Panorama Trail in spring

It was fantastic to get back into the mountains again on a serious hike for the first time since the back op in February. And the Boland served up the perfect day: warm, windless, impossibly blue, water coursing out of the rock and seeps everywhere, and the veld ablaze with colour. The next day the leg muscles were burning but recovery from the back injury is well underway as we steadily tick off the milestones along the way.

Jonkershoek’s Panorama Trail seldom disappoints. One departs at the Witbrug at the top of the dirt road loop. The trail ascends the eastern rim of the valley, traverses the high, Dwarsberg plateau and descends by one of two routes: the shorter roundtrip down the Kurktrekker, or the longer, full-day hike down Swartboskloof. We left a bit late and so scrambled down Kurktrekker, where the recent rains have made the path a little treacherous. But Cape Nature’s teams are working on the repairs, judging by the bundles of short poles regularly stacked along the way. The shorter route is about 13 km in length and one climbs through 1093 m.

Relive 'Panorama'

View the Panorama Trail album