Quick Overview

The Leopard Trail is a 4-day and 3-night hike set in the magnificent Baviaanskloof World Heritage Site Wilderness Reserve.  This is a slack-packing hike – each day we transport your bags and food from one overnight hut to the next, leaving you to walk with only a day pack.

The Leopard Trail is a moderately difficult hike with the longest day being 22km.  The route is designed for people of good hiking fitness.

Bookings are made per sleeping hut for 4 people.

Next Bookings:

• Bookings for 2026 are open.
• Bookings for 2027 will open as follows:

Booking Process

January and February 2027: R12800 per sleeping hut for 4 people, (R3200 per person)

March – December 2027: R14 800 per sleeping hut for 4 people (R3700 per person)

Price Includes:

• 4 Days Hike
• 3 Nights Glamping Huts on the trail
• Slack Packing Service
• Conservation fees
• 1 Bag Firewood per night

Excludes

• Catering
• Bedding and Towels
• Extra Fire Wood
• Shuttle Service

Booking for the Leopard Trail

How Bookings Work

• Bookings are made per sleeping hut, not per person.
• There are 3 sleeping huts, and each hut sleeps 4 people.
• All hikers share a communal cooking hut, regardless of how many huts are booked.

Booking Releases

• Bookings open one year in advance, and are released in 3-month blocks.
  Example: In October this year, bookings for October, November, and December next year will open.

Booking Process

• The first person to book on any given day must book at least 2 of the three sleeping huts available for that start date.
• If you want the trail exclusively for your group, you can book all 3 huts for that start date.
• If you only book 2 huts, then the 3rd hut will be made available for another person to book the single hut.
• You will need to pay for your booking within 14 days to confirm the booking.

Add an extra bonus day

There is an optional  bonus 5th day you can add to your Leopard Trail hike.

The magnificent Cedar Falls Day Hike really should not be missed. Getaway Magazine described the Cedar Falls Day Hike as “One of those moments of extremely beautiful life!”

This hike leaves from the Cedar Falls Base Camp (where you start and finish The Leopard Trail).  Book yourself into one of the accommodation options at Cedar Falls either before or after your Leopard Trail hike, and enjoy the magic of Cedar Falls!

Shuttle Service

Getting to the start of your adventure should be easy — and part of the experience.

We offer a convenient shuttle service to and from George Airport for groups of up to 12 people, taking the hassle out of logistics so you can focus on the hike ahead. Need a pickup from elsewhere? We’re happy to arrange custom transfers from nearby towns on request.

Incoming Shuttle
Your journey begins the moment you land. We’ll collect you from George Airport, make a stop at the George Mall so you can stock up on everything you need (Woolworths, Pick n Pay, Food Lovers Market), and then head out on a scenic drive into the Baviaanskloof. You’ll be dropped off at the Leopard Trail base camp at Cedar Falls — ready to start your adventure.

Outgoing Shuttle
After your time in the wilderness, we’ll collect you from Cedar Falls and take you comfortably back to George Airport — relaxed, refreshed, and full of stories.

Slack-Packing The Leopard Trail

We transport your bags so you can walk with just a day pack with the essentials for a days hike. You are provided plastic boxes, and we recommend that you put everything you want transported inside the boxes. These protect your belongings from rubbing and bouncing on the rough roads between the overnight sites.   Dimensions for the boxes are 465mm x 736mm, and 350mm deep.

Overnight Sites

Our overnight sites each have a three sleeping huts (sleeping 4 per hut) and one central catering hut.  The catering huts are there to give you a communal space for your group to hang out, make food and have a great time with your hiking mates. There is some solar lighting in the catering huts. Inside each catering hut are gas stove tops, cooking and eating utensils – no need to bring those along. There is also a wood burning fireplace. Each site has a braai area and braai grid.   Each site has a splash pool.

The sleeping huts have mattresses – all you need is a sleeping bag and pillow.  If you are going to sleep outside of your sleeping bag, or open it up, you will need to bring a single sheet to cover the mattress.

The nights are very dark and no lamps are provided, so torches and headlamps are required.  No open flames such as candles are allowed in the huts.

You will need to clean all the kitchen equipment and utensils before leaving in the morning – the next group of hikers will appreciate it.

Each campsite has a flush toilet, and solar/gas geyser showers.

Water

There are water tanks at each overnight campsite that provide water for drinking, cooking, washing dishes, and hot water showers. This water is piped in from the nearest mountain streams and is good to drink. Depending on the season and local rainfall, you may be lucky and find streams and springs along the length of The Leopard Trail.  Currently, the Eastern Cape is experiencing a drought, so do not expect to find water on route.  However, each campsite has a small pool.

Fires

Fires are only allowed in the fire places provided. Firewood is provided. Please do not collect wood from the natural environment. Dead bushes and branches provide important habitat for a wide variety of insects and animals, and are a vital part of the fire load in the veld for natural burning cycles.

This is a high-risk fire area. Please ensure that your fires and coals are completely doused any time you leave the fire area – at night and in the morning. Water is provided for this purpose.

The first day of the trail is 9.75km, and hikers are required to start walking by 2pm at the latest. Day 1 is a gentle day, with a nice brisk up hill to start before settling into an easy downhill to Camp 1.  Day 2 starts off nice and easy with a 5.5 km walk along Rhebok Valley, before leading up to the first real saddle of the Leopard Trail with spectacular views of the Kouga and Baviaans foothills. The remainder of the day’s hike takes you across the landscape, with a variety of small uphills and downhills before arriving at the overnight huts.  Towards the end of Day 2 the trail overlaps with the Baviaans Canyon Trail for 400 meters and  you may encounter other hikers.  Just before camp you will pass a guesthouse at Cedar Falls Reserve.

The longest day of the trail, Day 3 starts with you taking on the most taxing part of the hike as you tackle the three climbs of Honeybush Hill, Inconvenient Truth and Ain’t so Bad. This is true wilderness, with no sign of human impact, and views deep into the Baviaans and Kouga mountains. The second half of the day is spent walking down the incredibly beautiful Kasey Kloof, following its winding path for 9 km through to the third overnight huts.  The Baviaans Canyon Trail passes by Camp 3 and  you may have a group of hikers walking past around 2pm.

Day 4 has an easy start to the day following yet another beautiful kloof, Birdsong Valley. After 4km you get to Fond Farewell, a steep climb to the plateau from where the whole Baviaans opens up in front of you. Once on the plateau you will need to get through The Cauldron, a series of two small valleys before a steep descent into the Cedar Falls valley, which brings you towards base camp for a traditional swim in the reservoir’s clean mountain water.

Important Safety Considerations

There is no cell phone reception on the trail, and very little vehicle access.  All hiking groups are provided with a satellite phone for emergencies. The Leopard Trail goes through natural wilderness with all the risks associated with wild animals, snakes, insects, unpredictable weather and a strenuous hike. 

The area has a variety of venomous snakes, including puff-adders and Cape cobra. Leopard spoor is often seen on the trail, and very occasionally you may catch a glimpse of one of these shy creatures during the day, however they pose no threat.

Baboons in the area still have their natural caution and fear of humans. They will move away when they see hikers. They do not come to the campsites looking for human food. 

When to Hike and the Weather

The Leopard Trail is a great hike at any time of year.

Summer is hot with the daily average in December, January and February at 26 degrees Celsius.  Days can get up to the mid 30s, so be prepared to walk in the early mornings. Each camp has a pool with clear mountain water, making a summer hike a great opportunity to hike early and spend the day swimming and relaxing at the camp sites.

Autumn and Spring (March, April, May, September, October and November) can provide great fair weather hiking, with average temperatures in the early 20s. As winter approaches, an occasional cold front will blow through, dropping temperatures considerably.  The swimming pools are great on the hot days, while the fire places inside the communal huts keep you warm on cold days.  The flowers in Spring are spectacular on the trail.

Winter is a favorite for many hikers with cool days hiking if you don’t like the heat.  The fire places in the communal hut are a winner, with groups gathering together around the fire with warm drinks and good times.  Temperatures in June, July and August average around 16 degrees Celsius.  Nights drop to zero though, so make sure you have a warm sleeping bag to sleep well on our great mattresses.

Rain in the Baviaanskloof is an unpredictable affair. All months of the year have only around 4 days of rain so, statistically, your chances of dry weather are pretty good.

Like all mountain areas, the Baviaanskloof can experience a range of weather conditions over any 4-day period. You are advised to prepare for rain, wind, cold and heat.

Age and Fitness

The Leopard Trail is a relatively difficult hike, with the longest day being 22km.  The hike is designed for people of good hiking fitness.  Unfit hikers should not attempt the trail.

The recommended age range of 12 to 65 years is used as indicative, due to the physical demands of the trail.  We will not stop hikers outside of this age range except children under the age of 6 – but encourage you to be realistic about your own ability and limits. All hikers 6 to 12 years of age must be accompanied by their parents/guardians who will be legal signatories to Indemnity Forms (to be submitted with copies of their identity document or passport at The Leopard Trail reception desk before undertaking the trail). There are relatively steep ascents and descents, so please be cautious if you have previously injured your ankles and/or knees.

Base Camp Accommodation

For those traveling from afar, or those not wanting to be rushed on day 1 or 4, we have a range of accommodation options at the Cedar Falls Base Camp. Put your feet up, take a rewarding hot shower, relive your hike with your group and then fall asleep knowing you will awake in beauty of the Baviaans.

Want some time out with your partner – alone – after 4 days of hiking with 10 other people – stay at one of our romantic cottages.

Visit our accommodation for hikers.

Baviaanskloof World Heritage Site Reserve

The Leopard Trail is set inside the Baviaanskloof Reserve owned and managed by the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency.  The trail is run by the Another Way Trust, a community development organisation, on a long term concession.