Mountain Biking Heaven
Few members of the fat-track tribe do not know about Karkloof, undeniably one of the top MTB destinations in South Africa. Situated in the area between Curry's Post, Rietvlei and Howick, this region is a firm favourite with KZN riders.
The trails within the extensive mist make for mind-blowing MTB, and with at least a dozen events every year in the greater Karkloof area (the main event being the Karkloof Classic held in May each year) you will have ample opportunity to explore the many trails.
Welcome to mountain-biking heaven! Karkloof MTB Trail Centre is the epicentre of all things MTB with three permanent routes to choose from, all of them well signed. Check out the map board at the club, and take a pic on your cell phone for reference purposes.
The Blue 30 km option offers a pearler of a ride, combining some gravel road sections with an overload of singletrack that will have your calves quivering for more. Pine and eucalyptus plantations blend with grassland ridges and indigenous forest tracts straight from the pages of a Tolkien novel. Should you manage to survive the wall rides and downhills and berms and stream crossings and rock gardens and wooden bridges, take a deep breath. Then go and explore the other two trails for a total riding distance of well over 100 km!
Paradise for Trail Runners
Perched at around 1 000 m above sea level, the Karkloof landscape is blessed with enough emerald forests, working plantations and grassland plains to get lost in for a week. It’s a paradise for trail running, with waterfalls and clear streams characterising the valleys, while huge climbs promise ample reward through panoramic, 360-degree views.
Many of the routes aim at multi-use (also mountain biking), so keep an eye out for riders of both iron and regular steeds who will be sharing the footpaths, singletracks and district roads with you. Most of the well-maintained trails are clearly marked, with Howick boasting in excess of 70 km of singletrack alone, and Karkloof another 100 km.
The annual Three Cranes Challenge is a multi-stage trail event covering just over 100 km in three days with a total ascent of over 3 000 m. Runners are faced with three challenging days of running through some of the most beautiful mountains, forests and valleys in the country.
Two-hour Treetop Adventure
Send your adrenaline into overdrive on a unique zip lining eco-experience at the popular Karkloof Canopy Tours. This two-hour treetop adventure through the indigenous forest lets you traverse between nine platforms and along eight cable slides. Two professional guides will supply interesting facts about the forest ecology, and you’ll be safely kitted out in a full body harness, pulleys and climbing equipment.
Go Cheesy
You don’t have to get all ‘holey’ to pay a visit to Swissland Cheese, home to a variety of award-winning goat’s cheeses. It’s set in rolling green hills with beautiful scenery all around, and visitors can tuck into a cheese tasting, buy the ones they like, or have a picnic and feed the goats. Milking can be viewed daily between 15:30 and 16:30.
Time Out in a Bird Hide
Karkloof is one of Southern Africa’s undisputed top birding spots, and birders will have the unique opportunity to see three crane species and a wide variety of other birds. The Karkloof Conservation Centre offers guided walks or time out in a bird hide. Species to look out for include blue crane (Anthropoides paradiseus), grey crowned crane (Balearica regulorum), wattled crane (Bugeranus carunculatus), southern red bishop (Euplectes orix) and African hoopoe (Upupa epops).
The beautiful Karkloof Valley forms part of the breeding grounds of South Africa’s endangered cranes. Sadly, all three of South Africa’s crane species are in decline due to man’s relentless exploitation of their delicate habitat.
Mandela Sculpture
The Capture Site is a contemporary monument to the late president Nelson Mandela, erected on the site where he was arrested on 5 August 1962. The site features an exhibition depicting his life and the role he played in the struggle against apartheid. Not to be missed is a sculpture comprising 50 steel columns set into the Karkloof landscape, just outside of Howick, in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. At a distance of 35 m and when viewed from the correct angle, a portrait of this beloved leader comes into focus.