Explore with the Cape West Coast Biosphere’s Darling Stagger – 3 Day Trail
The Cape West Coast Biosphere Trails Darling Stagger Itinerary. All you need to know about this 3 day trail.
Day 1, 2016
14hoo – Clients book in at Darling Lodge
14h30 – Guide meet clients and transfer to Alexanderfontein for Olive tasting.
Transport pick up Clients drop off at guesthouse and from there clients walk.
Walk to Museum.
Walk back to guesthouse to freshen up.
Transfer to restaurant.
Dinner at Marmalade Cat.
Walk to your guest house.
Day 2, 2016
8h00 – Breakfast at Darling Lodge
9h00 – Transferred to Kwattu for Medicinal Plant and San Cultural Photographic tour.
Walk from khwattu down to Tygerfontein – Yzerfontein (+/- 10km )
Transfer to Ormonde for wine tasting and light lunch.
Transfer to guesthouse for leisure time.
Pick up and drop off at restaurant.
19h00 – Dinner at Darling Brew ( Clients own expenses )
Transfer back to guesthouse.
Day 3, 2016
8h00 – Breakfast at Darling Lodge
Transfer to Groote Post and start hike ( +/- 11km )
Transfer to Restaurant for lunch.
Transfer back to guesthouse.
End of Trail.
The price includes a Cape West Coast Biosphere guide/host, shared accommodation in 3-4 star guesthouse, meals (2 dinners, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches), and all transfers mentioned in the itinerary, a limited supply of local beer and wine and non-alcoholic beverages, airport transfer to and from the airport. It excludes drinks, local product purchases, telecommunications, laundry and any other activities not referred to in the itinerary. Please bring your own drinks and snacks – restaurants will charge corkage.
We can customise the Trail for all, including slow walkers, kids and people older than 65yrs.
What to bring
Comfortable, casual, warm clothes and shoes are fine for after walking and evenings. For protection from the sun, walking clothes may include a collared, long sleeved shirt, thermal top (in winter), comfortable long or short walking pants (long give protection from sun, ticks and scratches), windbreaker, rain jacket and pants if you have them, cap and/or warm hat. Shoe options are rather a personal thing. The terrain ranges from fine sand to rocks to old sandy jeep tracks. It is advisable to have a couple of dry changes of clothes, sleepwear, toiletries, sunblock, broad-brimmed hat, daypack, water bottle, camera, between meal energy drinks and snacks and cash for incidentals. There are towels at the guesthouses but you may want to bring an extra one. A sarong or something of that nature is always useful and light to carry in your daypack. Don’t forget your costume.
Weather
The weather is changeable – bring a hat for the sun, a costume for swimming, a windbreaker for the wind, a rain suit in case of rain and a change of clothes just in case your gear gets wet. Again a ‘sarong’ is very useful as a towel, sun shield and wind breaker.
Luggage & Day Pack
You will spend both nights in the same guesthouse so you can leave your luggage in your room. We advise you to lock your rooms or guesthouse when you are not there – just to be safe.
Please bring a day pack with you as you will need to carry your lunch and water.
Water
We are trying to cut down on the amount of plastic waste. Please bring a re-usable 1-1.5 litre plastic water bottle and fill up either at the guesthouse or from the 25 litre drum of tap water on hand. If you only drink bottled water – rather than several small bottles, please bring your own 1 – 1.5 litre bottles for the hike, cycle or canoe. Feel free to bring any additional bottled water you may need but please stick to large bottles and take the bottles back home with you to recycle.
Tea / Coffee
We supply tea and filter coffee with breakfast and guesthouses normally provide complimentary sachets of instant coffee and tea. If you would prefer to drink tea / coffee rather than juice and water while paddling – please bring along your own flask, cup and ingredients.
Meals & Drinks
West Coast style dinners (fish braai or pooitjie) are prepared by marvelous local chefs. The guesthouse provides a breakfast of cereal, yoghurt, fruit and various delicious bacon and egg dishes. A lunch of bread, cheese, snoek pate and other homemade delicacies will either be served picnic style along the route or carried with you. The final lunch is a surprise prepared by local caterers from Jacobsbaai. Please bring your own drinks and snacks.
Safety and security
To be safe we advise you to take basic security precautions – lock your car and don’t leave anything in it, lock your room or guesthouse when you are not in it and put valuables away where they can’t be seen, don’t walk alone, especially not in areas you don’t know.
As per legal requirements and good sense – one or more of the guides will have basic first aid training and carry a basic first aid kit. In case of mishap the guide may request the assistance of one or more persons in the group, especially a doctor or medic. In cases where evacuation is required the guide will call the trail support vehicle or in the case of emergency evacuation – Atlantic Emergency Medical Response or District Emergency Response. The guides have
these numbers on their phones. If something happens to one or more of the guides – please use their phone to call these services.
The trails are relatively easily accessible but injured folk may need to be carried a short distance to exit points. There is cell phone reception along trail but not in all areas. If injury happens at a point where there is no reception and evacuation is required, two people will go to the nearest reception point to call for help the others will remain with the injured party unless otherwise directed by the guide. If the guide is injured, he/she may delegate a person in the group to help manage the situation or in a case where the guide cannot talk, the group should elect a person to manage the situation.
Snakes – if you encounter a snake the best is to stand still until it moves off.
Ostriches – they breed in spring and summer, so wait until they move off or try to keep your distance especially if they have young ones.
It is essential to follow the safety precautions as directed by the cycling and river guides on the Trail.
Good code of conduct
Reduce carbon emissions – share transport, use green transport, buy locally
Save water – shower, use the same towels throughout
Save electricity – turn off the lights when you are not in the room
Reduce waste – avoid small plastic bottled water containers, use a non-plastic 1-1.5 litre water bottle we can decant into
Recycle or reuse waste – carry your waste home and give plastic to the guides to recycle Do not litter – dispose of all your waste in a dustbin or give it to the guides to recycle
Choose biodegradable products – packaging, detergents and soaps
Choose responsible organic products – organic, recyclable, zero footprint, biodiversity & wine initiative (All Darling Cellars belong to this initiative), Fair Trade, SASSI fish products
Support local economies – procure locally produced goods, create local employment
Respect the land and the landowners who have been kind enough to let us pass through their property – leave no footprint, close gates and follow the guides lead
Respect all the people, service providers, property and communities your trail comes in contact with and follow the guides lead
Respect your natural and cultural heritage and follow your guides lead: Watch where you are walking – don’t trample
Use existing paths – don’t disturb virgin territory
Observe from a distance
Take photographs – don’t remove or disturb
When in doubt, don’t.
Note:
The itinerary may need to be adapted on the day due to circumstances beyond our control. Directions to the meeting point in Paternoster are provided at the end of the itinerary. Client drives to Paternoster with own Vehicle.
Contact:
For more information or to book visit: www.capebiosphere.co.za/trails
Contact: [email protected] or 0861 872 457
Follow us them Facebook and Twitter: @CWCBTrails
Take the road less travelled in the West Coast Way
For more information on West Coast Way Routes and the list of 101+ Things To See And Do in the Cape West Coast, visit our eventspage. Choose to go on a self-guided adventure drive by following the routes, or book an air-conditioned trip to top West Coast attractions in South Africa.