The Suikerbosrand hiking trails are situated in the Suikerbosrand NR at Heidelberg (just south-east of Johannesburg).
The area mainly consists of hilly grassland with rocky outcrops. After the first rains in spring the reserve is covered with wild flowers, especially in those areas that had a controlled fire. Lots of buck can be seen here like Eland and Kudu as well as Zebra.
There are 2 trails to choose from, the Bokmakierie trail which has a 17km and a 10km option and the Cheetah trail of 4.5km. The Bokmakierie trail goes up a hill, following the plateau before descending into a valley where there had been a small dam previously. It starts climbing again, runs around a hill and then slopes gently downward. Here the 17km and the 10km option split off. While the 17km option carries on with a long stretch of flat grassland, after awhile crossing a small stream before climbing three more hills, the 10km option here climbs a hill, which contours along before again dropping at which point both trails merge again.
From the tops of the hills, Johannesburgs city center seems very close, and in winter smoke from the surrounding townships and squatter camps can be seen on the horizon. Be aware of pieces of iron sticking out on the trails which used to hold logs that were once steps.

Bokmakierie trail

Bokmakierie trail

Bokmakierie trail

Bokmakierie trail

Old cemetery on Cheetah trail

Cheetah trail

Cheetah trail

Wild flower

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