Trail description :
The trail is a fully guided, all-inclusive, 4-night , 3-day slackpacking trail in the Karoo between Nieu Bethesda and Compassberg. A loop route, hikers overnight in farm stays. Hiking with only daypack, guests luggage is transported to each overnight venue.
The hiking route traverses private farms a follows Jeep tracks, to sheep tracks and across wide open grassland.
Slackpacking.
A popular way to do any multi day hike is opting for the slackpacking option. Slackpacking, eases your load of hiking, whereby hikers hike with a daypack, with essentials for the day, and the rest of the luggage is transported to the overnight venue. On the Karoo Stone Folk Trail, the hike includes luggage logistics, catering and guiding.
Wide Open Spaces
The Karoo is a spectacular landscape of wide open spaces, incredible geological landscapes and stark silence. Considered a semi-desert, the Karoo is an ideal location to take a break from urban pressures, to relax and revitalize your entire being. Millennia of evolution has produced a remarkable ecosystem through a geological time frame of 400 million years.
Hiking through this vast landscape invokes a sense of place within and allows an unimpeded interaction with the remarkable fauna and flora of the region.
Planning for the Trail
Desert Hiking
The trail is between an altitude of 1250m and 1500m and guests require a moderate level of fitness. Daily stages are between 15km and 18km with hike times of 4.5 hours to 5 hours.
The trail follows Jeep tracks, sheep tracks and, for sections, traverses the natural grassland, all of which are largely across stoney surfaces. Ankle strength and mobility are vital for this hike.
The low relative humidity, altitude and heat require a high intake of water than usual.
All Inclusive.
Tapping into a combination of Karoo hospitality and in depth local knowledge, the trail is fully guided and catered, providing a uniquely Karoo experience, creating memories that will endure a lifetime.
Day 1 : Guests arrive at Weltevreden farmstead and check in. Once settled in, guests can simply relax on the stoep, or take a stroll down to the rock pools in the Gat River.
Day 2 : Hiking south, we start with a gentle climb up onto a grassy plateau with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Crossing over the unique 'Vyf Baken' property boundary, the route crosses over an ancient fossil seabed, which at an altitude 1490m, is a remarkable feature. From there we descend into an ancient canyon before traversing a scalloped slope to our accommodation at Riverdene.
Day 3 : The hike starts with a brisk walk to the lower reaches of a canyon and heads upstream. With steep cliffs, tumbled rocks and Acacia thicket, we follow game trails till it opens into a gentle valley. Ascending out of the valley, we traverse a plateau, passing the ruins of a historical farmstead. in a vast, seemingly featureless landscape (with some surprising details), we rest in a boma for a refreshment break before the final stage to our overnight stay at Doornberg.
Day 4 : Following a sheep track from the farmstead, we reach a valley with the Stone Folk art installation. Exiting the valley, the route passes geological piles that are scattered across a narrow plateau, and then descend to Weltevreden for the final night of the trail.
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Reservations
To make a reservation for the Karoo Stone Folk Trail, email us for trail dates. For more details, visit Wide Open Spaces |
