Closest Town: Queenstown
Grading: Moderate to Difficult | Duration: 2 - 4 Hours
Location (Area/Province): Amatola and Eastern Cape
Configuration: 40km circular route.
Start Point: Longhill Nature Reserve
Access: Entry fee payable
Beware of: A lot of "Wag-'n-Bietjie" thorns.
Facilities: Picnic spots, accommodation
Cell Reception: Intermittent.
OVERVIEW
The Longhill Nature Reserve is located just north of Queenstown in the Eastern Cape. Situated in the Karoo heartland, along a stretch of the Longhill Mountains, the reserve provides visitors with magnificent scenic beauty, as well as a variety of exciting outdoor activities.
On your bike
The reserve has rolling hills with lovely views over Queenstown and surrounds. It has a nice and challenging climb up the back of a propper mountain. Then it has a trully testing downhill down the side of a propper mountain. Most people walk down this trecherous section. But others will enjoy the thrill of the challenge to try riding down as far as they can. Then you are rewarded for your bravery with the sweetest single track that clears your mind of any residual pain the mountain might have caused. It is truly therapeutic!
Off the bike
Delightful picnic spots offering pleasant views of the town. There is a walking and running trail up the mountain that allows one to escape into real nature. A striking feature of the reserve is the Tamboekie Thorn (Erythrina acanthocarpa), also known as “Wag ‘n Bietjie” or Cape Aloe. This plant grows nowhere else in the world except for Queenstown and the surrounding area. There are also several species of antelope and other wild animals and many species of birds for twitchers.
CONTACT:
Reserve Manager: Ian McEwan
Telephone: 045 838 3144 or 045 838 2233
Website: www.easterncapemidlands.co.za
GPS: 31°51′35.8″S 026°51′31.2″E
