If slackpacking is about combining fantastic hiking with en suite accommodation and country cooking, then the Green Mountain Trail ticks all the right boxes.
Set in the picturesque Overberg region just an hour’s drive from Cape Town, the sixty kilometre trail is broken down into a very manageable four days, each showcasing a different aspect of the environment. Walking with only a light pack, you’ll get a decent cardio workout during the day and can sit back to delicious meals and award-winning local wines in the evening. Your four nights are split evenly between a pair of four star country houses, renowned for their character and cuisine.
The first two days are full ones but the reward is exquisite fynbos vegetation and commanding views of the Elgin Valley and surrounding mountain ranges. The next two days are half-day hikes, allowing you to laze by the pool in the afternoon or enjoy an extended lunch and wine tasting. The hiking is relatively easy – a mix of jeep tracks and single paths - and most of it winds through private estates on exclusive-use trails so you’ll barely see another person.
The Green Mountain Trail is led by professionally qualified guides. Passionate and knowledgeable, they bring the landscape alive, weaving natural and human history into the narrative as you walk. And you’ll be walking in the Kogelberg Biosphere, a World Heritage Site. You’ll see rare plants and endemic birds, perhaps a tortoise or mountain antelope and the footprints of a patrolling leopard. The views are stupendous and there are plenty of treats in store for hikers: a coffee and tea break, a gourmet lunch in the vineyards and home-made lemonade at the end of a hot day’s hiking. “