Falko Buschke

Author

I am Falko Buschke and was a lecturer at the Centre for Environmental Management at the University of the Free State, South Africa in 2011 where I did the hikes below at the Golden Gate Highlands National Park.

Some of these trails below were mapped many years ago and may no longer be in use. Always consult with park management prior to your hike to confirm the most recent preferred hiking routes.

Articles and hikes written by Falko Buschke

Rhebok / Ribbok Hiking Trail

The Ribbok Trail is the flagship trail in Golden Gate. The route, which covers a horizontal distance of 28 km and a vertical height of 600 m (nearly 1 km if you leave the path and head up Ribbokskop;…

Wodehouse Peak Hike

Wodehouse Peak was named after Sir Philip Edmond Wodehouse, the Governer of the Cape Coloney in the 19th century. Wodehouse’s negotiations ended the conflict and the Boers and the Basotho the be…

Mushroom Rock Hike

The trail to Mushroom Rock is the least spectacular in Golden Gate. It should only take 50 minutes to complete the short, easy 1.5 km back-and-forth route. After setting out from the Glen Reenen Rest…

Echo Ravine Hike

Echo Ravine is one of the most picturesque short routes in Golden Gate Highlands National Park. Starting at the Glen Reenen Rest Camp the gentle, marked route moves upward into a spectacular ravine…

Boskloof Hike

The route to Boskloof (Afrikaans for Bush Gorge) is a short, easy back-and-forth trail starting from the Glen Reenen Rest Camp. The entire route is only 2 km and it should take 30 minutes to get ther…

Holkrans Hike

As the name suggests, Holkrans (Afrikaans for “Hollow Cliff”) is a huge cavern in the vast (~50m high) cliff face. The 2.4 km circular route starts and ends at the Golden Gate Hotel and should take a…

Brandwag Buttress Hike

No visit to Golden Gate would be complete without a hike to the top of Brandwag Buttress (Afrikaans for “Sentinal Buttress). This sandstone cliff adorns all the postcard of the park as it has a golde…