Our Tuin Van Eden Adventure

Yep, it was time for Tuin van Eden. No clue where I first stumbled across it, but clearly, the algorithm gods decided I needed to go. So Pepper and I hit the road, assuming "Heidelberg" meant a quick 35-minute drive. Nope! Turns out Heidelberg is basically the size of a small country. GPS smugly declared it was an hour and 15 minutes away—and then came THE SAND ROAD.

GPS, in its infinite smugness, said it would take another 20 minutes. At the speed I was driving, though, it felt more like a week.

The road itself was actually in pretty great shape—for a sand road, that is. But let’s just say I'd had an argument with a sand road a few weeks prior, so I was snail-pacing it!

Every bump had me considering the possibility of a U-turn. But oh my word, am I glad we didn’t.

The drive in, had an eerie quiet and complete lack of humans, but the moment we arrived and were greeted by a friendly face.

Then came the information overload about the trail, which had Pepper and me instantly malfunctioning—we operate on borrowed brainpower when it comes to concentration. Still, we nodded enthusiastically, grabbed the map, and confidently lied to ourselves that we could follow it..

The trail? Stupidly gorgeous, of course.

It was hot—not like, “melting into the dirt” levels of hot—but there were shaded sections to give us a break from the sun.

As usual, we kind of made our own way because we are incapable of following a trail unless someone physically leashes us and drags us along.

Naturally, we veered toward the path that we were told to avoid if we did not want the hectic inclines because, obviously, we hate ourselves. But totally worth it.

We didn’t do the 9 km trail as intended—surprise, surprise—so my logic was this: if we suffered the inclines, we earned the missing kilometers. And suffer we did. But because we were all alone, I stopped to retrieve a lung when I needed to, and we moved on. Not the worst incline I have tackled either.

There were towering trees, a charming little forest section, and a river that practically screamed zen vibes. It checked every box.

Wildlife? The friendly face claimed there was some. We saw cows. Adorable ones, sure, but not exactly the black eagles or giraffes we were promised. To be fair, if I were a majestic animal and saw Pepper and me stomping through the trail with our chaotic energy, I’d run the other way too.

Oh, and the cave they mentioned? Yeah, we probably walked through it and didn’t even notice.

RATING

AREA

The "other" Heidelberg

DIFFICULTY 

Not flat, not breezy, but worth it.

LENGTH 

AllTrails says 6 km, but you can go longer (or shorter if you're us).

TIME: 2 hours-ish.

MARKERS

Great for regular humans. Not so much for Pepper and me, but we made it back alive, so yay?

HIGHLIGHTS

Stunning views over valleys and mountains. Serene rivers and forests.

ABLUTIONS - great

SAFE FREE PARKING

AMENITIES

Functions & camps

Team building and conferences

Week-end country breakaways

Hiking • Mountain biking • Bird watching • Photography • Art Classes

FINAL THOUGHTS

Tuin van Eden is a gem. Not sure why it isn't posted about more often. Even though we bumbled our way through it, it was a breathtaking experience.

Do yourself a favour and go—unlike us, you’ll probably see the eagles, find the cave, and follow the actual trail. Meanwhile, I’ll be here, seething with jealousy over your undoubtedly superior adventure. Spare a thought.....