Hiking Up A Dragon's Back

13-night Cape & KwaZulu-Natal Hiking Itinerary Highlights:

• Meet and Greet road transfer from Cape Town International Airport to your hotel
• 3 nights' stay in Cape Town city with daily breakfast
• Afternoon Walking City Tour, with sundowners on Signal Hill
• Full day Table Mountain Hike, with lunch 
• Full day Cape Peninsula & Winelands tour
• 1 night's stay in Oudtshoorn with breakfast
• 4 nights' camping on the world-famous Otter Trail, hiking for 42 km over 5 days. 
• Road transfer from Tsitsikama to George Airport for a commercial flight to King Shaka International Airport
• Meet and greet arrival in Durban and road transfer to your Durban hotel  
• 1 night's stay in a Durban Hotel with breakfast
• Road transfer from Durban to Nambiti Private Game Reserve for your BIG 5 safari experience
• 2 nights' stay on a Nambiti safari with 3 meals and 2 game drives daily  
• Road transfer from Nambiti Private Game Reserve to the Northern Drakensberg
• 2 nights' hiking experience in the Northern Drakensberg  
• Road transfer from the Northern Drakensberg to OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg 

Our Experience:

We wined and walked on the tour, meandering between bustling cities and remote locations and we would do it over and over again.   

Sitting on a rock and feeling like a conqueror, whilst bellowing out Miley Cyrus’s song "There's always gonna be another mountain, I'm always gonna wanna make it move… it's the climb" over the valley below.  The realization of reaching the top blew my mind away. Trekked the iconic Table Mountain, hiked the challenging Otter Trail, and reached the peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains... a breathtakingly beautiful experience that will go down in our hiking record book as the most special trip ever!

All my life I was drawn to the mountains and started doing short trails with my dad at the age of 9. But my main passion will always be to travel... like most people!! My walking club was going to wind down for the winter and some friends had casually suggested a trip to South Africa and "climbing some mountains" would be a great alternative in KwaZulu-Natal... and maybe some others, whilst we were there. This suggestion grew into a raging fire of desire to travel to Africa.... and before we knew it, a small group of us had tickets booked and an amazing itinerary in hand.

We arrived in Cape Town, and the sight of Table Mountain immediately grabbed my interest - I couldn't wait to tackle that walk! Arriving at our hotel, we settled for a quick meal and headed out to do a city walkabout. Cape Town city is vibrant and colourful. Being centrally based, walking around in the city was easy. We laughingly called this the "dragon's tail" of our journey because it was a short and interesting city hike. From then on, we labeled each hike we did according to a dragon's body... hence the name of our amazing hiking trip, "Hiking up a dragon's back".

We spent time exploring the Cape Peninsula and the Winelands, enjoying the delicious Cape wines, great food, and spectacular scenery, and of course, our main highlight was walking up the side of Table Mountain.

After checking out, we headed along Route 62, meandering to Oudtshoorn for the night. This was a beautiful drive with jaw-dropping vistas. We had lunch at the famous Ronnie's Sex Shop (for all the gutter minds, please Google it) hahahahahaha! Oudtshoorn was great fun as we visited the Cango Caves and an ostrich farm. 

We arrived in Plettenberg and stopped at the local grocery store, where we stocked up on supplies before heading to the Otter Trail Camp. The Otter Trail is South Africa's oldest and most iconic hiking route. It is named after the shy Cape Clawless Otter, which inhabits the many estuaries and streams in the area. The trail runs along the spectacular coastline between Storms River Mouth and Nature's Valley, taking place over 5 days and 4 nights. It was hard, but the breathtaking views, white sandy beaches, dramatic cliffs, and an endless coastline were worth it. This, for us, was like hiking up the dragon's back - full of challenges but with great rewards.

On returning to George Airport, we headed to Durban for the final stretch of our journey. On arrival in the spice city of South Africa, we made our way directly to the Drakensberg, where we stayed for 2 nights. This was the most exciting hike of the trip and ending here was the best idea ever. We wanted to end our stay in a leisurely environment, taking in some spoils. Our last hike was breathtaking and reflective. The Bushmen paintings were a great highlight of our stay. 

Of course, a trip to Africa won't be the same without a safari. We went to a nearby game reserve for a fantastic 2 night BIG 5 safari experience. 

This trip was the best hiking & touring experience that we could ever have asked for. South Africa left an imprint on our hearts!

SOME NOTES FROM THE TRAVEL DESK:

- This travel itinerary can be tailor-made to suit various budgets and interests.
- Good to know: South Africa drives on the right side of the road.
- A valid driver's license and a credit card are compulsory to hire a car. 
- Recommended time of year: November to March (summer)
- Compassline Africa Tours' terms and conditions apply.

Our team is ready to create your personalised African Adventure.