Just to say that we enjoyed the hike very much. The camps were beautifully laid out and we had all that we needed. We particularly enjoyed the second two days walking. Our only disappointment was the lack of water – so desperately dry. We welcomed a short shower on the last day. Hope that more rains fall there soon. Will definitely recommend the hike to others. Good look with the coffee shop and other initiatives.

Ons het gister van ons vakansie af terug gekom.

Die leopard trail was absoluut fantasties.

Alles was perfek.

Bedank asb. vir Lourens en Willem namens my vir hulle goeie diens.

Alles in die kampe was perfek, maar ‘n warmwater donkie vir die stort sal welkom wees.

Die dam by kamp 3 was ‘n welkome verrassing. Ons het lekker in hom afgekoel.

Baie dankie dat julle die leopard trail begin het.

Thanks for this lovely welcome-home note. I’ve circulated it to the group I hiked with, and this is the consolidated feedback:

WHAT WORKED REALLY WELL

• Communications. The fact that the GoBaviaans team were so wonderfully responsive to emails, calls, and inquiries; and so proactive in sharing material that helped us prepare properly. Even this after-the-fact mail is an example of this; and the Facebook page was a great resource.
• The great care taken to mark the paths – very reassuring to those who’re less confident in their wayfinding ability. There was a real sweetness in this evidence of care taken.
• Giving Willem host responsibility.
• The campsites – beautifully laid out, and a real lure to sleeping in the open.
• The labyrinth. Most of walked it, and one of our party, who lives on a Karoo farm, was inspired to build one herself.

SUGGESTIONS

• Give more focus to the “back story” of the social impact intentions of the hike. It’s a lovely story, and a bit of a feelgood for hikers.
• In the showers and loos (which are also sometimes changing rooms), it would be helpful to have some hooks (nails hammered into the wood) for hanging towels, clothes, etc
• If we had done this hike in cold weather, cold showers would have been hopelessly intimidating. Perhaps gas-heated showers? It’s a luxury not out of place in slackpacking, and could increase take-up. But we LOVED those showers.
• Most of us are keen recyclers, and were disappointed that although this is clearly part of your own way of being, we didn’t have options in the camps to separate recyclables from organic (compostable) waste from non-compostable organics. Would this be an option?
• When you build the huts, we think you should retain the campsites to give hikers the option (and the greater privacy of some distance is a lure).
• Again, when you build the huts, we’d suggest putting Camp 2 at base camp, rather than a small distance away, as this could potentially increase take-up by making two-day hikes possible.

I think that’s it. Thank you, again, for a wonderful week.

May I say what a truly wonderful hike it was. The solitude and the vast mountain scenery was spectacular and the actual walking was a good combination some challenging climbs mixed with relatively easy walking, well-marked paths. Overnight facilities were fantastic!

Having stayed in the base house at the start and end of the hike I saw the enlarged image of the Cedar falls on one of the walls and I was determined to photograph that scene myself. Alas the cool weather and the icy water were a deterrent to me in tackling the swim, only three hardy members of our group were brave enough to do it.

Of all the hikes I have done over many years this one was one of the best and I’d do it again without hesitation.

We had a great hike and we all enjoyed the trail very much.

The weather was perfect. No rain and not too hot!

The camps were very comfortable and Willem and his team were spot on with everything.

Camp two was a bit spread out and here and there a few more markers would have been welcome.

We loved the Farmhouse! Could easily stay there for a few days!

Thank you so much for such a well organised hike.

We really enjoyed the hike. We were really luck with the weather, the nights were cold as expected but they days were lovely with the sun shining but not too hot. I would not want to do the leopard trail in the summer months, I can just imagine how hot it must get especially on day 3.

Compliments:

• Very well organised
• Clean camp site
• Well equipped kitchen, we didn’t miss anything
• enough fire wood was provided
• sufficient cleared space for tents
• The route was marked clearly and we didn’t get lost once.

Recommendations:

• some seat cushions would be nice, they can be used on the stumps and at the dining table.
• two way radios to communicate with base.