It’s winter over here… time to snuggle down and keep warm. Only it is impossible to keep warm if you aren’t moving… so last week in mid-winter, we took the time to reacquaint ourselves with that section of the Table Mountain National Park called Silvermine. We used to walk their a lot when our children were small and then for at least a year after the great fire this part of the reserve was closed and we haven’t been back there very much since then…

There are a number of hikes in the area, but three stand out for families…

1. The Reservoir:
The Reservoir is a really easy amble on boardwalks around the dam, it is lovely opportunity and a great way for any one and everyone to get outdoors and far from the madding crowd. We used to frequent this quick walk a lot when our children were small… it is a really lovely walk, with tons of things to stop and look at along the way. There are also a lot of picnic spots to stop and play along the way.

The walkway is really lovely and takes you through all sorts of interesting things to look at…

These fellows showing us the part of the boardwalk that they built last summer…

Not to mention a great bridge, right along the top of the dam wall…

Really this is one of Cape Town’s best kept secrets…

Whatever the weather it is always beautiful there…

In fact, the weather can close in quite fast so make sure you check the weather report before heading out.

2. Elephant’s Eye:
When you look up the mountain from Tokai and Constantia Valley, you can’t help noticing that the mountain looks like an elephant lying down and there is a giant cave for an eye. Starting from the reservoir, you are already halfway up the mountain… so here is a walk for the slightly more adventurous family.

This is a real hike, with a little bit of fairly stiff up hill… If your kids are at the stage when they can carry their own water bottle and a sweater, then they are totally ready for this hike. And they will enjoy the adventure…

The initial uphill is really short and sweet…

And then it opens up and the walk rolls along fairly easily.

There are good places to play along the way…

There is a little river to cross…

There are natural stepping stones… but some folk apparently really like to walk right through a mountain stream in the middle of winter…freezing, just saying.

And then there is a last push up,

The views are quite spectacular…

Not to mention you are rewarded with a fantastic cave…

A reward well worth the hike…

There are natural showers at the entrance… just adding to the magic….

There are lots of pokey little corners to look explore…

Spectacular, I think so…

And here is something for the books, while we stopped in the cave for a snack… this is what happened to the weather.

The hike to elephants eye takes a good morning and is quite enough to leave you feeling contentedly tired. I would highly recommend this hike to beginner hikers who are looking for a little adventure. It is a lot easier than the many of the hikes folks push themselves through to get to the top of Table Mountain and if you are visiting Cape Town and looking for a family hike that is easily accessible and includes lots of fun little features… then this one ticks all the boxes.
3. And Beyond:

We wanted to explore further…

And looking at the map we continued along the jeep track, and headed to the top of Blackburn Ravine to look at the spectacular view of Hout Bay…

The view… well there wasn’t one, and we stopped to have lunch here…

So we hiked on, full circle so to speak… to Noordhoek Peak, another spot popular for its spectacular views, hoping all the while that the clouds would clear away as fast as they rolled in…

The clouds did not move on and we returned to a very misty reservoir and headed home. This section of the hike is a fairly long walk. We had to settle for a cocoa reward instead of the epic view. And we will definitely have to do this hike again on a cloud free day.
The Wildlife
Plenty of beautiful dew dropped spider webs…

The most striking feature was the beautiful fynbos, wherever you looked…



Previous Hikes in Silvermine Nature Reserve:

Well, just the fact that there’s a place called Elephant’s Eye… I wouldn’t be able to resist hiking there!
Another one to add to my list for when I get to hiking around the world
Oh Christi, you guys would love it, an excellent hike to add to your round the world list!!! Hope you have had a great week!!!
wow – those views are spectacular!
WOW! That looks like an amazing adventure! Such stunning photos
Thank you Laura, it is a great hike for families… we are going to have to do the long part again… everyone wants to see what was hidden by the mist!!! Have a fabulous weekend!!!
Oh Marcia, it is spectacular, wild and lovely and yet easily accessible… I think the views on the Atlantic side would be epic too… unfortunately we could only see our noses!!! Lots of love to you all!!!