, curious Nguni cattle and unpolluted…

WILDERNESS TRAILS Hike in style I can’t believe I’m this deep in the Kruger Park, away from the tourist roads and rest camps. This morning, eight of us, each carrying only a daypack, followed two guides into the veld. We weren’t in the safety of a game-viewing vehicle, but on foot – and earlier we had heard a lion roar. The sun wasn’t up yet and the sky was layered in shades of pink and grey. Around us, a cacophony of birdsong rang out, like an Idols audition where everyone wants their voice heard at the same time. The low bass rumbles of a southern ground-hornbill competed with the bubbling notes of a Burchell’s coucal. Somewhere, a bearded woodpecker hammered away at a tree trunk. The wild animals of the…

Dave Marais wakes us early in the morning. We’re staying at Bellevue Lodge on a farm near Kleinemonde, a holiday enclave on the Eastern Cape’s Sunshine Coast. Dave is armed with maps, information pamphlets and a bird guide, which he’ll use to explain the route in detail. He shows us a photo of today’s route marker on the beach that we should look out for: a crayfish trap on a pole. The Shipwreck Trail is Dave’s brainchild – he developed the route along with the owners of the private farms we’ll be traversing over the next few days. His enthusiasm is infectious. After the briefing, we make sure our food supplies are packed and marked to be delivered to the overnight stops en route, then we bundle onto the back…

The start of this trail is a little dreary – along a dry, red sand road that leads to the base of the Transvaal Basin in the Magaliesberg. But as you labour your way up the side of the ridge that was created some two billion years ago when magma welled up and tilted the sediment beneath, remind yourself that this ancient range is absolutely bursting with natural and human history. Because of this, in 2015, the Magaliesberg was proclaimed a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Some trees provide a bit of shade as you ascend 200 m out of Gauteng and into the North West. When you reach the top, you’ll be rewarded with impressive views. To the south is Hartbeespoort Dam and Joburg in the distance; if you strain your…

The Cogmanskloof Trail will challenge you but it won’t break you; it will make you sweat but not suffer; by the end you’ll feel that you deserve a beer, not an IV drip! It’s well marked, well mapped and accessible. You’ll be hiking along the ridges you usually admire from your car when you drive into Montagu along the R62 through Cogmanskloof Pass. You know, through the tunnel in the rock with the Old English Fort on top? During the annual Montagu Mountain Mania race, fleet-footed trail runners complete this route in as little as two hours. Mere mortals should set a morning aside, or do what my hiking buddies and I did and spend the whole day in the mountains with picnics for breakfast and lunch, taking all the…

Shaen Adey is a professional photographer, writer, woodturner and bubbles drinker who lives on Eastlake Island in Marina da Gama, Cape Town. She’s been hiking all her life, inspired by her grandfather who was a conservationist in the Drakensberg. “His words of advice when I was a kid were: ‘Always remember, there’s no such thing as a short cut on a mountain.’ I totally agree with him, but I’ve ignored the second part, where he said: ‘And be home by dark.’ To me, there’s nothing more special than sleeping out under the stars.” Toast Coetzer is our travel editor and lives in Vredehoek, Cape Town. He says he’s never fit enough at the start of a long hike. “But I’ve learnt that it’s not really necessary. If your head is…

1 Naturehike GT02 (15 l) This small backpack is aimed at trail runners, but can also work for those of us who tackle the mountain trails at a slower pace. You put it on like a waistcoat – the fit around your shoulders is snug and the double chest straps keep it secure. It doesn’t have a hip belt, but you won’t carry so much stuff that you need to distribute the weight to your hips. The main pocket has a sleeve for a hydration bladder (there are multiple hose ports), enough space for a rain jacket, a camera and some snacks. There are also two zip pockets for valuables. Each of the wide shoulder straps has two stretchable mesh pockets. Trail runners usually store their energy bars in there,…

The Olifants River is a lifeline for the entire north-east of South Africa. It fills dams, providing water for communities and irrigation for vast farmlands; it serves mines, drives coal-fired power plants and nourishes the central parts of the Kruger Park. But unregulated emissions from all those farms, mines and power stations are polluting the river to breaking point. Luckily, against all odds, there’s still one small stretch that remains largely untouched: a pocket of land in a deep, isolated gorge. Welcome to Kingdom Trails. At 15 000 hectares in size, Kingdom is one of the biggest privately owned nature reserves in South Africa. There are areas of grassland, mixed bushveld savannah, and forested kloofs, and the reserve is home to a wealth of bird and animal life, from the…

I’ve always wondered why the northern Cederberg is considered the mountain range’s lesser-known cousin. If you’re coming from Cape Town, it’s a shorter, easier drive to get to the north, all on tar. The farms – mostly rooibos – are well geared for welcoming tourists, and the wild charm of the landscape is just as alluring as the Wolfberg Arch and Truitjieskraal in the central Cederberg, if not more so. That said, once you’ve driven over the Pakhuis Pass from Clanwilliam into the Agter-Pakhuis area, you will notice a different sense of place – a distinctive blend of hospitality, modesty and grit, honed over generations by the families still firmly rooted to the rocky soil. It’s this unique local flavour that gave birth to the Cederberg Heritage Route, a collection…

Climbing to the top of Aasvoëlkop, the highest peak in the Kleinrivier Mountains, is a highlight of the circuit around rugged Fernkloof Nature Reserve in Hermanus. From the small visitors’ centre in the reserve, follow the Green Trail, which meanders through fynbos up the course of the Fernkloof Stream to the Adder Ladder. (It’s worth detouring just before this junction onto a boardwalk that leads through the forest to a small waterfall. It’s more of a trickle in summer, but comes to life after rain.) The Adder Ladder climbs steeply in a series of zigzags, initially along a narrow, open path. After a short section through Boekenhoutbos, a pocket of Afromontane forest, you pop out of the sheltered kloof and into fynbos again. There are six plant families endemic to…

I’m part of a hiking group and most of the members are pretty adventurous. We often talk about the trails we want to hike one day. Kilimanjaro has always been at the top of my list. My friend Albert Volschenk and I decided to finally do it in August last year. We wanted to sleep in the highest camp in Africa, and see glaciers on this continent. Mount Kilimanjaro has three volcanic cones: Shira, Mawenzi and Kibo. On the edge of Kibo is Uhuru, Kili’s highest peak at 5 895 m. Seven routes go up the mountain. On the Marangu, Machame and Umbwe routes, you approach the mountain from the south; there’s also a route going down the mountain on this side called Mweka. The Rongai route starts in the…

Some adventures, you only need to experience once. You go big, you get the T-shirt and you never go back. Like working in Afghanistan or Siberia, or doing Suicide Gorge. The name of this kloofing route tells you everything you need to know. There are no escape routes and you can’t turn around or chicken out. Once you’re in the gorge, you can only go one way – down. Which means jumping from cliffs into deep mountain pools where the icy water steals your breath. It was a summer night in December 2000 and my friends and I were gathered around Stephanus and Lize du Toit’s dining room table in Paarl. Most of us were in our early thirties and nervous about the expedition. Stephanus, my husband Arra and I…

Deuter Pack Sack A messy backpack is a frustration. Group your clothes together in a durable pack sack and you’ll be able to find your pyjamas, underwear or swimming costume without rummaging through everything. There are also similar mesh sacks available. R150 (3 l) R200 (9 l) capeunionmart.co.za Naturehike Folding Basin A shower or a bath is a big treat after a long day on the trail. But what if you’re deep in the bundu without a river or a dam nearby? You boil water, pour it into this waterproof basin, and have a refreshing bath behind the nearest bush. The basin holds up to 10? and is big enough for you to stand inside it. It’s also handy if you need to wash dirty dishes or clothes. R200 naturehike.co.za…

Stinkwood, yellowwood and red alder trees tower overhead. At your feet, streams flow past ferns and mossy boulders, and orange mushrooms sprout from cracks in the bark of fallen trees. As many as 190 bird species have been recorded in Grootvadersbosch, but most are hard to spot because they tend to stay high in the canopy. For the best chance of success, stand still, listen for calls and try to isolate where they’re coming from. Start hiking early in the morning when the birds are most vocal. Grootvadersbosch has two long-ish trails: Bushbuck (10 km) and Grysbok (15 km). The Bushbuck Trail meanders through the forest, while the tougher Grysbok Trail also cuts through fynbos on the lower slopes of the Langeberg. Both trails have lots of loops, detours and…

DAY 1 14 KM Koedoesrus to Putte Shelter The first 5 km section is through the foothills of the escarpment, followed by a steep 4 km climb up to the plateau. You won’t see many of the deep canyons of the Naukluft today, but will have to brave rugged ridges and sharp rocks. (Take a look at the soles of your boots tonight!) Putte is a stone shelter with a corrugated iron roof that will keep away the wind and wild animals. You sleep on gravel inside; other facilities include a pit toilet and a hand pump for drinking and washing water. The pump is in a small kloof about 200 m from the shelter. Go fetch water and wash as soon as you arrive at the shelter every day.…

Tucked away in a natural basin in the bushveld, Bateleur has a variety of plains game, abundant birdlife, serene rock pools, forest-lined kloofs, and a back-from-the-dead butterfly that can be found nowhere else on earth – the Waterberg copper. The network of Stamvrug trails could keep you busy for days. Here’s our recommendation for an epic one-day circular route, which includes many of the reserve’s highlights. Starting at the Kloof Base Camp, head east along the Zebra Trail. You’ll descend along a stream into a wonderful, lush kloof. Before leaving the stream, the trail skirts a pond-side bird hide – a good opportunity to tick off some of the more than 100 species that have been recorded here. The trail then heads south across a farm road and rises gently.…

The short Potholes Route at Gifberg Guest Farm is a gem – a miniature Bourke’s Luck in the floral wonderland of Namaqualand. From the office, where you’ll be issued with a map, follow the white footprints over a scoured rock platform towards the river. In the wet season (winter), a small waterfall tumbles through a hole in a rock here. Suddenly you’re on the edge of the narrow gorge, staring down at vast potholes carved out in sandstone rock over eons by sediment-loaded, swirling water. The trail stays high on the cliff, but for a bit of an adventure, cross to the other side via a natural rock bridge and scramble down to check out the big “eyes” that peer at you from below. You can boulder-hop, swim in a…

Two years after completing my first Drakensberg hike, my husband Sean and I started planning a trip to South America. We decided to take a month off and we optimistically thought we could hike all over Peru, Argentina and Chile in that time. (South African passport holders don’t require a visa for these countries.) But it soon became apparent that such a trip would be impossible due to the vast distances we’d need to travel. So, we settled on Patagonia – the windswept, dramatic “tail” of Argentina and Chile. We started by exploring the Bariloche lake district in northern Patagonia before heading to Argentina’s hiking capital, El Chaltén, where we did numerous day hikes of up to 28 km a day. All this prep ensured that we were ready for…

The Rim of Africa is an annual, guided, completely off-trail traverse of the Cape Fold Mountains, stretching 750 km from the Cederberg to the Outeniqua Mountains. Divided into nine stages, each six to ten days in duration, hikers can undertake one stage, a combination of stages, or all nine linked together into a two-month odyssey. You’ll see wild views and experience epic traverses across mountain ridgelines and through fynbos-filled gullies. You’ll enjoy campsite camaraderie with like-minded folk, and you’ll experience a stillness that cannot be found anywhere else except when you’re walking among the ancient bones of the earth. rimofafrica.co.za @daniapea…