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Cycling
@ Soutpansberg Outdoor
Get your information on routes in the Soutpansberg and surroundings here.
Hanglip Trails
Description of the Trails
Five easy to moderate routes have been marked for cyclists, hikers and trail runners. All trails start and end at the Hanglip plantation gate. Each trail and various sections of the trail are graded using the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) guidelines and symbols. The trails are laid out as multiple loops that start and end at the same place.
GPX and KLM tracks of each trail can be found below.
For Google Maps of the trail, click here
Strava routes click here. Do the Strava challenge and see if you can be the fastest on the routes.
Where is Hanglip?
Hanglip is a plantation forestry area situated on the outskirts of Louis Trichardt in Limpopo Province. Louis Trichardt is a town located 100km north of Polokwane and 100km south of Musina on the N1.
How to get there?
Hanglip can easily be reached in two wheel drive vehicles. All cycle routes start and end at the plantation gate. Park your car at the gate at your own risk.
Directions:
At the traffic circle on the N1 on the northern side of Louis Trichardt, turn west into Stubbs Street. At the Mt Fuji Nissan Dealer/ Kwikspar/ Church turn right (north) into Forestry road. Follow Forestry road all the way to the Hanglip plantation Gate.
What facilities are available?
None
Costs
There might be an entry fee to the plantation at the gate, but otherwise the trails are free to ride.
1. Go Go Loop (4 km) – Easy
This 4km trail is recommended for small children (4 yrs and older) and beginner riders and trail runners. It includes easy flowing single tracks and plantation roads.
Elevation: 90m
Approximate Riding time: 30 minutes
Go Go Variation: Berm Valley – Moderate or Hard (depending on how you ride it)
A variation of the Go Go trail is to ride Berm Valley which is 500m of flowing single tracks with berms and jumps. Please only do jumps if you are experienced. You can loop back up to the top of Berm Valley on the connection path.
2. Graspad Loop (10 km) – Easy
The 10 km loop is perfect for beginner riders and trail runners who want to do a slightly longer route. It includes easy flowing single track and plantation roads an the lovely GRASPAD single track.
Elevation: 351 m
Approximate Riding time: 1 hour
3. Never Ender Loop (12 km) – Easy
This route stays on the plantation roads past Camp Africa and up to the Junction then down to the gate.
Elevation: 350 m
Approximate Riding time: 1 hour 15 min
4. Bush Pigs Loop (16 km) – Moderate
The route goes up the mountain along the main forestry road past Camp Afrika and then turns off into excellent single tracks through indigenous forests. First it goes down BULBUL single track and then the excellent BUSH PIG single track before descending back down to the gate along the Never Ender.
Elevation: 500m
Approximate Riding time: 1h 30min
5. Village Loop (20 km) – Moderate
The 20 km Route is an extension of the 13 km Route. It goes up past Camp Afrika and then loops through Songodzwi Village. It then descends BULBUL single track and follows excellent single tracks through indigenous forests in the BUSHPIG single track before descending aback to the start.
Elevation: 640 m
Approximate Riding time: 2 hours
Buysdorp Mountain Trips
Buysdorp Mountain Trips (BMT) is a community-based organization in Buysdorp who are laying out trails in the mountains beyond the village. Buysdorp is a picturesque village situated on in the south-western corner of the Soutpansberg mountains. At this stage only one trail is available with others to be developed in the near future. The trails are guide by members of the community.
The Moutoon Trail 8 km trail takes you up and down the kloof. The first part of the trail crisscrosses a clear flowing stream and is an easy walk through shady gallery forest. The trees on the route are spectacular with large yellow woods, forest fever trees, tree ferns and water berry trees. The last part of the trail goes up a steep slope, a rocky traverse and past some caves. The spectacular view from the top of the slope looks back down the valley. The last part of the trail drops down to a high waterfall and beautiful pool. As the river is the main water source for the village, no swimming is allowed in the pool.
The 8 km trail will take about 2 – 4 hours to complete depending on how fast you walk. Please note that during the rainy season, the trail could be closed due to flooding.
Who do contact
You will need to make arrangements at least 1 day in advance so that a guide can be organized for your group. Contact number is: 065 641 2844 (Official) or 063 034 5001 (Keannen). The cost is R100 per person.
How to get there
Buysdorp 60 km west of Louis Trichardt on the R522. At the signboard “Buysdorp” turn right. The drive from this point (R522) to the trail head is +/- 4.7 km. Drive though the village, past the graveyard (left) and school (right) then take a gravel road to the right and then keep left at the next fork in the road. Stop at the top of the slope at a “T-junction”. The trail starts just beyond this point.
More interesting information
Buysdorp has a rich and interesting history of Coenraad de Buys and his decedents who settled in the Soutpansberg mountains in the mid 1800’s.
http://debuys.blogspot.com/2011/02/who-was-coenraad-de-buys.html
Local Bird Watching Tours
Samson Mulaudzi
Samson Mulaudzi is a professional bird guide who specializes in birding in the Soutpansberg and Venda areas. Samson is accredited with Birdlife South Africa and has many year’s experience in guiding. He is a hop-on guide, meaning that he will travel with you in your car to the birding sites and then guide you in the sites themselves. He offers full day and half day trips to birding hotspots such as Entabeni, Hanglip, Muirhead Dams, Sagole Big Tree and Thohoyandou Botanical Gardens. Top specials on his trips are Blue-spotted Wood Dove, African Broadbill, Eastern Nicator, Green Twinspot, Bat Hawk and many more.
Contact Samson to tailor-make your birding experience!
Please visit his website: http://www.birdingsoutpansberg-venda.co.za
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mulaudzims
Email him on: mulaudzims@gmail.com
Call or WhatsApp him on: 083 662 9960
Local Culture Tours
Gift Makhari
Ribola rural lifestyle and culture tour
On Gift’s lifestyle art and craft tour, one can learn more about the daily lives and customs of the colourful Venda, Tsonga and Sotho people who make up most of the rural population in and around the Soutpansberg mountains of northern Limpopo.
Tour guide Gift Mkhari is a Tsonga man who grew up in the region, speaks all the local languages, knows the customs and the myriad local dust roads to be your reliable guide for an authentic lifestyle tour of rural Limpopo and its colourful people.
This day trip is a self-drive tour that starts in Louis Trichardt going to Elim on the southern foothills of the Soutpansberg mountain and its surrounding villages visiting the open-air veggy markets and local crafters and artists, with Gift joining you in your car for the day.
Gift Makhari can be contacted on +27 (0)60 784 6189. He is also available on WhatsApp.
Gift is a Department of Tourism registered guide. He has a regional cultural tour guide certificate and badge and a First aid level 2 certificate.
Sagole Big Tree
The Sagole Big Tree is the biggest baobab in the world and therefore should be on everyone’s bucket list to see. The tree is 34 meters in girth and is estimated to be about 2000 years old. Although there are other estimations, take it from me, I helped with the carbon dating. The tree is truly magnificent and has an incredible presence. There is a huge hollow in the middle of the main stem which people often climb into.
