Start: Hangklip Forest Reserve, near Louis Trichardt
Finish: Hangklip Forest Reserve, near Louis Trichardt
Duration: 20.5 km two-day trail
Fitness: moderate
Tip: During summer make sure you take along at least 2 litres of water per person as there is little along the trail.
Once upon a time a 75 km trail traversed the Soutpansberg. Known as the Soutpansberg Hiking Trail it ventured from the Hangklip Forest Reserve all the way across the rugged spine of the mountain range to the Entabeni State Forest - a gruelling hike that was also incredibly beautiful. It took five days to complete and formed part of what was known as the National Hiking Way – an attempt to link the Soutpansberg with the Cape mountains.
Now all that is left of the Soutpansberg hiking trail is the two-night Hangklip trail, a circular trail through the Hangklip Forest Reserve, a 340 hectare indigenous sub-tropical forest just outside the town of Louis Trichardt (Makhado), and the Entabeni hiking trail in the eastern Soutpansberg range that has only recently re-opened.
Combining the two hikes comes close to the former Soutpansberg hike, for those who want to spend about four days in the Soutpansberg mountains. Komatie Tourism, who offer the Hangklip trail, continue to call it the Soutpansberg Hiking Trail.
The trail starts at the Soutpansberg Hut (a converted forest station) and heads into the indigenous forest almost immediately. Day one, 13 km, is the more arduous of the two days with a steep climb into the forest. But the beauty of the forest more than makes up for it – with roughly 540 different tree species, mosses, monkey ropes, large rock overhangs, fungi and ferns.
Once at the top, the climbs are worth the views. One overnights at Hangklip Hut, a particularly lovely hiking hut in the shadow of Hangklip Mountain.
Day two is a return to the Soutpansberg Hut, a far easier day with a walk of only 7.2 km. Use this time to keep an eye out for birds that are prolific in the region (540 different bird species are found in the Soutpansberg Mountains and the Limpopo River Valley alone) particularly along the streams, in dense bush, on rocky ridges and in the grasslands.