Help with your Whale Trail
Whale Trail Help
If you are on this page – you probably already have:
- Secured the dates booked with Cape Nature on your calendar for this Bucket List hike
- Booked the time off work.
- Started to think about sorting out your home, pets, family while you are away for the 6 days.
- Paid your money across for your booking, park fees and conservation fees.
BUT
You are concerned about how to:
- Get to the start of the hike
- What to pack
- How you can eat fresh, healthy and nutritious meals – etc etc!
- What to expect in general
Hiking the Whale Trail is awesome, but trust us – the more prepared you are, the better the experience is.
The logistics can be overwhelming …. there is a lot to think about and organise.
It can change your whole hike if you leave something important behind or are not properly prepared.
We provide the necessary Whale Trail Help.
Since 2007 our team has hosted and hiked The Whale Trail more than fifteen times and understands the logistics, dynamics, desires and the finer details to best help your journey.
We have therefore carefully and thoughtfully created a professional offering of OPTIONAL EXTRAS including:
- Airport transfers to and from Cape Town International Airport.
- Shared transport to and from the start of the hike from Hermanus. (with cold refreshments on board of course).
- Nutritious, fresh and delicious meals – a fully catered experience catering for all dietary requirements: Carnivore; Vegetarian; Vegan (incl. gluten and dairy free)
- First aid kits specifically for the hike.
- Tailor made crate inners, couriered to you before the hike, so you do not have to worry about how much you can pack in 70 litres.
- Hiking gear to rent.
- A specialist guide.
Te stimonial
JUST BOOK THE SERVICES YOU NEED BELOW!
Airpor t Transfers
Travelling from outside the Western Cape – or want a lift from Cape Town?
No problem, Whale Trail Help is on hand!
We handle all airport transfers in our air-conditioned, comfortable vehicles – with PDP licensed drivers.
You choose! And the Whale Trail will help however we can!
- Airport transfers between Cape Town to the start of the hike (Day 1 of your hike please arrive by 10h00, and on day 6 of your hike, depart from 19h00 to be safe)
- Airport transfers between Cape Town and Hermanus on the days before and after your hike. Let us book you accommodation in Hermanus, close to the shops and restaurants.
Our catering excludes packed lunches & drinks.
We do offer these as additional extras
When your group commits to our catering option, they get everything they need, nothing they don’t need – and no one has to worry about a thing! Now that is Whale Trail Help!
Catering
Cape Nature has done fantastic upgrades to the huts but: there are group sized pots and pans; just enough crockery and cutlery; one area to do all the washing up in (yip – you have to do all the washing, drying and tidying up!) and two gas plates. There is no microwave, toaster or oven.
At the end of the day you are tired, and don’t want to wait for a turn to cook only your own food – and then wash the pot before you eat so the next person has a clean pot – and then eat on your own in relays…
And trust us – dehydrated meals after a full day hiking are, well ….BLEH.
It’s much nicer for the whole group to have a little prep that fits easily into the pots and pans provided – and then sit down together to a hot meal..
PLUS – It’s much easier to have group meals that are easy to prepare, serve and pack away with a little washing up – AND are healthy and nutritious!
Whale Trail Help Added bonuses:
- There are all the items that you need, such as tinfoil, glad wrap etc.
- We include the coffee of your choice, herbal teas, sugar and xylitol.
- This helps enormously with space.
Our Chef
Our chef of choice is Megs of Nutmeg’s Kitchen for the following reasons:
- She is a qualified Silwood chef and therefore has a deep understanding of all dietary requirements and food allergies.
- There are 3 menu options variations: The meat eater / the vegetarian / the vegan which includes gluten free and dairy free options.
- She has spent years working with ethical local farmers, and sources the best ingredients.
- By the age of 23, she had hiked the Whale Trail twice, the Otter Trail once and done numerous hikes in the Transkei and Drakensberg, so she understands your needs and the restrictions of catering for a hike entirely.
- All of her meals are freshly made for your hike and frozen immediately – locking in the goodness.
- She has worked out how to wrap, label and freeze so that on day five, you can still enjoy fresh food.
- Her meals are healthy, nutritious and delicious.
- Our clients love her food!
As soon as we receive your form below, we email you the menu options
Testimonial:
Thank you very much for arranging our whale trail catering.
I’ve done quite a few long-distance hikes and the catering situations are always different. The big difference with WILD WELLNESS is that because you know exactly how the cottages are set up, you are able to be very specific about what works and what doesn’t work, so there are no mistakes.
You also have a good feel for quantities, which takes the guesswork out of it!
I think your solution of meals is an excellent one which radically reduces cooking times and therefore allows everyone to get more rest and/or to spend more time socialising.
The quality of your food was very good and we all thoroughly enjoyed the meals plus the attention to detail in terms of herbs and flavourings etc. Very importantly, the meal on the last night was just as fresh and enjoyable as the meal on the first.
Yours is a great solution and I would recommend it to any groups of travellers.
Maarten
Transpor t to the trail
Trail Transpor t
We offer transport to and from the start of the hike.
WHY do we offer this service?
- If you are travelling from out of town, you do not have to pay a rental company to have the car sit in the car park for the duration of the hike, un-used, for six days!
- As I am typing this website, I have just received a message from a group that we catered for on the trail and they have TWO flat tyres to deal with out of the four cars they took! Every time we are there, we see flat tyres in the car park – and it is a MISSION to deal with after the hike. The closest town is Bredasdorp, and they are not open on Saturday afternoons or Sundays and have limited stock of tyres.
- Sharing transport gives you an opportunity to meet your fellow hikers before the hike, and chat together after the hike.
- The quantum bus is air conditioned, clean and comfortable with a dedicated, licenced driver.
PLUS we have full cooler boxes with ice cold drinks of your choice for you at the finish !
Let me tell you, an ice cold frostee or cool drink has never tasted this good!
no fuss - no worries - just jump in! .
S toring your Suitcases
If you need us to store your suitcases while you are walking, no problem!
We will keep them safe, and they will be there with the transport at the end of your hike, so you can pack your clothes from crate straight into your case, change into your travel clothes if you are flying and head straight to the airport.
Accommodation in Hermanus
We highly recommend arriving a day before the start of the trail and spending the night in Hermanus.
It takes so much pressure off and gives you time to explore this beautiful seaside village, go for a walk along the cliff paths, do a bit of shopping, go for a beautiful dinner – and arrive at the hike relaxed.
The morning of Day 1 is spent at your leisure, relaxing, eating a hearty breakfast and all the good stuff…
You also need somewhere to leave the clothes you have travelled in and have clean clothes to travel home in when you arrive back from the hike. You do not want to take all of this with you on the hike (there is NO ROOM in your crate!) and what do you do with your suitcase?
This is so much better than rushing to the airport for an early morning flight, worrying about timing, where to leave your extra bags and and being tired for the hike.
We have partnered what we call ‘our hidden gems’.
These are clean, spacious establishments that are in walking distance to the hub of Hermanus, so you if you are using our shared transport, you don’t even need to hire a car – PLUS – they will safely look after your belongings while you hike.
On completion of the hike, timing can be tricky to catch a flight, so we go for lunch at a seaside restaurant and then take you back to the same accommodation, and pick you up in the morning for the transfer back to the airport.
Through our years in tourism, we have established great relationships with accommodation establishments in hermanus, so that you can safely leave your clean travelling clothes & bags behind while you are on your hike.
we deliver the food to you on day one
All of your food is packed up carefully and we clearly label everything and give the group great lists, that are easy to follow. This will eliminate any confusion on the hike.
PLUS – we personally transport it to the first hut in fridges, freezers & cooler boxes to ensure that everything is as fresh and organised as possible.
When we arrive, we go through everything with the group too.
Cape N atures Cr ates
Packing Cr ates
Upon arriving at the first hut, each hiker receives one 70 litre crate supplied by Cape Nature for your clothing, toiletries, sleeping bag, pillow PLUS some food.
These crates are the only option allowed for the slack-packing experience as they stack securely onto the bakkies that transfer them between the huts. What does not fit in your crate, has to be carried in your day pack.
It’s tricky to calculate how much can fit into 70 litres when you are packing at home, so we at WILD WELLNESS tailor make a cotton inner and courier it to your home – to make the experience easy and worry free. You only take what you need!
The cotton inners have a handy draw string, so that you only need to take that and your backpack to the first hut.
We have experienced clients having enormous anxiety when presented with the crates, and instead of going through that, you can soak up the surrounds and get to know your fellow hikers around a braai.
our tailor-made cotton inners are couriered to your home before your hike so you can make sure you leave nothing behind - or bring anything unnecessary.
Two travel bags And not enough space.. now what?
neatly packed into your crate with the help of our inners
Prices? fill out the form below & we will get back to you.
everyone taking their own kits costs a whack and takes up space in every crate. plus you might forget something! Rather share the cost communially, tailor made for the hike.
First Aid Kits
While hosting our Whale Trails, we have had these ailments – and more:
- Insect bites
- Sunburn
- Pulled hamstrings
- Blisters
- Tummy bugs
- Cramps and so much more!
We have perfected our First Aid Kits under the supervision of medical professionals, so that there is the right basic help on hand!
We include one small kit to pop into a day pack, and a main kit in the crated luggage for the evenings. All you have to take is your personal medicine.
Gear Rentals
Buying gear that you might only use once can be expensive!
Why not hire from us?
We offer:
- Daypacks.
- Walking sticks.
- Stainless steel coffee plunger.
- Lightweight waterproof jackets.
- Sleeping bags with inners (summer and winter weight).
- Inflatable pillows with polycotton pillow cases.
- Small travel Duck Down pillows with a 300 thread-count pillowcase. This is the most luxurious travel pillow you can find! When taken out it puffs out in to a generous 38x51cm comfy pillow.
All items booked will be delivered to you free of charge - at the airport, in Hermanus, to the start of the hike. This depends on the logistics of your group and what other services your group books.
'Having the guide with us was priceless. They know the routes extremely well and understand the logistics of the hike intimately.' chris
A Guide
All our guides have hiked the Whale Trail before and therefore know the best spots to stop for breaks; how long to stop for; what’s the best time to leave or arrive at a hut; and so much more.
They are invaluable on a hike.
They are also trained by our team how to handle the fast hikers, the slow hikers and the hikers who want to hike on their own.
They know how to handle the packing of the crates, organising of rooms and kitchen responsibilities.
They all have their own additional skills-sets too. It may be a deep knowledge of the fynbos, professional photographers who help you get the best shot, or marine specialists who have a deep knowledge of the ocean.
Fi tness
This hike is not a walk in the park!
You have to be walking fit, strong enough to get yourself up and down a mountain – and be able to be on your feet for 8 hours a day.
We offer a 6 week fitness program prior to the hike, carefully designed by a biokineticist to specifically build your body up so that you will be able to enjoy the whole experience.
Why not make this part of an extended lifestyle regime, instead of just a fitness goal that you forget about once the hike is behind you?
the fitter you are, the more you will enjoy the hike. it's really that simple!
Back up in Hermanus
Experience has taught us that this is probably the most value service we offer.
Hermanus is just an hour and a half away from the trail, and our ‘team on the ground’ is available 24/7 for the duration of your hike. In the event of an emergency, we will collect you, help you and assist you with accommodation etc.
In the event that you do land up in hospital, we will make sure that you have a toothbrush etc and the crate of your personal belongings is safely looked after.
If someone needs to get hold of you urgently while you are on the trail, our team knows where you are and how to get to you.
Cell phone coverage is clearly marked along the paths with piles of stones, but it can be sporadic. Reception is limited at the huts.
fill out the form below & we will get back to you with options & prices
