Mount Sheba

Mount Sheba protects about 1,500 hectares of Afromontane forest in the hills above Pilgrim's Rest, a remnant that survived because the terrain was too steep to log easily while everything around it went to gold diggings and later to plantation. The forest is high, wet and often inside cloud, which is what mist-belt means, and the trees are large: yellowwood, stinkwood, Cape chestnut and lemonwood, with individual specimens named and signposted along the trails. Around fifteen kilometres of paths run through it to waterfalls and pools, with ferns and orchids in the understorey and Knysna turacos calling in the canopy. A lodge sits in the middle of the reserve and controls access, so day walkers check in there. The road up is steep gravel with switchbacks, and mist can make it slow.

Highlights

• The mist-belt forest - a high wet remnant that escaped the gold-era logging.
• The named trees - individual yellowwoods and stinkwoods signposted on the trails.
• The waterfall paths - about fifteen kilometres of routes to falls and pools.
• The turacos - green forest birds calling in the canopy.

When to go

September to April. Half a day. Mist is frequent and can close the views entirely.

Practical notes

The access road is steep gravel and unpleasant in wet weather. Access runs through a private lodge, so day walking depends on their arrangements. Paths are muddy and leech-free but slippery. Mist sits for days at a time in some seasons.

Nearby

Pilgrim's Rest is below; the Panorama Route viewpoints are east.

Key facts