HESSEQUA NEWS - The Hessequa region offers excellent hiking trails for nature lovers. l The Pauline Bohnen Nature Reserve in Stilbaai is a large reserve and has several trails on it. Birding, flowers, scenery and wild life can be enjoyed on these walks.
Don’t forget to take along your camera, water bottle and snacks.
There are beehives in the reserve and care must be taken to avoid annoying the bees.
• Geelkrans hiking trail in Stilbaai has self-issue permits available at the gate. The trail goes in a loop towards the east and returns via the coast. Take along water, snacks, binoculars and camera. It can be fairly challenging and is not very well marked.
• Skulpiesbaai Nature Reserve hiking trails in Stilbaai criss-cross the entire nature reserve and can be started from the whale watching point near the harbour as well as the parking areas at Morris Point and at the parking area near the fish traps.
• Kristalkloof hiking trail outside Riversdale starts in the Garcia Pass and is 20,9km long. It follows a small stream and offers several pools of which some are deep enough for an invigorating swim after enjoying a few hours of spectacular mountain views and a variety of beautiful Fynbos plants and flowers. For reservations and permits contact Cape Nature.
Kristalkloof hiking trail.
• The Sleeping Beauty hiking trail outside Riversdale covers a distance of 14km from the old Toll House to the crest of Sleeping Beauty and back. It is a relatively easy walk and numerous streams are crossed. An abundance of bird life can be seen while wandering leisurely through the Fynbos. From the forest the trail winds its way to the top behind the Sleeping Beauty mountain peak.
• The Fish traps and Fynbos Route in Stilbaai: Choose your exploring themes from an arts and crafts route, an archaeology and history route, a gourmet route or feed the eels. The intricately hand-built fish traps give a fascinating view of their simple ingenuity. It is an area that radiates bygone days and is gently held by nature.
• The West River Bank hiking trail, Stilbaai follows the Western shore of the Goukou River between the jetty/launching area and the harbour. It can be started from the information centre, harbour or jetty. Approximately 2km each way.
• Puntjie hiking trail follows the coastline from Witsand past Moodies Well, Voëlklip and Kleinfontein Beach to Puntjie, at the mouth of the Duivenhoks River. It can be done with a guide during spring low tide in summer; 15 to 20km.
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