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Looking towards the mist in the valley on the Hoogland Hiking Tails

Hoogland Hiking Trails: The Cave Trail, a Hole in the Mountain on the Edge of Centurion

Avatar for Shaun DouglasCenturion
I got to the parking lot before anyone else, which was the whole point. Winter mornings up here, the mist pools in the valleys overnight and sits there on the lower slopes, thick and white, while the ridgelines lift clear out of it into a hard blue sky. I'd seen it before. I came early anyway, to have it to myself for a few minutes before 15 fellow hikers arrived and turned it back into a hike. ... Continue Reading
River crossing along the Muningi Gorge Hike, Adventure Zone, Cullinan

Muningi Gorge Hike – Adventure Zone, Cullinan

Avatar for Shaun DouglasPretoria
The water was cold. Winter-cold, the kind that makes you question every decision that led to this moment. I was already halfway across the first river crossing, shoes on, committed, when I accepted the simple truth — I was going to be wet for a while. There are four river crossings on the Muningi Gorge trail. This was unexpected. ... Continue Reading
Rock Pool at the Milorho Hiking Trails

Milorho Hiking Trails: Not What I Expected

Avatar for Shaun DouglasRustenburg
I came for a hike. The first thing I did was speed-walk past a bronze face the size of a car wheel, a wire-and-rock figure watching me from the lawn, and a woman made of blue dots with her arms stretched wide — straight to the nearest toilet. Two coffees on the drive will do that to you. To be fair, Milorho Hiking Trails was not what I expected the moment I pulled through the gate. ... Continue Reading
Rhino art decoration in front of a coffee shop in Dullstroom

A Long Weekend in Dullstroom

Avatar for Guest WriterDullstroom
The trees were already turning when I pointed the car east and left Pretoria behind. Three hours of open road, and somewhere along the way, the city noise just stopped. A right turn onto a dirt road, a hand-painted sign for Elandskloof Trout Farm, and I knew the weekend was going to be exactly what I needed. ... Continue Reading
A bridge along the hiking trail at Taroko Trail Park

Taroko Trail Park | More Than Just a Walk in the Park

Avatar for Shaun DouglasJohannesburg
Fourteen hikers. One new face in the group. The stream at our backs, trees ahead. I took the group photo while the spirits were still high, legs were fresh and smiles were easy. Modderfontein is about thirty minutes from Pretoria — easy enough to feel like a day out, far enough to feel like you've actually left. ... Continue Reading