Backpackers
Self catering Backpackers, R600 per room per night, bedding and towels not provided.
Situated at reception area where the Leopard trail starts and finishes, this is the perfect base to book for the night before and the night after you hike. The Backpackers consists of three separate rooms each with their own entrance. Each room has 4 single beds, solar power for lights and charging electronic devices, and a safe for valuables.
There is one communal bathroom with toilets and hot gas showers. There is a large, well equipped shared kitchen with gas fridge/freezer, gas stove top, hot running water and wash facilities. Connected to the kitchen is a covered veranda with a portable braai as well as a fire pit.
The rate is R600 per room per night – please bring your own sleeping bags, bedding and towels.
You can find relief on hot days in the large cement reservoir swimming pool that is available to all guests at Cedar Falls, fed by clear, fresh water from the mountain stream.
Please note that as we are in a World Heritage Site, we are unable to accommodate pets.
Check in is anytime from 3pm onwards, and check out by 9am. Guests are welcome to arrive earlier and leave later if you want to do walks, however please ensure you are out of your accommodation so that our team can start cleaning for the next guests.
Other Accommodation Options at Cedar Falls
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The Leopard Trail gets Flush Toilets
Fires bring change to the Leopard Trail
One year into the Leopard Trails life, and the first major upgrade to occur is flush toilets! Each overnight spot now has a flushing toilet – a great luxury in this remote wilderness. Next we may even put in hot showers…. (nah, unlikely. Sorry)
In January the fires destroyed the overnight camp for the end of day 2. The only sign to mark where the toilet used to be was melted glass from the window, and a water tank melted down to the level of the water that was in it. The original toilets were enviroloo’s – great dry composting toilets, and environmentally friendly. However in the heat of the Baviaans, and with twelve hikers every day in summer, the toilets had started to smell….
With Camp 2 having to be rebuilt, we worked with our partners at the Eastern Cape Parks And Tourism Agency to evaluate the environmental impacts of flush toilets and septic tanks. The verdict was that, if done right, there would be no impact at all. And with water at each camp site not a problem, it was an easy decision.
Hiking the Leopard Trail after the fires
Bucketlist Lab takes a walk on the Leopard Trail
Bucketlist Lab is always on the look out for unique and spectacular experiences. After the fires on the Leopard Trail in December and January, they were the first to call us and ask how soon they could walk the trail.
As Bucket List Lab said after posting this video, “The regrowth after the fires is one of the most exciting times to experience nature. Having walked the Leopard Trail many times before, we were dead keen to walk the landscape. The stark landscape was incredible to walk through. The video was taken shortly after the devastating fires. Nature is already at work to restore our beautiful kloof. Exciting times ahead!”
The Baviaanskloof Burns
Wild Mountain Fires burnt 95% of the mountains in and around the Leopard Trail.
Over 3 weeks in December fires blazed through the landscape of the Leopard Trail, and around the Cedar Falls Base Camp. The veld had not burnt in 9 years, and with a huge fire load (the name given to the amount of dead and dry fynbos) and perfect fire conditions, a small fire that started in the south of the Kouga mountains swept all the way up to our area. After 3 weeks, very little vegetation was left.
Over 90% of the landscape through which the Leopard Trail runs was completed burnt, leaving only isolated valleys and narrow kloofs with green vegetation. Camp site 2 was destroyed, and most of the vegetation around the base camp.
Hikers Evacuated
At the time of the first fires 2 groups of hikers were at Cedar Falls Base Camp preparing for their Leopard Trail Hike. Both groups were put on ‘wait’ while we waited to see what happened with the trail. On day two of the wait period the fire changed direction, moving onto the Leopard Trail, and surrounding the base camp. A call was made to evacuate all hikers, and cancel over 130 hikers that were due over the next 2 weeks.
By the second week of January the fires had burnt through, leaving the overnight Camp 2 destroyed.
In terms of natural processes, the December fires were a vital part of the ecosystem. Fynbos is well adapted to the dry summer climates in which fires thrive, and the fires will bring a rapid rejuvenation of the vegetation.
Walking the Leopard Trail in the Baviaanskloof Summer
Summer’s just around the corner. Here are a few key pointers to walking The Leopard Trail in the heat of the Baviaanskloof summer.
Isabelle, April 2016
The trail is fantastic! The overnight places were fantastic, especially the swimming tanks. The trommels were moved quickly and quietly. The staff are very nice.
The maps and our Garmins had different distances, with out Garmin’s saying each day was longer. The toughness of the trail should be noted by hikers, this is not for everyone.
When we walked there was definitely no water on the trail, so be prepared to carry 2 to 3 liters each day.
Headlights are a great idea for night time, as even with the solar lights in the tents at the camps it is dark.
James, March 2016
It is a moderate hike with some tough moments. Strong ascents and descents. Various underfoot conditions – from hard flat surface, to riverbeds with typical round river rocks and pebbles. Some ascents/descents are softsoil others are loose stones. Wear good boots with tread, slicks may be a problem. Very fit hikers will find this hike quite easy and less fit hikers will find the tough spots a bit challenging. Beware of walking too fast on the easy bits and looking down at the trail all the time. You will be missing out on the magnificent views. Plenty of spoor to be seen. Also on the steep sections, stop, look around, there is plenty of time to complete each section. We left each campsite at 08h00 and completed each day well before sunset. Which included the various detours which are well worth doing.