10 of the best multi-day hikes in South Africa

One of the most rewarding ways to experience South Africa is on foot. This also aligns with the kind of travel we value at Leopard: slower, more thoughtful journeys that allow you to connect deeply with a place. Walking through a landscape allows you to notice the small details, like the smell of fynbos on a warm afternoon, birdsong echoing through a forest valley, or the distant sound of waves long before the ocean comes into view.

Some multi-day hikes are rugged wilderness adventures, requiring self-sufficiency. Others are slackpacking experiences (where your luggage is transported for you and all you carry is a daypack) that combine long walks with excellent food, wildlife encounters and comfortable lodges. Each has its own way of revealing a side of South Africa many travellers never see.

Here are 10 of the most memorable multi-day hikes to experience in South Africa:

1. Pondo Trail, Wild Coast
Wild Child Africa’s Pondo Trail™ follows grassy cliffs, remote beaches and river crossings along a beautifully rugged stretch of shoreline known as the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape.

Here, the tides set the rhythm of the day and according to Wild Child Africa, owners of this 4-day slack-packing experience, “when the ocean allows, we harvest breakfast oysters or dive for crayfish to put over the coals of a lunchtime braai under the milkwoods.”

This fully catered and guided hike takes you through rural Xhosa villages, past hidden waterfalls and to magnificent viewpoints overlooking the ocean. Whales and dolphins are often spotted offshore (particularly during the Sardine Run) and cattle graze along the clifftops. You may even see a typical Eastern Cape sight: cows lazing on the beach.

2. Nyalaland Wilderness Trail, Kruger National Park
The Nyalaland Trail in northern Kruger is a walking safari experience. Guided by armed rangers, small groups walk through Big Five territory in a remote part of the park.

Built in the 1980s, the camp itself is very simple: huts, a boma fire and the sounds of the bush after dark. As Diana recalls from her experience with her mom, “there’s no electricity, no cellphone signal… the evening soundtrack is a crackling fire, relaxed chatter under the open sky and the occasional call of a nightjar.”

Each day’s route unfolds organically through the landscape, which might mean tracking elephants along the Luvuvhu River, pausing beneath towering baobabs or scanning the bushveld for nyala moving through the shade.

3. Whale Trail, De Hoop Nature Reserve
The 55km Whale Trail is one of South Africa’s most sought-after slackpacking experiences. Set in De Hoop Nature Reserve, the five-day hike traces limestone cliffs, coastal fynbos and pristine beaches along the southern Cape coast.

Between June and November, southern right whales move into the bay to calve and nurse their young, and they can often be seen directly from the trail. Even outside whale season, the scenery alone makes this hike unforgettable.

As an alternative, we recommend Cape Country Route’s Vlei to Whales Trail, which showcases the best of De Hoop over 38 kilometres and four days of diverse scenery. The final day follows part of the Whale Trail along the coast, just in the opposite direction. Accommodation on the Vlei to Whales trail is in the comfort of De Mond Villa, in De Hoop Nature Reserve, with a chef preparing your evening meals.

4. nMweni Circuit, Drakensberg
Often described as one of the wildest and most beautiful hikes in the Drakensberg, the mNweni Circuit is a three-day mountain adventure through one of the range’s most remote regions.

The roughly 40–45km route climbs steeply up mNweni Pass to the escarpment before descending via Rockeries Pass, passing sandstone valleys, towering basalt cliffs and the dramatic mNweni Pinnacles along the way. The terrain can be technical in places and the elevation gain is significant, but the payoff is extraordinary: expansive views across the uKhahlamba mountains and the sense of being deep in a landscape few visitors ever reach.

For Diana, the hike was also deeply personal because she shared it with her mom and a group of friends from New Zealand. As she wrote in the Leopard blog, despite the breathtaking scenery, “It was a holiday that not only tested our endurance but also our ability to cope with discomfort. The hardest part for me was not showering for 4 days!”

5. Kogelberg Camino, Cape Whale Coast
The Kogelberg Camino is a slackpacking experience that takes hikers through the Kogelberg Biosphere on the Cape Whale Coast, an area known for its extraordinary fynbos diversity.

Over roughly six days, walkers cover about 70 kilometres through a changing landscape of beaches, coastal paths, mountain trails and indigenous forest.

Each day offers a different perspective, from panoramic ocean viewpoints to quiet forest paths and estuaries alive with birdlife – you may even see the Rooisand wild horses.

(The Camino does not run during the Cape’s wetter winter months of June, July and early August.)

6. Cheetah Trail, Samara Karoo Reserve
Samara Karoo Reserve, a Big 5 wilderness area, offers a rare chance to track cheetahs on foot as part of its multi-day Cheetah Trail. Over four days, hikers traverse sections of the Karoo wilderness and, weather permitting, spend one night under the stars on a raised camping bed with a mosquito net (and armed guides who take turns keeping watch).

The other two nights are spent at Cheetah Plains Camp, which is luxurious while still allowing you to feel close to nature.

As Elise wrote in Getaway magazine, “Our boots crunched softly as we meandered between Karoo scrub, the quiet broken only by the distant call of a korhaan. The air carried the scent of wild herbs, crushed underfoot.”

Later, while having a sundowner outside the main tented camp, “two large male cheetah hopped quietly onto the edge of the deck, alongside the pool’s circular rim. They paused, muscles taut, then lowered their large heads to drink. No one moved.”

Watching these impressive big cats up close was something she says she’ll never forget.

7. Otter Trail, Garden Route
Arguably South Africa’s most famous multi-day hike, the 42km Otter Trail winds through the coastal section of the Garden Route National Park, starting at Storm’s River Mouth and ending at Nature’s Valley.

Over five days, hikers traverse indigenous forest, rocky headlands and tidal pools along one of the country’s most dramatic coastlines. The trail includes several river crossings, including the Bloukrans River, which must be timed carefully with the tide.

For many South Africans, completing the Otter is a rite of passage. Accommodation consists of simple wooden huts with bunk beds, and hikers must carry and prepare their own food. The facilities are rustic, but the views are magnificent.

8. Green Mountain Trail, Elgin
The Green Mountain Trail in Elgin blends hiking with some of the Cape’s finest wine and farm cuisine. This four-day slackpacking route links several wine estates in the Overberg region.

The scenery changes daily: from orchards and farmland to the olive-green, fynbos-covered mountains that give the trail its name.

Evenings are spent at Wildekrans Country House, where you’ll enjoy excellent dinners and wine after the day’s walk. Elise did this hike with her friend Wendy Gardiner, who summed up the experience perfectly: “The food and wine pairings were amazing… but walking through the mountains surrounded by delicate pink ericas was my favourite.”

9. Amatola Trail, Eastern Cape
“The Cape parrots and Knysna turacos begin to stir, their squawks piercing the stillness of the forest we walk through,” wrote Matthew Sterne, founder of Natural Wanders, in a Getaway magazine article about hiking the Amatola.

Often described as South Africa’s toughest hike, the Amatola Trail stretches nearly 100 kilometres through the misty mountains of the Eastern Cape.

The route climbs steep passes, crosses rivers and passes waterfalls tumbling through ancient indigenous forest. It’s physically demanding, but the scenery of moss-covered rocks, towering yellowwoods and dramatic mountain landscapes is magical.

10. Amphitheatre to Tugela Falls Trail, Drakensberg
Another unforgettable Drakensberg adventure is the hike to the top of the Amphitheatre and Tugela Falls, in Royal Natal National Park. While the 12–14km route is often done as a day hike, it can also be turned into a short overnight adventure by wild camping at the top of the falls. (Guides and camping equipment can be arranged through the nearby Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge).

The route climbs dramatically via chain ladders to the top of the cliffs, where Tugela Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in the world, plunges into the valley below. From the summit, the view stretches across the vast Drakensberg escarpment are striking.

Whether you’re walking along the Wild Coast, tracking wildlife in the Karoo, or standing on the high escarpment of the Drakensberg, these trails offer a deeper way to experience the country’s landscapes.

If one of these hikes speaks to you, we’d love to help you weave it into a wider African journey — combining time on the trail with exceptional lodges, meaningful cultural encounters and the kind of travel that leaves a lasting impression.

Happy travelling,
The Leopard Team

P.S. We’d love to hear which trail appeals to you most.