Hiking Trails in South Africa

South Africa has a huge diversity of hiking trails on offer. Many of the formal hiking trails in South Africa were originally designed to link up to form the proposed  National Hiking Way. The newer trails have been designed to be circular. You can choose between hiking trails in the mountains, the forests, along the coast or in the arid or semi-arid areas. Many farms have laid out hiking trails, often with fabulous accommodation in characterful old buildings, caves or purpose-built huts, and some have a network of trails so you can stay in a central place and hike out every day. This option is also available in many forests, plantations and nature reserves.

The designated wilderness areas in South Africa are virtually pristine areas with no infrastructure, other than unmarked footpaths. There are few set hiking trails in the Wilderness areas, so you need to plan and navigate your own route and be totally self-sufficient.

A new delelopment in South Africa is slackpacking – catered, guided hikes on which your luggage is transported to the next overnight stop. Accommodation is usually in comfortable – sometimes very comfortable – B&B’s, hotels, guest houses or cottages.

If you want to see some big game on foot, there are numerous short and overnight wilderness trails in national and provincial parks, as well as in the private game reserves.

This site is an attmpt to try and list all the hiking trails in South Africa.