Whale Trail Reopening

Our province has no shortage of natural beauty and the De Hoop Nature Reserve  is one of these natural wonders that’s a favourite destination for hikers, cyclists, bird watchers and, during the winter and early summer months, whale watchers.

The reserve is located about 3 hours from Cape Town and is approximately 36 000 hectares in size. It’s one of the largest natural areas managed by CapeNature and it boasts one of the most scenic hiking trails in South Africa: the Whale Trail. The trail stretches over 55km from Potberg to Koppie Alleen and includes 5 overnight stops and offers the opportunity to explore the unsurpassed natural diversity of the De Hoop Nature Reserve.

On the 5 day walk you’ll get the chance to see and experience a vast collection of indi­gen­ous plants and flowers while also looking for members of the last remaining vulture colony in the Western Cape, various other types of birds and small antelope.

Reopening of the Whale Trail

Following the heavy flooding experienced in the Overberg area in November 2013 and January 2014, various infrastructure on the Whale Trail suffered extensive damage, making it unsafe for hikers and prompting a need for a period of repair and upgrade.

As a result the Whale Trail was closed for a while, only to be reopened as a 4 day hiking trail in May 2014 after repairs and upgrading. The reopening of the full 5 day trail followed approximately a year later in May 2015.

Upgrades at the Whale Trail

The Department of Transport and Public Works spent close to R2 million on the following upgrades:

• the 4 cottages - Potberg, Cupidoskraal, Hamerkop and Vaalkrans - each had major general maintenance to the interiors and exteriors of the buildings including:
  • new kitchen cabinetry,
  • general maintenance to all floors, walls, ceilings and roofs for all four cabins, and
• new bathrooms were also fitted at Hamerkop and Vaalkrans.

CapeNature spent close to R4 million on:

• the demolition and removal of the old cabins at Noetsie from the site to make way for entirely new timber cabins.

These new cabins have been designed and built to occupy the same development footprint as the old cabins but have achieved greater views and increased passive thermal efficiency.

To take advantage of these new upgrades and if you’re up for an adventure be sure to visit the Whale Trail to experience our province’s natural beauty with your  friends and family.

Read more about the

• booking terms and conditions  and
• tariffs.

For more information, feel free to phone the CapeNature’s call centre at +27 (0)21 483 0190 or email reservation.alert@capenature.co.za

Note: Office hours are from 7:30am to 4pm.