What is the hardest "hutted" hike in South Africa?

Well done! I guess you’ll have to do all the other hutted trails in the country, just to be sure you can tell which is the hardest. You know, for science :grin:

And naturally after doing them all, you’ll have to repeat them all just to be sure…

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Thanx for this lovely video! We are booked to hike this trail in 3 weeks time,and now I am super excited after watching your video. Hope you don’t mind me sharing it with my hiking friends on Facebook.

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We did Amatola last week and I think it lives up to it’s reputation. Really nice trail but they can do some maintenance on the huts (especially the bathrooms). Most of our group was worried about fitness but we all managed to pull through and we had perfect weather. Hiking up and down those trails will be a different story in the wet.

We enjoyed it immensely and I highly recommend it.

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Sorry for the delayed response - please share away! Hope you guys enjoyed the hike??

The dodgy toilets are all part of the adventure :joy:

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Thanx Zoelak! It was hair rasing,but absalutely fantastic!

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Hy guys! Would it be ok to do the Amathola hike at the end of June, beginning July?

I did the Amathola many years ago…it was tough but incredible.As far as an overnight er in a hut…Arrangieskop rates as one of the hardest hikes i have done.Maybe it was because i carried many kilo’s of Camera equipment to shoot the summit…only to be rained on and clouded in for the 2 days(so no decent images).I rate it as one of my toughest to date due to the heavy load.

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Hi there
I’ve done the Amatola too. It’s a beautiful hike and I’ll definitely do it again.

We had two days of rain from morning until night. We did it in December 2017. It kinda ruins you though, every other hutted hike seems easy peasy after that :grin:

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What shoes are the best for doing the Amatola trail?
Any recommendations?

there’s not a unique answer - it will depend on your foot’s structure, hiking style and backpack weight. seeing that you will probably carry a heavy backpack and the Amatola has a lot of rocky and slippery terrain, I would look at proper hiking shoes / boots or sturdy trail running shoes (instead of sneakers or normal running shoes). With sturdy shoes blister management becomes more important - there is a good discussion here:

Jim Green Razorbacks. Just wear them in, by wearing them a lot, before you hike.
Merrell boots Ive had have been comfortable, but didnt last long and cant be resoled like the Jim Greens. The Strypoortberge, Wolkberg and Blouberg eat Hi Tecs, they are for casual walking, not serious hiking. On water sections I wear NB trailshoes that let the water out, always in my backpack I wear them in camp. My backpack I had made by Scavenger manufacturing in Silverton to my specs, It’s the Backpacker Thar 90L with two 5L removable expedition pouches.

Jabba the Hike?

:rofl: