Jonkershoek Hike

A few weeks ago, a few friends and I went on a hike in the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, near Stellenbosch. 


The pathway we started on towards the hiking trail
(Image supplied by Capenature.co.za)



The Swartboskloof-Sosyskloof route offers a circular hiking route - easy scenic walks with forests and a waterfall in winter.  The hike starts as an easy scenic walk with the Eerste River in sight for most of the way.  After approximately 2.5 km, we reached the first waterfall which was absolutely breathtaking.  It was too cold to experience the fresh water in the waterfall, but seeing the first one only made us more eager to reach the second one.





The first waterfall after 2.5 km

As it had rained the night before, we were faced with a few obstacles such as rapid flowing rivers going down the mountain.  This required us to remove our shoes and socks, and roll up our pants so that we were able to cross the river.  After one of my fellow hikers nearly lost her shoes as it got swept up in the current and began making its way down the river, we knew we were in for a tough hike.





The second waterfall that we saw, just as we turned the corner



The trip to the second waterfall is 6.4 km there and back.  It is fairly easy hiking until you reach the very steep section to the gorge.  It had begun to get extremely hot as we reached midday, and us not being professional or extreme hikers, decided to turn back just before reaching the second waterfall.  We were just able to catch a glimpse of it as we turned the last corner before the steep incline.

On the way back, our shoes got extremely wet and we decided to just mission our way through the river with shoes and socks and all.  At the end we were very tired, but felt refreshed after taking in the fresh Jonkershoek air and beautiful nature that surrounded us.

This is definitely a great trail to hike and is not too extreme for those who are used to a little bit of hiking.  Closed shoes and comfortable clothes are definitely a must!  Entrance is R30 per person.  For more information you can visit their website on http://www.capenature.co.za/reserves.htm?reserve=Jonkershoek+Nature+Reserve

Happy hiking!