Take A Hike

Forest-bathing in the Karkloof

- Kyra Tarr

We all know that spending time in nature is a balm for stress and, for me at least, nowhere is quite as tranquil and magical as a forest. One of my favourites is the Karkloof Forest, a patch of mist-belt loveliness about 20km north of Howick in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. Mistbelt forests are generally found on the cooler, southern-facing slopes of hillsides throughout the Midlands, and are a wonderland for bird-, tree and nature-lovers alike.

Our hike begins close to the Karkloof Canopy Tour office. The start of the trail is marked by an actual “green door”, which serves as your metaphoric portal into the forest world.

There are a handful of trails to choose from, all of which begin here and are clearly marked on aboard. As you walk, you’ll see signs indicating turn-off points for each loop. In ascending order of length and difficulty, they are: Caracal Trail, Woodcutter’s Trail, WaterfallWalk, Giant’s Ridge and Giant’s Top.

I’m with my family and we’re looking for something that caters to all fitness levels, so we settle on the woodcutter's Trail, a 2km climb and descent that should take about two hours.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t your typical hike because you’re not trying to cover a lot of distance. Slow and steady does it, especially if you’ve picked a wet day to walk…

The path makes its way up a crease between two hills. A stream trickles down and most of the trails zig-zag up and across the river all the way to the top of the hillside. Every now and then we pass a platform where zipliners stop before zooming off down the valley, whooping and shouting in excitement (or distress).