HIKING – Oorlogskloof: 5-Day Hiking Trail (Nieuwoudtville, SA) – Introduction

October 2021

We have done a couple of long-distance hikes (like the Caminos in Spain and Portugal) and one/two-day hiking trails locally. But we wondered: What about a 5-day hiking trail “somewhere in the mountains” not too far from home? 

Before we get to the Oorlogskloof Hiking Trail, if you are considering walking the Caminos in Spain and Portugal, you can click on the following links to read more about our very long walks:

*Spain: Camino De Santiago – April 2017 – Introduction

*Portugal: What about the Portuguese Camino

Now, let’s get back to the Oorlogskloof Hiking Trail (loosely translated, Oorlogskloof would mean “Gorge of War”). Maybe that name should have been an early sign of what was laying ahead.

Where is Oorlogskloof?

This Nature Reserve is about 350km from Cape Town with the closest town being Nieuwoudtville. This area is a flower paradise during spring, but it’s also a place that can get extremely hot during summer.

History on Oorlogskloof?

This area was the first region in South Africa to be colonised by the whites (1644). The San-bushmen lived in the area until just before 1740. At the same time, the Khoi-hottentots also inhabited the area. With so many different cultures living in such close proximity, it was unavoidable that theft of each others’ stock would soon be at the order of the day.

During 1739 the theft of stock by the colonists and the Khoi reached a climax and a trek-farmer commando attacked Khoisan-kraals near the current reserve.

It was described as follows: “This time 13 Khoi-San were killed, a number wounded and the rest surrendered. About 162 cattle, 209 sheep, 3 iron pots, a copper kettle, 3 horses and a saddle were captured. Before leaving the kraal, the commando returned 48 cattle and 40 sheep to the survivors and ‘made peace’ with them. The place was named Oorlogskloof”.

Before we get to the actual hike, here’s more information on the Oorlogskloof Hiking Trail(s).

Information on the trail:

• One Day Circular Route: Leopard Trap Day Hike – 15.5km/9.6 miles.
• One Day Circular Route: Rietvlei Day Hike – 17.9km/11 miles.
• Rock Pigeon Route (4-5 Days) – 52.2km/32.4 miles … this was our trail.
• Rameron Pigeon Route (4-7 Days) – 52.4km/32.5 miles.
• You need to obtain a permit from the Oorlogskloof Office in Nieuwoudtville.
• Huts are available to overnight. Only beds with mattresses are provided, you must carry all your other equipment (sleeping bags, clothes, food, etc.) with you in your backpack.
• Water is available at some huts, otherwise if not, you need to get water from close-by fountains or rivers. Although the brochure indicates that water is safe to drink, we would recommend that you bring your own water filtering system or water purifying tablets.
• Carry at least 2 liters water per person per day in summer (or even more by filling up at rock pools/rivers/fountains).
• Everything you carry in, must be carry out (don’t leave your garbage at the huts).
• The terrain is extremely rugged and inhospitable – hikers must be experienced and fit (and not walking fit, but rock-climbing fit … something we already realised on the 1^st day)! This trail is not for the faint-hearted or inexperienced.

What to pack?

Since we would be walking (no, climbing rocks) in a rugged area, our backpacks were not to be too heavy. We had to carry 5 days’ food. Our mission was that it should be as light as possible. Berto sourced a South African company (Forever Fresh) that produce world-class freeze-dried food. We ordered a variety of dishes (even couscous and basmati rice) and were surprised how tasty the food was. It was a highlight after every long and strenuous day on the trail.

Update (August 2023): You can now buy Forever Fresh products at Outdoor Warehouse stores

We shared the food between our two backpacks. So, what did our menu look like – well, more or less like this:

• Breakfast: Oatso Easy or Pronutro (made with boiling water) – and for good measure, throw in some nuts.

• Lunch: Tuna packs, biscuits (Provita) and mini cheese cubes. When it’s not too hot, these cheese cubes last for days outside a fridge – we finished the last of our cheese cubes on Day 4.

• Dinner: Forever Fresh meals (with either basmati rice, couscous or mash).

• Snacks: We’ve packed Yum-Yum peanut butter sticks and a few packs of jelly sweets – easy snacks that one can eat while hiking. Breakfast/Energy bars were also a big treat during mid-mornings.

• Extra: Two packs of candy as dessert (fruit would obviously have been a better choice, but who is going to carry that for five days?).

• Drinks: Sachets of Game Powdered Sports Drink (mixed with water) – a great thirst quencher and it will give you that extra kick you’ll need when climbing over all those big rocks.

Of course, we needed some hot drinks as well for early mornings and to enjoy somewhere on the trail during the day (*). Berto loves coffee and I’m fond of tea (and the luxury of a cup of cappuccino at least once a day). There were other drinks as well for the evening, but we’ll get to that later.

*We used our small hiking stove to boil water.

To keep our packs as light as possible, we invested in collapsible cups and bowls, as well as silicone glasses (wine just taste better in these).

Once again, we packed our light weight sleeping bags (470g), sleeping bag liners and our small hiking pillows. We’ve used these so many times before, and although it wasn’t cheap, it certainly is worth the money.

Toiletry bags are always a big discussion point (especially between women). You know, a bit of this and a bit of that and suddenly your toiletry bag is bigger than your backpack. But I’ve learned over time, the bare minimum is enough on a hiking trip – especially when you need to carry all of these yourself over boulders and through deep gorges.

The one department where we didn’t hold back, was with our medical kit. Since we’re hiking in an area where you’ll barely see other people (and where it will probably take 2 days for someone to reach you in case of an emergency), you need to come prepared with this.

Towards the end, we added a few odds and ends (that’s normally where the problem comes – extra weight). After putting everything in our backpacks, it was quite a shock to see my backpack’s weight at 13kg and Berto’s one at 15kg. And we still had to add 2 liters of water – pretty heavy for the terrain we will have to cover over 5 days.

Here we go:

With our backpacks packed and a last hot shower, we left our house on a lovely spring morning to drive 3 hours to our destination. We will sleep the first evening at the starting point of the Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve.

Groot Tuin (loosely translated, it would mean “Big Garden”) was the starting point and where we found our first accommodation. There is one big house with 3 compartments filled with beds and then two smaller ones for hikers to overnight. We had the smaller house, stacked with 6 beds and only mattresses are provided. Yes, it’s very basic, but at least we’re not sleeping on the ground, and we have a roof over our heads.

We were the only hikers at Groot Tuin. There were a couple of cars parked under the pine trees from where the trail starts, but we knew those hikers were already on the different trails and that we would probably not see any of them on our 5-day hike.

Can you guess what the next thing was we’ve done before going to bed? Yes, we made a big fire to enjoy a ‘braai’ (barbecue).

We sat next to the fire for some time while discussing the route. We couldn’t find much information about the trail online beforehand and felt just a tiny bit unprepared for what lay ahead.

Tomorrow, our first day on the trail, we will only have to cover 4km/2.4 miles. How hard can it be?

You can read about Day 1 here