Cover photo with myself, 
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There are dozens of hiking trails all over the Cape Peninsula. Who knows if I will ever manage to walk on each and every one of the routes that are available.
One of these routes is called Silvermine. This location alone has so many routes to it that every single time we go climbing up into these trails we end up on a different path and see new things!
Here is a board that explains some of the routes to you when you start out.
This particular trip we did as our weekend hike in August 2020. Since then, we have been up there at least 4 other times.
We decided by the map that we wanted to see the Waterfall and it was well worth the steep climb down!
Each time we come up to the mountains we spend nothing less than an hour up there. Very often, we will walk and climb for 2-3 hours. As such, we pack a nice picnic lunch.
One must just be careful of baboons when you take food with you. A troop of those apes will antagonize you until they have what you are packing or even just try to steal your backpack so they can check it out themselves.
Regardless, it is a great idea to pack yourself some drinking water for the trip. If you are pale and prone to sunburn then packing sunblock is essential and I will show you why.
Along the Silvermine River, there are plenty of trees. There is a beaten path for a while along the river, but this soon disappears. The rest of the paths are out on the mountain among the rocks and fynbos vegetation.
Here is a more typical view of the area, with footpaths traveling through, splitting and reforming through these rocky hills.
Here are the stairs that go down the height of the waterfall. When you are at the top, you can barely see anything, but there is a path to walk along that is made of natural stone and poles of wood. Eventually you will see the handrailing just before the waterfall.
I think the trip well worth the exercise! Just look at that beautiful image! There is a massive rush of water that constantly covers the area in a blanket of sound. The only way to hear each other is to yell or call loudly for someone to come closer to hear what you are saying!
Here is
After a good while of resting and enjoying the natural ambiance, we set off again. This time, up the steep path that led us down to the waterfall.
After much huffing and puffing, we made it to the top. Another family saw us and I breathily managed to explain to the other hikers that it was well worth it and very beautiful down there.
Off we went through the rocky terrain, though we stuck to the path and that was a lot easier to navigate.
I have left the trail with Meren numerous amounts of times, Generally, it is always slow going and besides feet, you also need to navigate the vegetation. Some of the plants up here can be hard and spikey.
This is not a difficult trail to walk and is friendly to all ages. If you walk slowly and listen carefully you can see some small fauna on these mountains. Hawks and dassies (hyrax) can be seen from time to time. The place is also full of all sorts of insects that would NOT make their home in your garden. Instead, they make a great little debacle and lesson whenever we find something interesting to look at.
At the end of the outing came the best part!
Total Silence!
Thanks for taking the time to read my post and check my photographs!
Until next time and another adventure!
