Garden Route Unearthed

Antije se Pad is a magnificent 5-day slackpacking trail located in the Eastern Cape about a 1.5 hours drive from Kareedouw.

We woke at 5.30am to on the 2nd November 2024 to get fed and prepared for our first Day on the Antije se Pad trail.

Today was to be our longest distance and Herman had asked us to count the number of river crossings we made during today’s walk.

We started off walking through the river opposite base camp. It was misty and the temperature was cool, which was the perfect way for us to start our trail.

We saw a couple of huge tortoises ambling down the hillside towards the river and also saw some buck in the distance, but we couldn’t identify the species due to the mist and how well they were hidden amongst the bush.

After a few kilometres the trail started to head upwards, so we knew our water crossings were over for now. We decided to change into our hiking boots and started the climb.

The first glimpses of the mountains were stunning. However, this was just the beginning, we had days of breath-taking vistas ahead of us to enjoy.

After climbing for a couple of hours, and after hiking for about 6kms, we decided to find a spot in some shade for a little break and a snack. The early morning mist had burnt off and the temperature was now pretty warm. We knew that there was a water tank at 9kms, so this seemed like a good time for a little break. We sheltered amongst some rocks and tucked into some droewors and peanuts.

Heidi, David and Sally are much more experienced hikers than Bryan and I, so they had little gas burners to light up to make themselves some tea and coffee. I find that I just cannot drink hot drinks when I am hot and the weather is hot, but they seemed very refreshed after their drinks.

The views by now really were amazing. I just do not have the words to describe them. We seriously felt like we were on top of the word. All you could see for kilometres were mountain peaks and ranges. It was exhilarating.

The trail continued to climb for probably another 2 kilometres and then we started to descend. There seemed to be a group excitment about the fact that we had now reached the highest altitude for the day. We had been walking for about 3.5 hours and knew we were about half way. Herman had told us that after the water tank it was a gentle descent for the rest of Day 1’s trail.

After another kilometre, we saw the water tank and a small wooden shelter built next to it with a picnic table. Perfect! This is where we decided to stop for our lunch.

We didn’t want to eat too much during the trail, as it is not fun hiking on a full stomach, so a hard boiled egg, some droewors, peanuts and plenty of water and some Energade was pretty much our staple for the next 4 days.

The water in the water tank was beautifully cold and refreshing and after a brief lunch stop we continued along the trail. The scenery was very different with lots of streams crossing the pathways and we were now walking quite a bit in forest environments, whereas in the morning, it had been dry and barren rocky pathways. How wonderful to be able to experience such diversity in one day.

We had a few sightings of buck again and we figured out that they were in fact mountain rhybuck. We also saw lots of grey sheep (their costs were grey do to the ash from the controlled burns that had taken place a few weeks before our arrival. It made them blend into the environment very well.

Our best sighting of the day, however, was the harlequin snake attacking what we later found out to be a legless skink. The harlequin snake (which has gorgeous colourings) had bitten the legless skink in the middle of the pathway. It had become paralised momentarily and as we watched it suddenly made a dart for it, with the harlequin snake in close pursuit. Apparently these snakes are fairly venomous. When they bite their prey, they inject some venom, whcih slowly kills the prey. We had just arrived before the venom had started to take effect. It was such an incredible thing to see.

We continued along the trail through the forests, coming across many river crossings, so eventually, we changed back into water shoes so that we didn’t have to keep trying to find ingenious ways to cross the water without getting wet. I have to say, our hiking poles were extremely useful during some of the river crossings.

After a total of 15.51kms and 6 hours 45 minutes (hiking time), we crossed our last river crossing (the 36th of the day) and caught a glimpse of Watervall Hut, our home for the next two nights. It was such a welcome sight. We were hot, tired and ready for a cold beer (we had left those with Herman to transport for us). The waterfall was in full flow and the rock pool at the bottom of it looked incredibly inviting. After finding our trommels and getting some clean and non-sweaty clothes ready, we all took a well deserved swim in the rock pool. It was magical!

Watervall Hut is a cool dormitory style hut perched to the side of the waterfall. There is a separate shower cubicle and a toilet up a slight hill, which you need to self flush with water from the river and there is this cosy braai area beside the rock pool. It is exquisite. Totally removed from all man made noise and light pollution and just surrounded by nature!

We were tired but extremely happy and once David and Bryan started the fire, we were all ready for a delicious braai. It was the perfect end to our first day on the Antije se Pad trail.

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