Visitors and residents of the Soutpansberg alike will soon have the opportunity to add another “must-do” activity to their list of activities as the last finishing touches are being put to the launching of two new hiking trails unique to the western Soutpansberg.

Dubbed the “Old Salt Trail”, the routes will be on offer in what is considered South Africa’s best-kept secret – the Soutpansberg Mountain range, named after the natural salt pan northwest of the range.

The Old Salt Trail features a network of more than 100km of hiking. “The route is actually on privately owned land, so you would need the landowners’ permission. That is why we are going to do it as organised events as multi-day treks,” said Catherine Vise of the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) and programme manager for the project. “So, basically, what we are doing as EWT is writing up an agreement between us and the landowners,” said Catherine. She explained that the Old Salt Trail is situated within the proposed Western Soutpansberg Nature Reserve, of which the intent to declare it a nature reserve was gazetted last year and of which the process is now drawing to an end.  The EWT’s over-arching coal is to declare a large percentage of the mountain a protected area. EWT owns the Medike Mountain Reserve, comprising four properties within the proposed nature reserve. “As part of implementing the nature reserve and looking for sustainable funding options, we are looking into eco-tourism and development. That is where the idea of the hiking trail came up,” said Catherine. This is also where the EWT came in to coordinate the whole project and source funding.

The western Soutpansberg stretches from Vivo in the west to Louis Trichardt in the east. Seven landowners currently form part of the hiking trail initiative, in collaboration with the EWT. Two loops will be available.

The first loop starts at Medike and goes west, up through [among others] Leshiba and Lajuma and comes back to Medike. This is a five-day hike of about 80km (to be confirmed) and that is going to be for the ‘slack-packer’ market – the very high end. The hikers’ luggage gets transported for them, their meals are cooked, and they stay in lodge accommodations. Having said this, the hike is a very challenging one, and a high level of fitness and hiking experience is required.

The second route is also a loop, starting and finishing at Medike Mountain Reserve but stretching east, covering about 50km. This three-to-four-day hike will be for the more traditional ‘backpacker’, with hikers having to camp in the wilderness the first night and being self-sufficient but having the option to sleep at a guest house the second night and a campsite on the third. The pace of the hike depends on the time a hiker has available and their fitness level. Obviously, the hike will be much cheaper than the ‘slack-packer’ option.

Along The Old Salt Trail, hikers will experience the rich history left behind by the clans and tribes who passed through the area. San and Khoi-Khoi rock art and rock-wall fortresses tell their story. The trail will lead through a wide variety of unique, beautiful habitats and scenery, including stops at special rock-art sites, a peek into the underworld of a yellowwood forest and the chance of spotting some of the incredible wildlife that the Soutpansberg mountain range has hidden.

At present, these routes are not accessible to the general public but, said Catherine, they are hoping to launch these routes by May this year. “Because we are dealing with different landowners, we will have set dates where we will do these routes. We have also just been training our rangers to become field guides. Two of them are qualified now. You will not be able to go on your own. Some of these properties are extremely sensitive, so you will need a guide,” said Catherine. Making use of an EWT Soutpansberg Ranger will therefore be mandatory.

Catherine added that group sizes would also be limited. Bookings will therefore be essential. Regarding this, EWT’s communications department is in the process of developing a marketing plan for the Old Salt Trail. This entails a booking facility on the EWT’s website. As soon as this becomes available, the news will be communicated to the public. “The high season for hiking is the winter, because it is much cooler in the mountain … It is about reduced risk. In the summer, the weather is very unpredictable,” said Catherine.