Rustig Hiking Trail

rustig-view-from-the-top-2

Beauty: 4 (out of 5)
Difficulty: 6/10 (Difficult i.e. need to be fit/strong… steep climbs)
Technical rating of trail: Standard walking, with steep climbs and downhills in places.

Rustig, a well-established family farm since 1930, is situated near Hekpoort on the southern slopes of the Magaliesberg mountain range, about 90km from Johannesburg. It is a beautiful venue with plenty of safe parking, lovely accommodation and amenities. Martha at reception was very friendly and knowledgeable.

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We left Klerksdorp at 4.15am and arrived at a cool and windy Rustig, just before 7am, ready for our day hike – we started off eagerly.

We had decided to do the 13km Karee hike. We didn’t think it would be a problem, seeing as we’ve easily completed similar distances before. Oh my word, were we in for a surprise…

The hike immediately starts with stunning views of the surroundings and the scenery throughout the hike was breathtaking to say the least.

rustig-view-2

As we made our way up the mountain we encountered a few steep sections, climbed a few ladders, walked over a wooden bridge and eventually, being able to sit on top of a mountain, 1711m above sea level, was really amazing, despite the hectic wind.

rustig-bridge-and-ladder

We explored an English bomb shelter and established our own rock balance statue amongst literally hundreds of others. This is quite a popular hike and we saw many other groups on the trail.

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You can see the platinum mines in the distance. There are also huge granite cliffs and caves to see.

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My partner was absolutely in his element up there – he collects and cultivates succulents as a hobby and he discovered many succulents indigenous to the area, including the endangered Peglerae aloe found only in the Magalies area. The flora changes after every turn – totally different on every side of mountain.

rustig-pegleraealoe-2

We did not complete the 13 km. We opted for the escape route, called the chicken run and ended up hiking approximately 8km. We took too long exploring on top and enjoying the endless and amazing views… and truthfully, we were pretty buggered after the climbs.

This was our most difficult hike to date but it was also the most beautiful. Definitely worthwhile! Just be warned, there’s nothing ‘rustig’ about the Rustig Hiking Trails…

Contact Details:

Tel: 079 490 2690
Email: bookings@rustig.co.za
Website: http://www.rustig.co.za/

8 Comments

  1. Good day,

    I wish to make a booking for 80 people 1 day hiking we from Johannesburg Hiking Club kindly assist us with prices thank you.

    Regards
    Sombu Khotha

  2. John
    Baie dankie vir n wonderlike staproete. Ons is seer en volpyne maar dit was n ervaring duisend. Die berghuis was awesome. Eenkant en alleen en stil en rustig. Dankie vir n wonderlike skoonmaak tyd. Groete. Cassie

  3. hello there.we decided to come and enjoy our Heritage day at Rustig on friday, only to be welcomed by rules which were implemented when we came there, even the black lady at reception and the white lady who was in charge had a disagreement,to show that some rules were not there before we came. We were rudely told by a white guy ,that if we did not want to pay the extra amount we ca go.I called in a week before and even on Thursday just to be sure of prices and specific rules that were in place. Paying extra R20 each for the pool area ,its something that we were all surprised to hear,as we paid the R100 for the braaimaster and it wasn’t my first time coming for a hike at Rustig, the white lady even told us that we will not be allowed to use the pool area, since well we paid just for the braai master. We bought 8 braai-packs and paid for the braai master , we were still given an attitude to not use the pool side, we were told the pool area , is only used by people eating in the restaurant. Buying meal packs, wasn’t enough to allow us access to the pool area?. we are thankful, the lady at reception was able to communicate proper with the lady in charge and we were then allowed to swim after our hike.
    and lastly , we could hear Afrikaans, the lady in charge , clearly said she doesn’t want our group at the pool area because’ ons saal mors”. to us that was rude and we chose not to continue with the noise and argument. Rustig is a wonderful place to hike , but the attitude , we received was not ohk and fair.

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