Hiking and Mountaineering in Ladismith
There are a range of scenic hiking and mountaineering routes in the Ladismith area. The Stanley’s Run route is a 24 km trail that follows a mountain track through a beautiful landscape. The event was discontinued, but hikers can still access the trail at the edge of town.
A short section of jeep-track leads you onto the hiking routes, a mountain single-track which is 80% runnable for any relatively fit trail runner. This is by no means a walk in the park, but its indescribable vistas will make it worth your while! Higher up in the mountains, the conditions and temperatures are generally much colder and can change in an instant.
Black ice is prevalent on rocks during cold spells and cascading streams levels in some of the ravines will make for interesting water crossings! Snow does fall here regularly, though with the run scheduled for the end of April, chances are good you’ll be enjoying mild weather.
Other beautiful hiking trails include Towersig (2-12 km) or the tougher 12.2 km Elandsberg. Keep your eyes peeled for 180 bird species frequenting the region.
The Klein Swartberg Mountains is high on the list of climbing destinations for the mountaineering community in South Africa, boasting five of the eight highest peaks in the Western Cape within a 15 km radius of Ladismith. Although Towerkop is not the highest, it is certainly the most well-known and makes for an extremely difficult climb.
The Nefdt Route is described as extremely difficult and exciting, requiring utmost skill and experience. At first sight, it seems impossible to negotiate, with the initial stage of around 12 m. Following this, a difficult traverse leading onto a chimney of about 30 m awaits. Towerkop is strictly a trad climbing area and one of the rare Cape climbing destinations where no bolts have been placed.
Mountain Biking Routes in Ladismith
Touwsberg Private Nature Reserve near Ladismith is the kind of place you need to visit for the whole weekend. Remote self-catering cottages offer easy access to the network of gravel roads, jeep-track and 4x4 routes and mountain biking routes in Ladismith, plus, you can explore forever along the game tracks mish-mashing throughout the Touwsberg ranges.
You can head in a westerly direction from Kyknet Cottage, cranking onto a steep 4x4 track into the Lootzrivier section (7.5 km). Follow the gravel road below the sandstone cliffs to Fonteinskloof (9.1 km), the only perennial stream during the sizzling summer months. A high-speed run past Rehoboth Dam (13.8 km) bombs you down to the Wolverfontein Gate (15.1 km). Turn left onto the Plathuis Gravel Road for a circular route back to Kyknet via Touwsberg Main Entrance (23 km).
The Buffelspoort Route is a rugged route with challenging and steep parts. It can be done as a circular route or a return with distances varying from 7.2 km to 30 km. It starts at the Buffelspoort Mountain range, and from here you can either tackle the Buffelspoort Gorge or the Touwsbergveld.