Specific hiking gear for Joburg trails

Hiking in Joburg is a blast, but there are a few things I wish I knew to wear and bring with me.

The first is to wear long pants if you're doing Castle Gorge, the Dome Pools, or Mungini Gorge. The brush there is quite thick and some of the bushes have thorns. First prize is those hiking pants that unzip around the knees, so you can avoid the thorns and then keep cool when you arrive at the pools/river.

The next is a proper wide-brim hat. A cap is okay if it's all you have, but almost all of the trails aren't well covered and your neck can easily get burnt under the African sun.

You'll want to bring more water than you think you'll need as there aren't any refill stations on the hikes, and it's not safe to drink the stream water.

Lastly, download an offline map of the hiking area on Google Maps and the All Trails app. This has saved me a few times as some of the trails aren't well-marked. Especially for Castle Gorge by the waterfalls, you want to be careful there as it's easy to get lost.

Other than that the usual kit will work just fine!

Best of luck and have fun!

- Harrison