This trail has the most spectacular views of Gordon’s Bay, False Bay, Helderberg Area and the harbor. It has a wide variety of indigenous plants including beautiful protea and small streams The protea attract the birds and you may be lucky enough to see a klipspringer. It is a contour walk for young and old and follows the contour above the top houses along the length of Gordon’s Bay just below the anchor.
The trial is about 2.9km long and takes about 2 hours to walk. The start is at Aurora Drive and it ends near the end of Suikerbossie Drive.
The beautiful Crystal Pool Hiking Trail starts on the R44, just after you’ve crossed the bridge over the mouth of the Steenbras River. You need to book your permits ahead of time and these will be checked on arrival. Once you’re in, you’ll need to follow the little yellow footprints to ensure you stay on the path. The trail is lush with indigenous fynbos, and there are large boulders along the route.
The hike is about 8km in total up to the third pool and back. It is not too difficult with only a few steeper sections, making it accessible to entry-level hikers. You’ll be rewarded with three stunning swimming spots featuring cascading waterfalls and beautiful areas to sit and soak up the afternoon sunshine.
The first pool is about 45 minutes from the start of the trail and you can stop here for a snack or break in the shade. For some serious swimming and kloofing opportunities, it’s best to hold out for the second pool, which is another ten to fifteen minutes up. There is also a waterfall, which you can stand below and enjoy an open-air cold shower.
Jumping off of the rocks into the pools is exhilarating, but we’d like to stress that you should only do this with a professional guide or expert hiker who is familiar with the route and the pools. It is a lot of fun, but it’s also dangerous so don’t take any chances. It goes without saying you should never dive, but we’ll say it anyway.
After following the main path for a bit you’ll see a steep path to your right through the trees interspersed with log steps which leads down towards the second pool. This one is the biggest of the three pools It has lots of sitting spots under the shade of the trees, a big pool to swim in and a tall cascading waterfall. It’s only a 2km hike, but your legs will beg to differ. The third pool is up a steep rocky section of path and has a much smaller waterfall on the far bank. The entry into the water was a little more tricky with not much in the way of a seating area. Here you will find an excellent view of the area.
Getting a permit.
The Crystal Pools hike requires a permit in order for you to be allowed on the trail. The permit costs R75 per person and needs to be organised WELL IN ADVANCE. Permits can only be organised for November- April as the hiking trail is otherwise closed. The permits ensure that no more than 50 people are in the reserve each day. This means that the trails are much quieter and you’re able to have the beauty all to yourself and can enjoy the solitude of nature. Groups are not allowed to be bigger than 10 people and a permit needs to be obtained for the whole group with each person paying R75.
Check on +27(0)214446927 to see if there is still space available for the day you want to hike. Next, the permit can be requested by emailing steenbras.naturereserve@capetown.gov.za with the number of people in your group and your proposed date. This needs to be done a minimum of 2 working days before your hike but we recommend starting earlier as they can be slow.
They will then send you a booking form that you will need to fill in and send on to the Steenbras Nature Reserve. Once they have approved your booking they will send you the banking details so you can EFT the full amount for the permits. Once they have received your proof of payment your permit will be sent through. You will need to print out your permit and sign it, making sure it’s on you during the hike.
