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This 400km trek from the Knysna forest to Addo Elephant National Park, is described as a "pilgrimage to biodiversity". All the guides and support team-members are Plettenberg Bay locals.
Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative in association with the Wittedrift-based, Bhejane 4x4 Adventures are responsible for this unique hiking adventure. Fast becoming known as ‘a must do hike’, it has been dubbed South Africa’s Camino, although those in the know insist it is tougher.
The hike comprises a gruelling 20 days of walking through some of the most remote mountain areas in the region with an average of 20km being covered each day. Eden to Addo gains special access to private areas; in some cases these hikers are the only humans to pass through an area the whole year.
The Eden to Addo Great Corridor Hike is a fundraising hike where all money raised contributes to the efforts of the Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative.
"Eden to Addo Great Corridor Hike is not just about slogging through beautiful and inspiring landscapes, it is about a much bigger vision - creating conservation linkages between three important conservation areas on private land and thereby helping to mitigate fragmentation which protects the region's biodiversity for future generations," said Joan Berning, Eden to Addo CEO.
"The Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative is working towards identifying and managing conservation corridors linking the Garden Route National Park, the Baviaanskloof Mega-Reserve and Addo Elephant National Park. Corridors that link existing protected areas are critical for the free movement of animals, birds, insects and plants, and especially in a region where we have the confluence of five distinct vegetation zones or biomes as biologists call them, such as Nama Karoo, succulent Karoo, forest and thicket. Corridors can play a vital role in ensuring the survival of our rich biodiversity," she explained.
On Sunday, the group hiked the first 16 kilometres through the Garden of Eden forests, where a lot of trees had fallen during the previous day's stormy conditions with strong gusts of wind, to Diepwalle where the local community provided a meal of vetkoek and savoury mince. The hikers were all reported to be in high spirits despite the cold. By next week they will be traversing the Kouga Mountains before dropping into the Baviaanskloof where hiking amid rhino and buffalo add excitement to each walking day.
For more information visit: www.edentoaddo.co.za.
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This group of local and international hikers will cover 400km from the Knysna forest to Addo Elephant National Park.
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