Experience rocky shores, wild flowers and fynbos. A place of diverse and spectacular beauty. The Nauty Fossil Slack Pack Hike promises to be the ultimate hiking experience. The trail meanders along the coastline from L’Agulhas to Hermanus where the fragrance of fynbos intermingles with salty sea air. You will marvel at the abundance of endemic plant species and enjoy the best Whale and Dolphin watching opportunities in the world. While searching for the chambered nautilus (Nautilus pompilius), a large, mobile cephalopod which is called a "living fossil" and has been the subject of poetry, artwork, math, and jewelry. These animals have been around for about 500 million years—even before the dinosaurs
The Cederberg Wilderness Area falls within the world renowned Fynbos Biome. Only 220 km from Cape Town, this 71 000-ha mountain complex is managed by Cape Nature Conservation, principally for conservation of the pure, silt-free water of this catchment area, as a recreation area (one of the few areas in this country where visitors can enjoy the 'wilderness experience' and as a sanctuary for the bio diverse Cape fynbos.
We will look for the Snow Protea (Protea cryophilla) - a magnificent plant with flowering cones the size of the King Protea. Instead of being predominantly red it is a beautiful, snowy white and it is 130 - 160 mm in diameter. The Snow Protea grows exclusively in isolated parts of the Cederberg Wilderness Area and grows mainly in small belt of about 25 km. It is found nowhere else in the world than in the Cederberg.
This hike offers everyone that participate an unbelievable experience. Frik Olwage, founder and owner of Eco Ventures, has hiked the ‘Fish’ more than 60 times as a guide. With Eco Ventures the Fish River Canyon becomes an unbelievable experience. We know all the easier foot paths and the stories, around the camp fire at night, make the history of the Canyon even more interesting. The Fish River Canyon is one of the most magnificent natural phenomena in Southern Africa.In 1962 it was proclaimed a Natural Monument and Nature Reserve. For its size and as a spectacle it has been compared with America’s Grand Canyon.
The Fish River Canyon is the oldest canyon in the world and America’s Grand Canyon the biggest. The Fish is 161km lo ng and in places 2.7km (Outer rim 6km) wide. Depth ranges from 457meters and height above sea level from 609 to 366 meters. The hiking trail starts from the main viewpoint near Hobas to Ai-Ais Hot Spring Resort. The trail is 86 - 96km long and takes an average of five days to complete. The 'Canyon' is only open to hikers from May to September each year. Hiking with us, you do not carry stoves and pots and we provide boiling water in the morning for coffee/tee and again at breakfast time for coffee/tee and for oats. We assist you with all the preparation – training, packing checklists and how to pack a back-pack.
We depart from CPT International Airport,with a Mercedes sprinter bus and can organise accommodation the evening before departure and a free airport shuttle or you can meet us at Norotshama River Resort in Namibia.
Experience the Klein Karoo, which is a long valley bordered by the Swartberg and the Langeberg Mountains in the Western Cape, it forms the southern sibling of the larger Karoo - the Great or Groot Karoo occupies the northern part thereof.
From Prince Albert over the Swartberg Mountains and all the off-the- beaten- track roads, along Route 62 to Montagu
This is the land of succulents, fruit orchards in blossom and vineyards.
Landscapes of towering cliffs, clear streams and a unique biome dominated by the aloe and dwarf baobab tree (Botterboom) with its yellow peeling bark and midsummer red tubular flowers. Majestic mountains lend a blue haze to the distant horizon and spring in this semi-arid climate with winter rainfall.
Walking 100kms through Namaqualand at the peak of the flowering season is a truly breathtaking trip – and the best way of experiencing the wonder of flowers in this semi-desert region. Many of the plant species found in Namaqualand are endemic and found nowhere else in the world. Walk through places like Namaqua Nature Reserve, with its unique orange daisies, a Quiver Tree Forest and off-the-beaten- track roads to experience the Kamies Mountains. Sleep over in Garies, with a private dinner at G’nis se Winkel.
An Eco Holiday Walk on gravel roads and foot paths through the Winelands, also known as the Boland. The Boland is situated in the green and fertile valleys formed by the splendid mountain ranges of the Western Cape. Historic towns of the Boland seem to be outside Africa. With gracious homesteads as well as orchards and vineyards heavy with fruit. It comprises mainly of the middle reaches of the Berg and Breede River Valleys –from Paarl, Wellington, and via Slanghoek to Robertson, McGregor, Franschoek and Stellenbosch.
Baviaanskloof or ‘Valley of the baboons’ is a deep twisting ravine walled between parallel east-west mountain ranges, the Baviaans and the Kouga. The Baviaans area encompasses the Karoo towns of Willowmore and Steytlerville, in the north. Known for the richness of their endemic plant species, its interesting cultural heritage and its abundance of bird and animal life.
Thomas Bain masterminded the creation of the road which allows us to journey through one of the most protected areas in Southern Africa – no wonder it was declared a heritage site. Come and see if you can find the keys to open the jewel of the Baviaanskloof.
