Woodcliff Cave Hiking Trail

About Woodcliff Cave Hiking Trail

Start: Woodcliff Farmhouse, Maclear
Finish: Woodcliff Farm
Duration: anything from one to four days (up to 50 km)
Fitness: fit
Our tip: the Drakensberg often has afternoon thunder showers so it is best to set off early.

There are a number of trails on Woodcliff Farm, the last farm before the high berg. Slackpack trails that are easy to enjoy as day trails, a couple of flat walks for those who want to amble, and for those who are fit and want to enjoy heading out for more than a day, the hike up to Tok's Cave to follow routes from there.

Tok's cave is more of an overhang than a cave, but a deep overhang at that. The farm has built three rooms within the overhang for hikers, with firewood, water and a long-drop toilet close to the cave. In season there is also a waterfall over the front of the overhang. It accommodates up to 20 hikers.

From Tok's Cave follow the yellow or red routes of 13 km or 16 km respectively. The yellow route is the easier of the two and its circular route takes one over the foothills of the Drakensberg with a couple of stops at river swimming pools (Redcliffe and Skinny Dip pools in particular, but there are any number of river pools en route).

Note: that the yellow route passes Woodcliff farmhouse, where you can pick up a change of clothes and food supplies, or end your hike.

The red route, which you can tack on to your time spent at Woodcliff and do as day three and four of your hike, gives a couple of alternatives. For those who are fit and want a taxing hike you can climb steeply into the high berg, overnighting at Reed Park hut.

This section of the hike is exciting, but definitely only for seasoned hikers. In winter there is the added threat of snow

For those not as fit there is an alternative cut into Wide Valley. Follow the red route along the top of the Drakensberg for incredible views. Follow Sephton's footpath down into Wide Valley to the cottage (very pretty) that is a short walk up from a river. Overnight here, and end the hike the following morning with a short walk back to the farmhouse.