trails

Read more about the article Groendal Nature Reserve – Fernkloof Trail
Firefly the Travel Guy / Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

Groendal Nature Reserve – Fernkloof Trail

A couple of weeks ago the Damselfly and I joined Start Hiking Gqeberha for a hike along the Fernkloof Trail in the Groendal Nature Reserve. I'm embarrassed to say that even though Groendal is just around the corner, I've never been, so I was really happy to finally get a chance to go. Surrounding the Groendal Dam and protecting the important water catchment area of the Swartkops River is the 30,000 ha unspoiled Groendal Nature Reserve. Characterised by rugged terrain,…

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30/10/2025
Read more about the article Storms River Mouth walk to the suspension bridge
Firefly the Travel Guy

Storms River Mouth walk to the suspension bridge

The Tsitsikamma National Park, these days called the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park, must be one of the most scenic places in South Africa. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder and some people are going to say, "But what about the Wild Coast or the West Coast?" So let's just say, the Tsitsikamma coastline is right up there. And the easiest way to see and experience it is on the Storms River Mouth…

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10/08/2025
Read more about the article Meandering along the Goesa Forest Trail in the Tsitsikamma
Firefly the Travel Guy

Meandering along the Goesa Forest Trail in the Tsitsikamma

The forest is a place I go to recharge my soul. I don't always have time to venture too far down the old Storms River Pass or onto the Plaatbos forest trails, but just sitting by the stream flowing under the road inside the gate is often enough. On my last visit around I had some time on my hands in the late afternoon and decided to give the Goesa Trail a shot. The Goesa Trail is a nice easy…

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12/07/2023
Read more about the article Hiking along the Somerset East parkrun route
Firefly the Travel Guy

Hiking along the Somerset East parkrun route

The Somerset East parkrun has become a popular outdoor activity for both locals and visitors to this beautiful Karoo Heartland town. But the parkrun hasn't just created a Saturday morning outing, it's also created a fantastic safe hiking trail option for the town. What is better than one trail? Two trails, as you can do the whole 5km route or opt-out about halfway. I spent a couple of days in Somerset East and Desiree of Mountain View Guest Inn took…

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16/09/2022
Read more about the article Hiking to the Lower Van Stadens Dam outside Port Elizabeth
Firefly the Travel Guy / Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

Hiking to the Lower Van Stadens Dam outside Port Elizabeth

The history of Port Elizabeth's water supply starts way back when Frames Reservoir was built on the Shark River in present-day Happy Valley back in 1864. As the demand for water increased, the need for a bigger dam was identified and the Van Stadens Water Scheme was initiated. I'm always amazed how people say there is nothing to do in Port Elizabeth and how everything is too expensive. Did you know that you can take a short hike to see…

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01/04/2022
Read more about the article A hike up Lady’s Slipper outside Port Elizabeth
Firefly the Travel Guy / Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

A hike up Lady’s Slipper outside Port Elizabeth

In a way, walking up Lady's Slipper has become for Port Elizabeth what walking up Lion's Head is for Cape Town. At one stage only a few people did it, but lately it has become a very popular outing. Not very far distance-wise, but a tough cookie as far as terrain. It has been on my "To Do" list for so long and the other day I decided to tackle it with the family in tow. As the trail and…

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04/12/2020
Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

Sacramento trail to Sardinia Bay

Looking down from the start of the Sacramento Trail in Schoenmakerskop towards Sardinia Bay (the sand dunes in the distance) about 4 kilometers away. The 8km round trip is probably Port Elizabeth's best known and most popular hiking trail.

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05/10/2020
Read more about the article Plaatbos forest and Storms River Pass
Firefly the Travel Guy

Plaatbos forest and Storms River Pass

The Tsitsikamma is one of my happy places. It is where I go to recharge my soul and get close to nature and that is what we as a family did a couple of week ago. It wasn't a comprehensive charge, but a quick visit one just to breath in the fresh Tsitsikamma air and get away from lockdown at that stage. One of our stops for the day was the Plaatbos Forest section of the Garden Route (Tsitsikamma) National…

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29/09/2020
Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

Behind Schoenies

I'm really enjoying the trail behind Schoenmakerskop lately. It's nice and flat, open all around, yet fairly sheltered from the prevailing south-easterly wind.

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02/09/2020
Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

Schoenies view

I've been doing a lot of walking on the jeep track trails behind Schoenmakerskop lately and climbed the one koppie on Sunday afternoon to get a better view of the coastline, the village and surrounding scenery.

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25/08/2020