Hiking the leopard trail
- Sandra Caganoff
- Sep 17
- 4 min read
I love the idea of going on a multi day hike with just a penknife, a few band-aids and a roll of loo paper in my pocket, but it doesn’t quite work that way. There has to be a certain level of organisation for the hike to be a success and for it to be enjoyable.
Also, I am not very good with a penknife.
On this last hike, the Leopard Trail in Baviaanskloof, a four day / three night trail, we were six women. My hope was to keep the level of organisation to a minimum, like, bring our clothes, sleeping bags, sunblock, brown bread and peanut butter, protein bars and naartjies. Give or take a few essentials.
But of course it does not work that way.
About two weeks prior to departure our arrangements started kicking in.
Did we have space blankets, anyone have a first aid kit, do they provide loo paper and firelighters, a typo that turned to firefighters, what are we gonna drink, which shoes, how cold will it be, who has the AllTrails app, don’t forget your headlamps, will there be coffee plungers and exactly how much coffee do we need.
When you get a group of hikers together, everyone has a different opinion. And I, being the group leader who had never put a trail together before but really wanted to be democratic, especially in these difficult undemocratic times, tried to listen to each one. I created poll after poll, chicken or meat, vegetarian, vegan, ready-made, frozen, chopped and communal, high-protein no fat no dairy zero carbs gluten free organic can we really not just eat sandwiches, FINE YOU DO THE FOOD, yet somehow we all remained calm and cool and our food organisation turned out to be perfect.
Although I could’ve done with a bit more chocolate.
Once we had organised the food we focused on the actual hike. The Leopard Trail, Eastern Cape, is one of those hikes that needs to be booked a year in advance. It’s a slack packing trail which is FABULOUS, 63 kms of wide open spaces, mountains, canyons, hills and valleys, leopards, incredible birdsong, eagles soaring, ancient rocks and dry river beds. We walked in August and the fynbos and colourful flowers were everywhere. It is like walking through a giant garden except for the uphills of which there are more than one. It is a moderately challenging hike.
Bavianskloof has seven biomes, each a distinct ecological community, which makes it diverse, magnificent and extraordinary. The whole area is a heritage site.
We’d booked a night at base camp before the trail, highly recommend, and set off on our first day with the fastest walker up front, who was she again, no idea, pfffft, gone, a spec in the distance, and the slower walkers treading gently at the back. We always kept our eye on each other but found our own grooves, sometimes walking and chatting, sometimes alone with our thoughts, sometimes falling asleep under a bush in the heat of the day. The temperatures were higher than expected and so arriving at each hut in the mid afternoon was DIVINE, throwing off shoes and ripping off our clothes to get straight in the plunge pools.
The huts are beautifully designed, modern, cosy and comfy and it as much a treat to be at the hut as it is to be on the trail. There is the main hut with a deck and large, well equipped kitchen, better equipped than mine at home, and two magnificent showers with piping hot water. The loos are super clean with no snakes popping out anywhere, and there are three huts, more than huts, almost-luxury four bedded chalets, with a basin and a mirror in each.
I have never been on a hiking trail before where mirrors are in abundance. I liked it.
The trail organisers, Go Baviaans, brief each group at the beginning of the trail and provide a satellite phone, to be used for emergencies. Luckily, we had no emergencies. There is no signal along the way although on day three we came to a sign that said ‘Emergency Signal.’ At the end of that day, we checked in with each other. None of us had been vaguely tempted to switch on our phones. It was great to disconnect.
Each night we lit fires, indoors and out, ate our fabulous meals, the African peanut stew was a big hit, sipped our rationed whisky, looked at the star filled sky, repacked our backpacks, compared aches and pains, shared moisturisers and blister plasters, laid into the surprise Amarula, arm wrestled one other as we didn’t have cards, and offered our gratitudes. I had borrowed a sleeping bag from a friend and each night when I climbed into my bunk bed, it felt like I had a bit of her with me.
Along the hike we came across a few little signposts, perfectly positioned for when you are exhausted and thinking hang on is this hill ever gonna end…
One said:-
Why are you here?
Followed by:-
We are not really talking about this hike.
I know why I was there. To decompress. Disconnect. Marvel at nature. Spend time with friends. Breathe the freshest of air. And to be in one of the most spectacular parts of South Africa.
And to know that the leopards are doing really well, even if you don’t see them.
Bookings open a year in advance, book online.
7 hour drive from Cape Town, 2 to 3 hours from George.
The drive in is magnificent, take your time.
The crates for your stuff are not tiny. An ELECTRIC ice-box is provided, plus you can bring your own cooler box. Space is not such an issue but restrictions must be respected.
The extra bottle of Amarula will fit in.
So will the whisky.
Take a board game or a pack of cards.
There is always space for extra chocolate.
And book a night at base camp pre and post trail. We did and loved it.
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