The best hikes for children

Posted on 29 September 2011

Hiking up Table Mountain recently, I overheard a frustrated teenager negotiating with the younger members of his party. Hot and tired, the kids had staged a sit-down strike. “˜Did you see that lion,’ the young man asked in desperation. The ruse worked. Suddenly the youngsters sprung to his side and stayed close all the way to the top (where I hope he came clean!). With this in mind, we asked Getaway readers for South Africa’s kid-friendly trails.

“˜God’s Window and the rain forest does it for me,’ Kristina Meyer says, and other readers agree that the impressive views of the Lowveld from the viewpoint and the gnarly trees and massive tree ferns are magical. www.mpumalanga.com.

Mark Dixon claims that, “˜without doubt the best for a young family is the Woodcutter Trail in the Millwood forest near Sedgefield. Diverse and doable, this three-kilometre walk can take three hours as there’s so much to explore.’ www.gardenroutetrail.co.za/woodcutter.htm.

Joelle Holland’s four-year-old nephew had no problems climbing up Lion’s Head and she says it’s ideal because it’s, “˜relatively short, fun and exposed and it has exhilarating views and a great picnic spot at top’. Jean Erasmus agrees. Her seven- and nine-year-olds apparently love Lion’s Head and the challenging Cape of Good Hope two-day hike. www.tmnp.co.za.

The Magaliesberg is a great place to escape the big smoke. Nikki Carvalho recommends Mountain Sanctuary (www.mountain-sanctuary.co.za) and several readers praised the trails on the Johannesburg Hiking Club’s property Castle Gorge nearby. www.jhbhiking.org.za.

The easy meanders through our national botanical gardens are always a win.

Suegnet Landman suggests taking youngsters to see the fabulous pool in the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens in Gauteng while Kirstenbosch in Cape Town has a fascinating cycad forest to explore. www.sanbi.org.

Beverly Brockman recommends the rock pools, waterfalls and wonderful scenery of the Wathaba Trail, near Machadodorp www.wathaba.co.za.

When choosing a trail look at the fitness and attention span of the kids. Trails need to be manageable but slightly challenging with plenty of interesting diversions. Scrambles, tunnels, rockpools and creepy crawlies rate highly. Encouraging youngsters to lead the group works well and, if all else fails, bribe them with jelly babies. Actually, these are great motivators for big kids too.

Tip:
Kids dehydrate quickly, so always carry plenty of water.

Good to know:
2011 is the Hiking Organisation of Southern Africa’s (HOSA) Year of the Children and they’ll be establishing eight adventure and hiking clubs at schools to encourage kids to get out and hike and to educate them on green issues such as reducing our carbon footprint. Go to www.hosavosa.co.za

Heading out for a hike? Check out these 10 tips on how to pack your backpack.

For great accommodation options near any of these hikes, visit Getaway Accommodation.

 

Photograph courtesy of Shaen Adey






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