VULTURE TRAIL, DE HOOP NATURE RESERVE

It is estimated that there are only 8 000 – 10 000 Cape vultures left in southern Africa. De Hoop Nature Reserve, between Arniston and Infanta, is home to the last remaining roosting colony in the Western Cape.

The reserve has recently introduced a vulture trail, where hikers have the rare opportunity to see these raptors in their natural habitat, swooping and soaring above the cliffs of a mountain called Potberg.

After meeting at the Opstal area in De Hoop Village, you’ll be driven to the beginning of the trail by your guide. Guides accompany hikers throughout the experience as this is a closely protected section of the reserve. The trail follows the valley floor for about a kilometre before crossing a small mountain stream. The ascent thereafter is short and sharp. You’ll climb for 1,5 km, passing sweet-smelling fynbos as you stagger up the hill to the top of the ridge. Although you can’t see it, the Atlantic Ocean is just a few kilometres away and its clean smell greets you as you climb.

Once you’ve ascended the ridge the terrain flattens out. You’ll walk along the top for about 200 m until you reach the viewing deck, which is strategically placed at the base of the cliffs so that you can view the gorge where the vultures roost. You’ll be eye-level with low-flying vultures as they cruise down to the valley below, but still be able to appreciate the high-flyers overhead. (Cape vultures are among the highest-flying birds in the world, reaching altitudes of up to 8 000 m, where they are adapted to cope with the low levels of oxygen in the air.)

The nests themselves are quite tricky to see, as the vultures blend in with the rock face. Binoculars are a must. On the viewing deck, you can relax and enjoy your packed picnic lunch, which is included in the experience.

Cape vultures aren’t the only birds you’ll see. You might also spot peregrine falcon, Verreaux’s eagle, jackal buzzard and rock kestrel, or a martial eagle if you’re lucky. Vulture numbers have declined dramatically over the past 20 years due to poisoned water sources, power line accidents and the spread of farmland. In an attempt to turn this trend around, the farmers close to De Hoop do their part to conserve nature’s clean-up crew. “Vulture restaurants” are becoming commonplace, where dead livestock is left for the birds to scavenge, much as they would feed on carcasses in the wild.

The best time of year to see the vultures is during the summer months, when they coast on rising columns of warm air called thermals, thus saving energy by gliding instead of flapping their wings.

Eventually you’ll mosey down the hill again and your guide will drive you back to De Hoop Village, but for now, take a breath, look skywards, and enjoy your last few moments in the presence of these masters of the sky.

When? Phone ahead to book. Times vary according to season, demand and weather. Numbers are capped at 10 people per trip.

Where? You’ll assemble and pay at the Opstal area of De Hoop Village. You can park your car there and you’ll be transported to and from the beginning of the trail. The experience takes about 90 minutes in total.

Cost: R550 per person (children must be 12 years and older). Rate includes a packed lunch. Day visitors are welcome.

Contact: 021 422 4522 dehoopcollection.com

The last time I spent so many hours staring at the purple backpack on my dad’s shoulders was two years ago when we walked the Camino pilgrimage in Spain. Then, as now, I resented the weight of my own pack.

We could have left the tent at home and slept out in the open, but when I packed last night there was a chill in the air. So I brought the tent, along with a sleeping bag, camping mattress, gas stove, warm jacket, three bottles of water, my camera and a tripod.

I adjust the shoulder straps, wipe the sweat from my brow and let my eyes roam the rocky path as it winds up the ridge. At the top I can see the sun’s first rays touching the silhouette of the Wolfberg Cracks.

My dad Stefan and I could have lightened our packs considerably if we weren’t going to camp on the mountain. A daypack with a bottle of water, a sandwich and an energy bar is all you really need to hike to the Wolfberg Cracks, even all the way to the Wolfberg Arch and back. But we wanted to sleep under the arch – and the stars. It’s going to be a dark, dark night since new moon was only a day ago.

From the trailhead at Sanddrif Holiday Resort to the start of the cracks is only about 1,8 km, but you ascend 480 m. It’s steep. We set off at a fast pace and my legs feel like jelly by the time we reach the cracks.

There are three cracks: a wide gap with one or two places where you have to scramble over rocks, nicknamed Adderley Street; a narrower gap with more tight squeezes, dark sections and some fairly complicated climbs; and a third route that’s only for experienced mountaineers. We follow the traditional route up the narrow crack to the plateau – tomorrow we’ll return down Adderley Street. Three young baboons scamper up a cliff and their barks echo off the rock. A rope high on a rock ledge indicates the entrance to the narrow crack – and the first obstacle. To get to the ledge, you have to climb about 3 m up the rock face, or pull yourself through a dark chimneylike opening.

“These holds weren’t made for short people like us,” my dad mutters as he tries and fails to get a grip on the rock face. So we head to the chimney, where we have to take off our backpacks and pass them up through the opening. Above the ledge, we climb through something that resembles a portal. The sky is a strip of blue above and rock walls tower on all sides. Three white arrows point to a crevice between the rocks and when I peek into the opening, a dark rock corridor swallows all the light. We have to go through there?