Clarens Weekend Part III – The Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Sunday morning brought us to the renowned Golden Gate National Park, and let me tell you, it's absolutely stunning.

We left early with the noble intention of “maximising the day,” which quickly turned into “maximising our confusion about where on earth to buy a permit.”

Unlike the reserves we’ve gotten used to, this one requires you to drive through it, which sounds charming until you realise you still can’t actually hike anything without paperwork.

So naturally, we bought the permit from the first place we saw - the hotel.

After being helped by people who seemed deeply committed to being miserable, we later discovered that if we had driven a little further, the permit office was conveniently right opposite the campsite.

A flawless system, really. Character building stuff.

Anyway, bygones.

One thing that runs through the entire region has been the endless parade of rolling mountains made up of sandstone cliffs and crevices.

They’re the true celebrities of the region.

When we finally started the hike, it was immediately clear we were no longer in the “quiet, peaceful, we might not see anyone for hours” phase of our trip.

No, this was the “people exist and they are everywhere” phase. A bit of a shock to the system, but understandable - apparently good scenery attracts crowds.

Who knew.

We hiked for approximately 2 ½ hours, made up of The Boskloof (1 hr), Echo Ravine (45 min) and Mushroom rock (45 min).

The beauty at the start of the hike was indescribable—it felt less like hiking and more like wandering through a carefully curated garden that nature probably should not be trusted to maintain unsupervised.

The incline, however, made its presence known immediately.

Very assertive.

Very strenuous.

But then you reach the view, and suddenly your legs stop complaining long enough for you to take in the rolling mountains, endless sandstone cliffs, and that feeling of being on top of the world.

Echo Ravine was more my speed - rock scrambling, slower pace, less “why am I doing this to myself” energy.

Progress felt optional rather than mandatory, which is always appreciated.

Of course, no naturally beautiful place is complete without someone having engraved their emotional damage into the rocks.

A special thank you to “Sarah and James,” whose love story has now been permanently fossilized for strangers.

As Salt correctly noted, they are almost certainly no longer together, and now their eternal love note is just another scar on this wonderful natural wonder.

Even if you don’t want to climb the rocks, you’ll still get to see the beauty of the Ravine.

But I’ve actually come to enjoy the rock climbing.

There’s something about hauling yourself up rocks that makes you feel vaguely capable, like you could survive minor wilderness situations or at least open stubborn jars without assistance.

Next was Mushroom Rock. The walk there was in itself scenic, but when you get to be under this humongous crevice and look up to the “mushroom”, it just makes you realize how beautiful this world would be without humans….or at the very least…Sarah…. to destroy it!

We walked on from Mushroom Rock, and to be honest, we just kept following a trail, hoping it knew where it was going because we sure didn't.

It seemed like you could either walk on or backtrack to the start. We decided to press on, only to be unceremoniously dumped onto the street.

We strolled back to the car park along the pavement, feeling a bit let down - a bit like finishing a gourmet meal and being served a slice of plain bread for dessert.

Still, in fairness, it was probably for the best. One more jaw-dropping view might have pushed us into emotional overload.

After our hike, we settled for a cup of coffee from the caravan across the street from the parking lot.

Even the caravan coffee tasted perfect. How could it not?

We sat in the sun at a table, gazing in awe at the breathtaking scenery before us. It was as if the beauty of nature had infused itself into every sip.

Eventually, reality reasserted itself, as it always does.

I took one last look at this natural marvel, reminiscing about the last time I left Clarens.

“Clarens you tricky, beautiful thing,” I thought, “You’ve won this round. But next time, I’ll come prepared for your sneaky charm.

My Hiking Hag Ratings:

AREA - Sigh...........

COST - R 67........ A number so specific it feels personally chosen to annoy me.

Just make it R 60 or R 70 and move on with our lives.

DIFFICULTY - MODERATE TO HARD

LENGTH - All 3 together were around 5 km which took us approximately 2 hrs.                          

ELEVATION - For me, the start was the most strenuous, but the rest felt gentle.

MARKERS - Well marked until the very end, but we couldn't get lost.

AMENITIES - There are places to shop for the campsite.....need to try that too....dammit, so much to do and so little time!!!

HIGHLIGHTS: What looks to be a professionally landscaped garden at the start.

Possibly only in winter, but I am sure there would be an alternate beauty in summer.

ABLUTIONS

PARKING