Bokkraal Hiking Trail

About Bokkraal Hiking Trail

Start: Bokkraal Waterfall valley farm, roughly 30 km south of Groot Marico
Finish: basecamp
Duration: 2 days, 16 km
Fitness: easy to moderate
Our tip: combine the two day hikes for a weekend's worth of hiking

In the heart of the bushveld, in an area rich with farms that produce maize, citrus fruits and tobacco, along with mining of marble, slate and andalusite, is one farm with a hiking trail that follows along the banks of a tributary of the Marico River.

The river rises close to the town of Groot Marico, famous as the backdrop to Herman Charles Bosman's tales. Farms here were among the very last in the country to maintain their old-fashioned telephone exchange until very recently.

The hike, just 30 kilometres south of the town, begins at a little waterfall and hugs the banks of the river. It also takes one through scrub grassland and via a slate quarry, where it is fun to spend a while studying the different patterns or colours of slate.

Most of the walk accompanies Bokkraal Se Loop, the stream that parts ways with Ribbokfontein Se Loop just north of the farm, and provides the hiker with a series of cascades, pools, superb rock formations, and waterfalls, culminating in the Tufa Falls (the word Tufa actually describes a form of calcite rock that has a crusted, porous texture, found in lime-rich water) that hikers describe as the best part of the trail.

The walk is not difficult, but it is incredibly pretty, and the constant presence of water makes it a rejuvenating experience all round. Take your time.

The shorter trail is about 4km and not at all taxing.