Perdeberg hike

The hike from Feetjiesbos (or Fairy Glen), near the Palmiet bridge, to Perdeberg Peak and back, in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, is not hard. It rises through rich fynbos at an easy gradient, gradually revealing views of the sweep of Sandown Bay beach to the Bot River mouth, the Three Sisters, grand vistas of the Elgin plateau north to the Hottentots Holland mountains as you breast the ridge, culminating in a commanding view of the Palmiet lagoon Oudebosch, Platberg, Buffelstal, Rooielsberg and Kogelberg peak. At one point the Cape Hangklip lighthouse fleetingly winks through Leopard Gorge’s cleft. On this day we could see clear across to the Cape Peninsula. The route length is 13 km, cumulatively climbing through 769 m.

I have wondered why Perdeberg (“horse mountain”) has its name. Is it the shape of the peak or the ridge? For the life of me I cannot spot a resemblance. Did Cape Mountain zebra once roam up here? Perhaps. It is often why other Perdebergs or Paardebergs are so named in the Cape. Or does it have something to do with the wild horse herd that runs in the Bot-Klein wetland far below? Probably not. Perhaps someone can enlighten me?

Although the hike starts and ends on municipal land, Perdeberg is in the Kogelberg Nature Reserve, so a permit from CapeNature is required.

This hike’s photo album