A good day’s walk rewarded with wine, dinner and comfy beds.
Outdoor adventures are all about fresh air, breathtaking views, less-travelled paths, unspoilt nature and mood-boosting physical activity – a good stretch of the legs, so to speak. If your soul is yearning for this kind of escape, without having to “rough it” too much, there is a place just an hour’s drive from Cape Town waiting for you to discover.
It’s called the Groenlandberg (Green Mountain)… Part of the Unesco-designated Kogelberg Biosphere in the Overberg, it’s a scenic tapestry of orchards, farmlands, vineyards, forests and fynbos-covered slopes and crags centred around the farming towns of Elgin, Grabouw and Bot River. It is also the world’s first biodiversity wine route, which champions conservation and responsible farming.
Wildekrans Country House in Houw Hoek, near Elgin, is the ideal base from which to explore this superb slice of countryside. It offers three slackpacking hiking options that traverse private land, and which include home-cooked meals, wine tastings, transfers to and from the start and end points of each day’s hike, trained mountain guides, and accommodation in four-star en-suite rooms (think hot showers, comfy beds, wifi…)
Ready to lace up your boots? Then walk this way!
The Weekend Route
This is a shortened two-day, 22km version of the flagship Green Mountain Hike, taking in the Houw Hoek Trail (with views over the wheatfields and Walker Bay) on Day 1; and the Leopard and Ox Wagon Trail on Day 2, leading down into Bot River for wine-tasting and lunch.
Duration 11km each day, four to five hours, moderate level of difficulty
Enquire Now
The Blue Mountain Trail
This three-day, 50km trail explores the southern reaches of the Elgin Valley. Hikers explore the hills above Bot River and descend into the valley for a wine-tasting at Paul Cluver on Day 1; a walk above Kleinmond and Paardeberg, with wine-tasting at Iona Vineyards on Day 2; and the Kogelberg and Palmiet River on Day 3, ending with lunch and wine-tasting at Almenkerk Estate.
Duration 12km to 18.5km each day, four to seven hours, moderate level of difficulty
Enquire Now
The Green Mountain Trail
This is the flagship trail, a four-day, 60km exploration of the best of the Groenlandberg. Hikers explore the pristine Kogelberg Conservancy (summiting the Nuweberg) on Day 1; walk through mountain fynbos and vineyards for a picnic lunch on Oak Valley Estate and a wine-tasting at Paul Cluver Wines on Day 2; the Houw Hoek Trail on Day 3; and the Leopard and Ox Wagon Route on Day 4, descending into Bot River for a visit to Beaumont Wines. While you’re hiking, you’ll be treated to surprising sea views, sightings of local fauna, birdlife and rare fynbos, all guided by nature experts and woven with stories about local history.
Duration 11km to 18km a day, four to six hours, moderate level of difficulty.
Enquire Now
Country hospitality
Each night hikers can look forward to well-earned, luxurious comfort at Wildekrans Country House, with its beautiful statue-dotted garden, rooms filled with the owners’ private collection of South African art, a library and lounge with a cosy fireplace, and a verandah for sundowners.
Breakfast and dinner at Wildekrans are made using local, farm-grown produce (and included in the cost); also included are lunches (either picnicking on a mountain top or at a farm) and wine-tastings at local estates. Each hiker also gets to “walk with an alien” – a walking stick made from cleared alien trees as part of a local community project.
Important information
- Guests arrive at Wildekrans Country House the previous night (between 4pm and 5.30pm).
- Check-in is on Monday for the Green and Blue Trails; checking out on Thursday or Friday after lunch. (It is a “working farm” experience, which is best during the week.)
- A maximum of 10 hikers (minimum of seven) is required on each hike. If you are not part of your own group, the organisers can include you in another group.
- Should you like to bring non-hikers along, there are plenty of activities in the area, or they can simply relax at Wildekrans Country House (there is a pool and boules court).
- Rates include accommodation, all meals and trail snacks, personalised wine tastings, a walking stick (which you can take home) and knowledgeable guides.
- The hiking itinerary is subject to change based on the weather or unforeseen circumstances at the hosting farms.
Cost Weekend Walking (2 days): R3 500 per person sharing per day (R7 000 total)
Blue Mountain (3 days): R3 785 per person sharing per day (R11 350 total)
Green Mountain (4 days:) R3 650 per person sharing per day (R14 600 total)
Single supplement: R1 400 per person per day
Rates valid until 1 August 2023
Date January – May; August – December (closed June + July)
Contact 028 284 9827, info@greenmountaintrail.co.za
Where to find it Wildekrans Country House, off the N2, Houw Hoek, Elgin Valley, Overberg
Discover all of the Cape’s hidden gems – subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
2 Responses to “Green Mountain: Spectacular Slackpacking in the Overberg”
Charlene
Hi this sounds amazing!!! Do you have 2 or 3 days hikes?
The Inside Guide
Hi Charlene
The Blue Mountain trail is three days.
Good luck.