We all have these photos … throwback photos!
It’s described as ‘nostalgia-inducing pictures … from a different era of your life”.
Every Thursday we will throw a few photos of ‘way back when’ on our blog. Why on a Thursday? Because it’s just a day away from the weekend … and we love weekends!
You are welcome to join in or just enjoy the photos (#TB Thursday).
Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, Stellenbosch – Western Cape Province (October 2013)
It’s hiking season in South Africa! And what better way to celebrate this activity with a throwback to one of the most beautiful hiking destinations near Cape Town – the outskirts of Stellenbosch.
We have visited Jonkershoek in a previous throwback where we hiked the circular route of 9km (5.5 miles). This time however, we not just hiked the circular route, but also went off the trail to hike the Second Waterfall Route of 6.4km (there and back). It was a great day of hiking with a total distance of 16km (9.9 miles).
At the start of the circular route
Halfway on the circular route there is a sign indicating the route to the First- and Second Waterfall route.
Sign towards First- and Second Waterfall Route
It was quite a hot day with October month announcing the start of summer in South Africa. But we had the prospect of some river pools where we could cool off. We decided to skip the (easy) route to the First Waterfall and followed the path along the Eerste River to the Second Waterfall.
Path along the Eerste River
The trail got a bit steep along a gorge to the foot of the Second Waterfall.
Steep section on our way to the Second Waterfall
It was a dry winter rainy season and therefore the river was very shallow. To our disappointment, there was no sign of a waterfall at the end of our road.
Cross an almost dry Eerste River
When we reached the end of the trail at Second Waterfall, we sat down on the rocks to enjoy a snack. At least it was cool in the shade and we could rest a bit before the long walk back to the gate of the reserve.
A scramble over a few rocks on our way back
When we rejoined the circular route, the sun was high and it was getting hotter and hotter. We knew we still had to walk 4.5km (2.8 miles) to get back to our car and picked up some speed.
Back on the circular route
Back at the gate of the reserve we walked straight to a big tree. We took off our shoes and bought an ice-cold soda from the café to enjoy in the shade. Our day didn’t really turn out as we had hoped – no waterfall and very hot – but any day in nature is a good day, right?
Green grass and welcoming shade at the end of our hike
Wet and Dusty Roads 
Too bad about the dry waterfalls. Still you enjoyed a strenuous hike in s very scenic setting.
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The hiking trails around Stellenbosch are absolutely beautiful, so we weren’t that disappointed about the dry waterfall after all. This year we had very good winter rain and I would love to see what that waterfall looks like now 🙂.
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Julle doen baie spesiale goed, mooi foto’s
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Baie dankie Christa. Daar’s net soveel mooi plekke in ons land (waarvan ons waarskynlik die helfte nog nie eens gesien het nie), dat daar hopenlik nog baie goed is wat ons kan doen 😉.
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Vir altyd sal daar wees, want y kan dan volgens seisoene gaan en vioer verskillende soorte foto’s kry, dink ekke
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No shade and no waterfall but the surrounds look beautiful, Corna.
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See, there is always something to be happy about 😊.
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😁💙
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Too bad about the waterfalls having dried up, but like you said, any day spent in nature is a bonus. Lovely post Corna!
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Thank you Tricia. Yes, it’s such a beautiful landscape to hike in that the absence of the waterfall didn’t bother us too much 🙂. I heard that the waterfall is currently cascading down the rocks after the good rains in that area – maybe we’ll see it one day.
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Ooff! That was an ambitious hike on such a hot day. Too bad about the waterfall but a great walk and a nice tree to collapse under at the end!
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That was a bit ambitious, wasn’t it? Fortunately, the surroundings are so beautiful that at least it didn’t feel like we did the hike in vain. I have to admit that the best part of the hike was being able to take my shoes off under that big tree 😄.
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Oh no all that work and sweating and no waterfalls!
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I think we already realised with the slowly flowing river at the beginning of the hike that there might not be a waterfall … but luckily it’s such a beautiful reserve that we didn’t complain too much 😉.
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Oh nooo that there was no water in the falls…especially after a hike in this heat! At least the views are absolutely beautiful 🙂
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Yeah, that was a slight bummer. But luckily there was at least a cool stream we could dip our feet in, while enjoying the beautiful landscape. These things happen and that day was not our lucky day to see the waterfall (maybe next time 😉).
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A pity that the waterfalls were dry when you were on the Stellenbosch trail but I’m sure you enjoyed the walk anyway. A great post.
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Yeah, I think we kind of expected that when we saw how empty the river was. But it’s a lovely area and we could still enjoy being in nature. Thank you Marion, hope you have a nice weekend 🌸.
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That’s an impressive amount of distance to cover on foot in a day, especially on a hot day. It’s a bit of a let down that there was no waterfall, but at least you could take a bit of a break in the shade. And hey, it’s like you said, any day in nature is a good day. I couldn’t agree more!
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It didn’t feel that far to walk at all … well, until we had to walk back that last stretch of the circular route in the heat of the day 😉. Next time we’ll make sure the waterfall is running and it’s not so hot …
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Incredible photos! Love it! New followers.
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Thank you. Nature is one of the best places to take photos while being relaxed.
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Any hiking day is good…… but Michaela would have not been best pleased to hike there and find the waterfall out of action!
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It was quite disappointing that there was no waterfall … and on top of that when it got warmer it was quite a challenging hike! I recently read that the waterfall rumbled down the cliffs after all the rain, but now it’s a bit far to go there for a day!
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Thanks for stopping by David (and for the follow). We love Spain and it’s nice to follow someone from this beautiful country’s blog too.
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Wow what an epic hike you guys tackled here. What a pity about the waterfalls, I think you deserved that payoff after all your efforts. Looking at the sky, the dusty roads and the rocks along the way I get a keen sense of what a challenge this must have been. The green grass shots at the end look heavenly.
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I think we should have find out beforehand if the waterfall was actually running 😉. That last stretch of dirt road felt endless in the heat, but to be honest, in the end it was actually a really nice day. Oh, that green grass … best sight of the day!
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Disappointing, but what a great day of hiking! Bless those people who make and maintain the trails. Those steps are nice to have when going up a hot, steep hill. I’m still trying to catch up on all the great posts I missed while we were on our last road trip. I’m getting there slowly but surely. I hope you’re having a wonderful week!
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Even though it wasn’t quite what we were hoping for, we were very happy to be able to get into nature. Yes, I always take my hat off to people who have to maintain these trails – sometimes not an easy job. Oh nice, another road trip – hopefully we’ll read about it soon 🙂. We were also away for a few days and I’m still trying to catch up. Hope you have a great week too.
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