The Swart Tobie Hiking Trail

Walking a Forgotten Eden Through Sand, Silence, and Soul

The Swart Tobie Trail: 5 Days in a Forgotten Eden

From 26 to 30 April 2025, we walked across 46 kilometres of coastal plains, riverbanks, tidal coves, and forgotten farmland along the Swart Tobie Trail—a wilderness slackpacking route few people have even heard of. But that’s exactly what makes it so special.

Tucked away in the Matzikama region of the Western Cape, South Africa, the Swart Tobie Trail isn’t something you stumble across in a glossy hiking brochure. It’s something you’re invited into. And once you’ve walked it, it doesn’t quite leave you.

This is my story—not just of a hike, but of being softened by the land, reshaped by silence, and gifted a kind of homecoming I didn’t know I needed.

Where It All Begins: A Trail with a Soul

I’ve hiked through mist on the Drakensberg escarpment, scrambled up Lion’s Head at sunset, and braved thunderstorms in the Cederberg. I know what it’s like to push hard, summit high, and suffer gladly for the view. But Swart Tobie offered something else entirely.

It was described to me as “a soul hike.” A slackpacking trail through private farmland, designed by a family—not a tourism board. Where boere koeksusters replace energy bars, and you end your trek with a snoek braai and homemade jam.

It sounded rustic, soulful, real. And it was.

At its heart is Groenvlei Farm, run by the Wickens family, who’ve lived here for generations. The late patriarch, Uncle Wynie Wickens, envisioned a way for hikers to experience his land the way he did: slowly, with reverence, with dust on your boots and something new in your chest.

Day 0: Into the Land

We drove from Cape Town to the farm in a slow descent from city static into rural stillness.

After a short stop in Piketberg, we wound our way past Klawer, Vredendal and Lutzville and onto the gravel roads that braid through the sandveld towards Koekenaap.

By lunchtime, we reached Kliphuis, a cave-like overhang above the Olifants River. It was our first night, and already the trail was whispering: rest, slow down, listen.

We didn’t hike that day. We listened to the river, sat beneath sandstone eaves, and let the land strip the noise away. This wasn’t just the start of a trail—it was an invitation.

Swarttobietjies

Support Team

Day 1: Spuitgat se Baai to Luck se Baai (8.8 km)

Our boots met sand at Spuitgat se Baai, and it was as if the ocean was waiting. We walked under a soft marine layer, the smell of salt in the air, weaving between dunes, rocks, and tidal flats.

This wasn’t a dramatic coastline. It was a wild, unmanicured edge—beautiful in its understatement.

We passed deep tidal pools, stared into the Atlantic’s indifference, and let the cold wind scrape away what was unnecessary.

The terrain was tough—loose sand, shifting underfoot—but rewarding. Every step felt earned.

By the time we reached Luck se Baai, the ocean had softened and so had we.

We camped near rocks, told stories, and listened to waves hit the land like a slow metronome.

Day 2: Luck se Baai to Camp David (9.38 km)

This was the day of swells, seals, and seabirds.

We walked close to the water, startled a sunbathing seal who retaliated with a chase (I have never seen a seal run so fast), and witnessed foreign mining equipment chewing into the coastline’s dunes—a heartbreak on an otherwise sacred day.

As we neared the Olifants River mouth, the waves quieted and the birds multiplied.

Flamingoes, egrets, and even a lone heron moved through the shallows like ghosts. The Swart Tobie—the black-and-white seabird for which the trail is named—remained elusive, but Bear Gaibie spotted one through his far-lookers! Yay!

Camp David was our reward.

Hot water was boiled, sweat washed off tired skin, and silence once again enveloped us.

This trail is filled with pauses that aren’t empty—but sacred.

Day 3: Camp David to Langklip (13.94 km)

This was our reckoning.

14 kilometres inland, under a hard sun, across dry sand and silent plains. The sea was gone. In its place, thorny scrub, dry reeds, goats, and silence.

We climbed slowly, shed layers of sweat and impatience, and became part of the veld.

We passed salt pans, crossed dry tributaries, and watched the Olifants River shimmer beside us, more memory than water.

When we finally arrived at Langklip, a camp tucked near a wide, flat boulder, we were spent but clear-headed.

The stars that night were cold, brilliant, and close. The wind whipped around us. That night it rained. I slept so soundly, I did not hear a thing.

Day 5: Langklip to Kliphuis (9.56 km)

We walked the final 10 km with a guide named Lampies, who led us through farmland and told us stories about this place, the people, the land.

We rested under the trees, trying to draw out the day, and slowly began to see fences (and Eskom poles) again.

The end was near.

When we reached Kliphuis, the cave welcomed us back like a memory revisited. And just like that, the loop was complete.

A Trail Made of Legacy

The Swart Tobie Trail is not just a route—it’s a living story, shaped by Uncle Wynie Wickens, now continued by his children and widow with humility, grace, and quiet generosity.

At the final lunch on Groenvlei Farm, Ronel Wickens served us freshly braaied snoek, farm bread, and salad.

We were sent home with jam, butternut, and love packed into plastic bags.

Swart Tobie reminds you that the best trails aren’t about peak bagging or social media moments. They’re about being invited into someone’s legacy—and choosing to walk it gently.

Swartobie Trail Highlights

Location: Koekenaap (Near Lutzville, Western Cape)

Duration: 4 Days / 5 or 6 Nights

Distance: ~ 46km

Type: Wilderness slackpacking with gear drop & shelter (sometimes)

Best for: Nature-lovers, reflection-seekers, hikers who value story over stats

Season: Autumn & Spring recommended

Wildlife: Flamingoes, seals, Swart Tobie birds, and more

Touchpoints: Groenvlei Farm, Wickens Family, Olifants River, Atlantic Coast

Experience Level: Easy – Moderate

Thinking of Doing the Trail?

Stay tuned.

My next post will be the Ultimate Guide to the Swart Tobie Trail, packed with everything you need to know:

booking, costs, gear, route notes, transport tips, FAQs, and the trail’s backstory. It’s all the practical detail for those ready to walk a trail with heart.

Thank You

Photo credits as always to those who so generously share them with me:

Abdullah

Shiham

Suad

Yusuf

Faiza

08/05/2025 at 9:08 pm

Beautifully curated and sensitively penned… yet with all the gems and highlights winking to entice other adventurous spirits to follow our boottracks on what was indeed a trail of mindful memories! 😍 Shukran, Gabiba.
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