Hennops Hiking Trails (Pretoria)
Overview of the Hennops Hiking Trails
The Hennops Hiking Trails are situated just outside Pretoria, and offers hikers the opportunity to experience a truly unspoilt nature area.
The Hennops Hiking Trails consist out of two day trails, both setting out from the Hadeda Camp. Hikers have the option of sleeping over at the well equiped Hadeda Camp in order to do both trails, but day hikers are also welcome. At the beginning and end of both trails, the route meanders along the Hennops River before veering away into the surrounding mountains.
Two of the unique features on the Hennops Hiking Trails are the river crossings - a suspension bridge, and a cable car. The trails also feature various intersting historical sites, including an old "veld" hospital that was used during the Anglo boer War, as well as an underground cave where "Pruimpie" lived. Traces of old settlements and dolomite mines are also seen along the trails.
Hiking Trails
The Hennops Hiking Trails features two trails, the longer Krokodilberg Trail of 11.5km, and the Zebra Trail of 6.5km. The Krokodilberg Trail traverses the mountainous area of the farm, and includes most of the historic sites. Zebra Trail meanders through the fenced game camp.
Other Facilities
Within short walking distance from the Hennops Hiking Trails, the Hennops Picnic Spot offers visitors additional braai facilities and swimming pools. The 15km Hennops MTB Trail are also available.
Review of the Hennops Hiking Trails
I decided to gather some friends and turn this into a weekend affair. And I am glad we did! The Hadeda Camp is extremely well equiped, and we were really suprised to find such nice hikers accommodation. The ablution facilities are kept in a pristine condition, and more than enough warm water was available for us to use.
We tackled the longer (and tougher) Krokodilberg Trail first. It has some quite challenging parts, especially up the mountain, but it evens out after this and is a pleasure to complete. The suspension bridge was a nice surprise, but the cherry on top was definitely the river crossing cable-car. Although it is noted that various historical sites can be seen along the way, we missed most of them. The ones we did see are very well sign posted though...
The second trail, the Zebra Trail, is much shorter and also, luckily, much easier. We were lucky enough to spot some Zebonkeys (zebra-donkey crosses), as well as a lot of regular zebras :) Ruins of some old dwellings were also found along the route.
The Hadeda Camp is situated right on the banks of the Hennops River, and it was a pleasure sitting outside with a cup of well deserved coffee after the hike and gaze over the river. Keep an eye out of the jumping fishes, always jumping-jumping in their endless efforts to get upstream.
In conclusion, this was one of the most relaxing weekend hikes I have done in quite some time. Hennops Hiking Trails provide excellent facilities and a well maintained hiking trail, and it was a delight staying for the weekend.