Hike via a forest with a Nature Guide

Visit: Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Rhodes Drive Newlands, Newlands 7735 South Africa

This is a perfect route to take during a hot summer day, because most of the time it is in the shade. We will be shaded by yellowwood, assegaaibos, milkwood, wild peach, red alder, and other indigenous trees. The path winds its way through beautiful ferns. If you do not hike often, it can be strenuous in some parts because of high steps and ladders. We will have a few breaks, followed by a detour to a cave. Once at the top of Castle Rock (roughly 800m elevation), we will have a picnic with stunning views of the False Bay and suburb of Newlands, with Silvermine and Cape Point in the distance. We'll take a steep descent to the Contour Path, made worthwhile by the king protea—flowering from February to August—and return in Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. We'll have a walking tour around the largest botanical garden in South Africa.