St Forts Hiking Trail in Dihlabeng Rural, Free State

St Forts is situated 5 km on the R711 outside the town of Clarens in the Free State, South Africa.

The farm is home to the famous Mushroom Rock and is located on 2 200 hectares of land surrounded by the Maluti Mountains. St Forts offers four expertly laid out hiking trails for both visitors who are looking for a brisk day walk or for the more adventurous looking for a camp out and hiking experience.

All the hiking trails are clearly marked and offer breathtaking scenery with differing landscapes from mountain views, river walks, boulder hopping through gorges, suspension bridge, forest ambles and cave exploring. Some trails are taken over 2 days and full over-night facilities are catered for all hikers needs, including hot showers!

Clarens is the ideal place for hikers and visitors are missing out on some of South Africa’s most exceptional landscapes if they haven’t hiked in Clarens yet!

Things to do and see

• Cannibal Trail (2 days)
• Mushroom Rock Trail (3 km)
• Batwing Falls Trail (5.9 km)
• Kloof Trail (3.9 km)
• Picnic Spots
• Mushroom Rock
• Batwing Falls

Admission

Open Daily – booking is essential

Rates are between R30 and R250 depending on the trail. Prices are subject to change, please contact the St Forts directly for confirmation on rates.

Climate

Rainfall occurs mainly in the mid-summer months, with December and January seeing the highest levels. Winter nights can drop below freezing.

Summer months, November to March will have average temperatures of between 11˚C and 27˚C.

Winter months, May to August will have average temperatures of between -2˚C and 16˚C.

Transport

There are domestic and/or international flights into the Johannesburg, Durban or Bloemfontein Airports on a daily basis and car rental companies are available for easy access to Clarens. All three cities are approximately a three to four hour drive away.