If you need to hiking breakaway and would like to immerse yourself in nature, we found there is no better way to do it than slackpacking effortlessly and in style …
1. Enchanting Midlands indigenous forests are right here
In the heart of a lush mistbelt forest, we felt transported to another realm. Amazingly such magic is within easy driving distance of Midlands Meander and can be found without needing to travel to foreign lands. Because of low rainfall patterns and extensive havesting patterns, indigenous forests in South Africa are small, and sadly they are diminishing, but local conservancies in the KZN Midlands help to protect the threatened mistbelt forests and make them accessible so that others can discover and hike their tranquil grandeur.
2. Hiking through nature
We loved listening to birdsong, the creaking of trees, the breeze rustling the grasses, the thundering sounds of the Midlands Karkloof Falls, while breathing in clear air and the diverse scents of the vegetation and the rich aroma of the forest floor. Incredibly, the Midlands forest absorbs the sound of footfalls as one hikes the paths frequented by shy creatures such as porcupines, bushbuck and blue duiker.
3. You don’t have to carry a heavy backpack
Slackpacking means your luggage is transported for you, although you may carry a day pack if you wish. In the Midlands forests, sweet spring water is available to quench your thirst so you don’t have to take lots of drinking water.
4. Creature comforts are not neglected
You can look forward to a hot shower in your cosy accommodation, a home-cooked meal for supper, and a comfy warm bed. Spekboom Tours sources local ingredients for the meals it provides and makes use of quality local guesthouses for accommodation.
5. You experience the hospitality of small guesthouses
Slackpacking trails are for smaller groups of walkers and hikers who stay at local guesthouses, each with their own character, that provide comfortable accommodation with a personalised touch. Many guesthouses are run by people who love the Midlands and have a wealth of information to share with their guests. Slackpacking tours can be customised to your needs and level of fitness – they can be tailored for families who enjoy hiking with children. Slackpacking tours can also be customised for other small groups with special interests like birding, flower spotting and history tours.
6. You benefit from the healing power of nature
All too often our lifestyles deprive us of contact with nature, and we are becoming increasingly alienated from our very essence. Glued to technology and confined to urban spaces many of us could be said to suffer from “a nature deficit disorder”. Studies show “that exposure to green spaces helps to moderate our mood and improve our attention span”, and the powerful healing power of forests is especially well known. What better way to reconnect with nature and our often neglected inner selves than spending time slackpacking along meandering footpaths on a beautiful slackpack tour, stopping to look up at the towering green canopy of leaves or watching swallows swoop above flower-studded mistbelt grasslands?
7. You contribute to local conservancies and environmental protection
Intimately reconnecting with nature often leads people to want to contribute to the protection of our natural environment. Spekboom Tours donates a percentage of its proceeds to local conservancies and actively raises awareness of and funds for local environmental projects. Such projects include FreeMe KZN’s Blue Duiker Reintroduction Project and the Samango Monkey Research Project in the KZN Midlands, as well as local environmental education programmes.