The sea churns around Cape Point a few hundred metres below my feet. These stormy waters have earned their own chapter in every ship’s logbook for as long as seafaring has existed.
When you look at a map, the promontory I’m standing on is the tail of a giant stone animal that pulled itself from the depths before humans existed: Table Mountain. A world wonder. The inspiration for folktales. A mountain with a personality bigger than its cliffs.
Over the next five days, we’ll get to know this iconic landmark very well. I’m on a guided hike with Santie Gouws, mountain guide and owner of Fynbos Whisperer Professionally Guided Hikes, and Erns Grundling, the presenter of Elders on KykNet and a regular contributor to this magazine.
When SANParks closed the five-day Hoerikwaggo Trail, many of the camps built for that trail had been damaged by fires and vandalism. Sections of the Hoerikwaggo also cut across private land outside the park, and disputes with landowners made it impossible to create a new multi-day adventure. The camps then fell further into disrepair.
But Santie and Erns had another idea. After many recce hikes where they searched for ways to connect the various parts of the mountain chain, they finally settled on a format: On this trail, hikers walk along the beach or in fynbos all day, and spend their nights in luxury guest lodges, with dinners in restaurants! Could this new experience offer the best of both worlds? Let’s find out.
DAY 1 19 KM
Cape Point to Smitswinkel
We hide from the wind behind the lighthouse, ready to depart. But we don’t want to rush the moment. For some members of the group, it’s their first time here.
The original lighthouse was built in 1859, about 238 m above the sea, but on a day like today – with a thick bank of low-lying cloud blocking visibility – I can understand why a new lighthouse was built closer to the water in 1919.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April/May 2025-Ausgabe von go! - South Africa.
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For the love of pasta!
Few dishes are as comforting as a bowl of pasta. Here are six recipes for everything from a quick dinner to a long kuier.
On high alert in West Africa
In 2023, Jean Cooper and De Witt Oosthuizen rode their motorcycles from Pretoria to Madrid. In this instalment, they're deep in West Africa, slogging their way through Benin, Togo, Ghana, the Ivory Coast and Guinea.
Backing with purpose
Over the last two decades, the writers at go! have formed close relationships with different cars. In the 2000s and 2010s there were Toyota Condors and Renault Dusters, and now our dirt-road tourer of choice is a Suzuki Jimny. This diminutive 4x4 is very capable off-road, but packing space comes at a premium. As a result, we’ve discovered some great gear to make life easier when travelling in a small car.
FESTIVAL OF HIKING A HUGE SUCCESS
Nearly a thousand people gathered at Meerendal outside Durbanville over the weekend of 14–16 February, for the second go! Festival of Hiking, presented by Stanley in association with Salomon, and supported by Solal, Cape Nature and Trail Food.
Easy in the EC
Kenton-on-Sea is a holiday town between the Kariega and Bushmans rivers. It’s a place for walking barefoot and looking for hidden beaches, and where you might see a lion swimming across the river…
A feather for your thoughts
Befriend some birds and they'll make you smile for free. They'll impress with their incredible feats, and they might even show you a glimpse of the past.
BIRDS
WAIT YOUR TERN
Where the Lord rested
Wupperthal is a village deep in the folds of the Cederberg. The people who live there are no strangers to suffering, but they’re also full of hope.
The Mushroom Fundi
Table Mountain attracts all kinds of people – cyclists, hikers, tourists and the “mountain goats” who run to the top every day. And then there’s Gary Goldman, wandering around with a basket… What’s he doing – going on a picnic?
