The Slagthoek trail in this report covers the route between Slagthoek, Klipkraal and back again. The Slagthoek hiking trail is situated about 22km north west of the Mpumalanga town of Middelburg. The base camp is a very nice disused thatch farmhouse with all the facilities.
The first days trail takes one past some old ruins and into a gorge where there was still some water flowing over one of the little waterfalls. Eventually one reaches a point where the trail descends steeply down towards the Olifants river. It is best not to try swimming in the river as we have seen a crocodile in there once. From here the trail meanders along the river bank before eventually turning in towards the Klipkraal overnight camp. This camp seems to have been designed for large groups of 4x4 people and also has a full range of facilities.
Day two starts with a hefty climb up one of the mountains, but the views of the surrounding countryside are well worth it. From here it is still quite a few km through beautiful bushveld with the chance of seeing some game before reaching the Slagthoek base camp again.

Winter is probably the better time of the year to do this trail as the streams may not be passable during the summer months. A nice thing about this hiking trail is that it is within easy driving distance from Johannesburg and Pretoria. The road to the Slagthoek base camp can also be reached by ordinary car without difficulty. Both camps are very nice and the trail itself is very scenic.

Area of Slagthoek Hiking Trail Map