FOR HIKERS
You can walk on the beaches, but for some variation you can also do a day hike in a nature reserve or on a guest farm.
The Ramsgate Marine Ramble is a free 6 km trail from Margate to Southbroom. You’ll walk along footpaths, promenades, boardwalks and the beach. In Southbroom, there are two short, free trails that will keep you busy for less than an hour: Bushbuck Trail starts in Churchill Road and winds through indigenous forests and grasslands. Frederika Trail runs through a forest among the dunes and takes you to the beach.
Mpenjati Nature Reserve is just outside Trafalgar, on both sides of the river of the same name. The Ipithi Trail (1,2 km) runs along the northern bank and the Yengele Trail (1,8 km) is on the southern bank – both take you through forest to the beach.
Umtamvuna Nature Reserve outside Port Edward has seven hiking trails spread across the two halves of the reserve. There are two short and two long trails at the Pont entrance gate next to the Mtamvuna River in Old Pont Road: Kingfisher (500 m) and Loerie (2 km) both cut through the forest. Fish Eagle (8 km) goes through a forest up to the escarpment and along the cliffs before it returns along the river. Mpunzi (10 km) is a one-way trail that goes up a gorge to the escarpment, to the Beacon Hill entrance gate.
Three trails start at Beacon Hill (the reserve office is here): Ngungumbane (4 km) is a loop that takes you through grassland before it descends to the Bulolo River and climbs out of the gorge again. Nkonka (8 km) is the toughest of them all and goes down into the gorge to the confluence of the Bulolo and Mtamvuna rivers before climbing out of the gorge again in a loop. For a quick stroll, do the Mfene (500 m) – it stays on top of the plateau.
Clearwater Trails is also next to Mtamvuna Gorge on the Beaver Creek Coffee Estate. The Blue Route (14 km) goes through macadamia orchards, banana plantations, forests and grasslands and gives a scenic view of the Mtamvuna. (You can also hike shorter sections of this trail.) Beaver Creek (2,5 km) is an easy hike on a farm road. Clearwater Farm Loop (7 km) explores another part of the farm, and Crags View Loop (3,5 km) and East View Loop (2,5 km) offer different views of the Mtamvuna Gorge.