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Whale Trail Hiking Trail - November 2006
The Whale Trail is a hiking trail in the De Hoop Nature Reserve. It is a very scenic hike and you sleep in different huts for five nights. One of the attractions is that your main baggage is carried from hut to hut for you via a truck which uses other roads in the park. The trick is to have a well compressed down sleeping bag or a small sleeping bag as each person is allocated a storage box. Some people decide to carry their sleeping bag as it is usually light although bulky. This arrangement means you can enjoy cold drinks or beers which you would not normally be able to carry on such a hike.
The different landscapes are very beautiful and the paths near the sea are lovely.
The hike does have some significant climbs on the first two days.
The group ready to set off.
Flowers in the rocks.
Beside a face in the rock.
Rock formation.
Pink flower.
Scene looking down on the river below.
The red flowers are Pincushion Proteas.
Red Lichen on the rock.
Pink Vytjie.
Proteas.
The overnight hut in the distance below.
Pincushion Protea and a Sunbird.
Log bridge.
Red Crested Pagoda (Protea Family)
Cream coloured flowers.
Small blue flowers.
Protea.
Sea view.
The group on one of the rare occasions when we met on the trail.
Looking down through the rocks to the sea below.
A view looking down.
Ladder leading to the above view.
A whale.
Flowers growing in the sand.
When the tide is in you have to take a path above.
Seagull.
Small blue flowers in the rock.
Orange Vytjie in the sand.
Erosion.
Wooden ladder.
Blue flowers amongst the rocks.
Pink bouquet.
Spider on its web. If you are first on the trail in the early morning you may be lucky enough to see one.
Pincushion Protea.
The scenery on this trail is unique and we were fortunate to have seen whales in the sea.