Are there any suitable long distance multi-day backpacking Camino / pilgrimage trails in South Africa.
I am looking for wilderness trails with tent, not hot meal stop-over huts etc, but trails that will test endurance and ability to survive in wilderness, connecting with yourself. The trail needs to be longer than 10 days, have access to water, and dont need to be booked with expensive reservations. If map of route areas can be obtained even better to plan own camp stop-overs. Any recommendations please?
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Only two come to mind:
- Drakensberg Grand Traverse - @Ghaznavid can give more info on this.
- The Rim of Africa is without a doubt the longest multi-day trail in South Africa.
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The DGT is definitely one of the more wild long hiking routes, but there’s no trail for most of it - so it depends a great deal what you’re looking for. But you can even do a loop from Bushman’s Nek up the Giants Cup Trail to the Sani Road, up to the top and across the top back to Bushman’s Nek - the Drakensberg has practically limitless combinations of long hiking routes one can do with relatively easy access. You could similarly set up almost any route through Lesotho - I know a team once started at Mnweni, up Rockeries Pass and then followed the Senqu River down to Mokhotlong and then caught the local taxi from there to Underberg. 10 days depends on the person - Ryan Sandes and Ryno Griesel did a DGT in about 42 hours, while most take two weeks. I once did the DGT twice in a row over 16 days - which had the upside of finishing where I started.
Incidentally the word “camino” is Spanish for either path or I walk. E.g. “camino por las montañas” means “I walk through the mountains”, or “camino por el camino” means “I walk along the path”. I’m not entirely sure how camino entered the SA hiking vocab.
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Thanks Jonathan. Will contact you directly to chat more about appropriate routes.
Yes Camino may seem like a strange connotation for something most of us thrive in. Yet it has a familiar dynamic for those who want to be alone and reconnect with themselves, nature, life, and the Devine - hence going on a pilgrimage. Nothing to do with penance, just simply a way some people conquer the inner struggles by spending time alone with their thoughts and sweating, battling out the dragons and overcomming their own inner struggles. I used to take groups on difficult routes with extra baggage (e.g. car tyre) to carry as group team effort, but in reality all to do with being able to go beyond the inner comforts and overcomming the conveniences the ego demands - hense a pilgrimage.
Tankwa Camino (They have various caminos and distances)
You sleep in your own tent. They give evening meals. You can put two 50l crates and your tents on truck to next stop so only carry daily food and neccesities with you.
Me and my mom did the Hantam Camino this year. Loved it going back next year with my son.
It seems that most trails being marketed as Camino’s are rather expensive guided, slackpacking tours. So I guess it all depends what you are looking for.
Hi @calypso , Thank you also for the response. As mentioned by Ghaznavid and Wooshness above, there is scope for a pilgrimage kind of walk in the Drakensberg and the Rim of Africa. There is also one in the Free State at Clarens, but as you mentioned, even the ones so called Camino’s in the Karoo turns out to be another convenient money-making business. For me it is more about a personal journey, spending time alone (even in a small group) traversing the wilderness on a quest to reconnect with self, nature and finding Divine direction for your life. The Drakensberg do provide such opportunities. Many people, like what Jonathan describe above, has done solo trips with that specific intention. I think its just a matter of doing a bit of asking around and speaking to those who are experts of specific areas, and planning your route in accordance. I might to The GDT early 2025 as a vision quest if anybody is interested, as well as Giants Cup shorter route again April/May, with the same intention if anybody wants to join. @Wooshness , the whole Rim of Africa very long exhastive walk is definitely on my bucket list, but logistics and support structure would need to be planned very carefully. Would love to hear if anybody has ever done all the way from top through the Cederberge, Overland past Swellendam up to Oudshoorn through the Swartberge?
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