Full Circle Digital Magazine March | April 2014 | Page 8

HIKING • SAFFRON CAVE

Your first view of Saffron Cave. Note the bright yellow lichen on the rock pillar.

To get there, park your car on the side of the road
in front of the Ruyterplaats Gate, just before the road
turns up to Suikerbossie Restaurant. The hike starts
just to the left of the gate and rises through the trees
past Suikerbossie before emerging near the contour
path onto which you must turn right. Not far along the
contour path you’ll see another path veering off to your
left. Take this path, which makes its way up the spur
with great views of Llandudno, to Hout Bay Corner.
There will be a low, easy scramble and then a slightly
higher one. Although the second is not particularly high,
it used to be an awkward one, especially for children,
due to a lack of hand-holds. This is no longer the case,
though, as Table Mountain National Park has recently
bolted some stainless-steel brackets to the rock, which
makes it a very easy scramble. Well done guys!
From the brackets, you continue up in the direction of
Llandudno and you will see a cairn made of two rocks
(at this time) on the skyline. Just beyond this cairn you
must turn right to make your way along the bottom of
the cliff-face into Hout Bay valley. This is ‘corner’ of Hout
Bay corner. The cliffs must be on your left. If they’re on
your right, you’ve gone too far.
Make your way along this path, beneath the blackstained dry waterfall (easily visible from the bottom of
the valley) and past the many interesting little overhangs.
After several hundred metres, the path quite suddenly
turns upwards and left. It is sandy, loose and steep,
with few handholds, and so takes some getting up. The

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FOR A FREE SUBSCRIPTION
FREE SUBSCRIPTION

Park’s Path Restorers haven’t made it here yet, so (at
the time of writing) it is not stable at all. Please be careful
not to damage the path any more.
At the top of this steep little climb you find Saffron
Cave!
Oh alright then… Judas Cave.
View up to Hout Bay Corner.

FULL CIRCLE DIGITAL MAGAZINE April 2014
March | NOVEMBER 2013