Friends In High Places

The challenging Swellendam Hiking Trail, one of South Africa’s top 10 hikes, has recently reopened. It’s a festival of flora all year round as you explore the fynbos treasures of Marloth Nature Reserve.

- Andrew Hofmeyr

Setting off in the cold and shivery hours of a July morning, our group of adventurers started the 1 200-metre climb towards the new rustic cabin at Boskloof, hidden away in the Clock Peak Mountains of Swellendam. A few years ago, a veld fire destroyed this hut and, as a result, the Swellendam Hiking Trail in Marloth Nature Reserve had to be closed. After much red tape and the logistical difficulties of arranging a helicopter to remove the debris and have a new hut delivered to the isolated location, the trail has finally reopened.

It’s a five-day trail with basic huts for overnighting at Boskloof, Goedgeloof, Proteavallei and Wolfkloof. Each section of the hike averages about 10 kilometres, the first day being the steepest as well as the longest, at 12 kilometres. The relatively gentle distances mean that there is plenty of time to stop, smell the flowers and soak up the ever-changing landscapes.

The real treasure of the Swellendam Hiking Trail is the fynbos. As you meander along the paths, the vegetation changes with the orientation of the sun. Because of the obvious north- and south facing slopes, it is easy to make sense of botanical descriptions. The strawberry everlasting Syncarpha eximia for example grows on the cool, south-facing sandstone slopes of the southern Cape. Change the season and the flora changes completely. Ericas, proteas, leucadendrons, restios and all sorts of watsonias and orchids flower in a succession of botanical wonder. As a result, the trail is a festival of flora all year round.