The Brown Hooded Kingfisher Trail is one of the various Kingfisher trails in Wilderness. This is a hike easy enough for the whole fam, so definitely pack a picnic basket and a swimsuit.
How to get there?
There’s nothing complicated about getting to this hike. Driving on the N2 from George, drive past Wilderness Village. Stay on the N2, you will see a Waves Convenience Caltex garage on your right and soon after make a left turn onto Die Vleie Road. Stay on Die Vleie Road for about 2km. Turn left onto Bo-Langvlei Road, follow the road and you’ll drive straight to the hiking trail’s entrance.
Good news! Unlike many of the hiking trails on the Garden Route, there is no entrance fee to this hike, so you don’t even have to spend a penny for a fun day out.
The Brown Hooded Kingfisher Trail is a 5-minute drive from our house, and we love it so much because it’s just a fun and easy hike, that doesn’t require any effort. It’s the kind of hike that you can easily complete in two hours, so if you only have a little time to spare, this is the hike for you.
This is an easy out-and-back 4km hike that starts off by following the Duiwe River. You will have to cross the river a few times, so during the rainy season you might have to take off your shoes. Being next to a river, the trail has lots of lovely spots to dip your feet and rinse your face.
This trail is popular amongst bird watchers and soon into the hike we spotted a Knysna Loerie and admired him for a minute or two. We were also delighted when we spotted the Cape Robin, unfortunately he quickly shied away when I wanted to take a picture. Throughout the whole hike we could hear many birds chatting and chirping away.
We saw a few lovely lily ponds, and many of the trees have little green name tags, so for those interested, you can learn as you go.
It took us an hour to reach the 2km mark. The trail ends at a waterfall with a pool, which would be a great swimming spot for those who are brave enough to face the cold water. This also depends on the time of year, as the summer season sees less rain.
After a mandatory coffee and snack on the rock, we headed back and finished the trail in two hours.
This is a family friendly hike which you can do if you’re short on time, or you can take a book and a swimsuit and enjoy an entire day outdoors.