Hiking Trails

Helderberg Farm is situated on the foothills of the majestic Helderberg between Somerset West and Stellenbosch.

We have 5 different hiking trails that follow on to each other, giving you the choice of 1 – 20km of scenic hiking with various levels of difficulty. Each route has been named a different colour to distinguish between them. The distance and duration of each route is measured from the starting point. For example, the distance of the yellow route includes the distances of the green, red, and yellow sections together. Our hiking trails are open daily from 08:00 – 18:00. Hiking permits are available at the kiosk.

The Green route

• Distance: 1,8km
• Difficulty: Easy
• Duration: 50 minutes
• Hiking through: the Granny’s forest
• Point of Interest: There is a picnic and braai area in the forest, as well as benches all along the trail. The picnic and braai area is close to the playground and tea garden. A hikers’ overnight hut is situated in the forest, 1km from the starting point, which is ideal for families with kids. The path through the forest is suitable for young children as well as the elderly.

The Red route

• Distance: 4,5km
• Difficulty: moderately easy
• Duration: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Hiking through: forest and vineyards
• Point of Interest: On this route there is a Rock Candle Wood tree, which may be one of the largest of its kind in South Africa.

The Yellow route

• Distance: 5,8km
• Difficulty: Moderate, steep uphill and downhill
• Duration: 2 hours
• Hiking through: forest and vineyards on the mountain slope
• Point of Interest: New lookout platform with breathtaking views over False Bay, Table Mountain and the Stellenbosch Winelands.

The Blue route

• Distance: 9km
• Difficulty: Moderate, steep uphill
• Duration: 3 hours and 25 minutes
• Hiking through: starting in the forest, hiking through the vineyards and up the foot of the mountain.
• Point of Interest: Stunning lookout point high up. This route is also ideal for mountain biking, being moderate to difficult.

The Brown route

• Distance: 11km +
• Difficulty: Difficult
• Duration: 4 - 9 hours (depending on how far you want to walk when on top of the mountain)
• Hiking through: starts in the forest, goes right up to the top of the mountain.
• Point of Interest: This route takes you to the highest point of the Helderberg Mountain, The Dome (1000m above sea level). From the Dome you can walk further to the other peaks of the Helderberg Mountain, as far as you like.