PORT ELIZABETH ACTIVITIES -- GUIDED TOURS WITH PETER GIDDY -- LADYS SLIPPER HIKING TRAIL

PORT ELIZABETH ACTIVITIES -- GUIDED TOURS WITH PETER GIDDY -- LADYS SLIPPER HIKING TRAIL

Peter Giddy is a qualified guide who takes people for walks and trails.  He also does Safaris and Wildlife Reserves.  His speciality is the Garden Route from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town
peter.giddy@gmail.com

It is a cool morning and I take Lene; Joshua and Daniel for a walk up the Ladys Slipper Mountain. This is a relatively easy hike with little fitness required.

We leave from Falcon Rock and are soon on the trail. The trail is well marked and there is no chance of losing your way. 
I have packed sufficient water and a small snack for each participant.

The start of the hike gives some details of what to expect.

Stopping off for regular breathers is important

As we reach the top of the mountain we see Protea coming into bloom

The walk starts off through tall bush.  We make our way up the hill. We take short, frequent stops to catch our breath.  At each of the Look Out rocks we stop to enjoy the views and take pictures.
Finally we reach the "Neck" where the path levels out. 
We make a left turn to complete the walk to the top of the mountain.
The walk up has taken us just one hour and we stop to enjoy the views and a snack.

 At the top of the Lady's Slipper the views are quite spectacular.  We enjoy a short break and a snack before starting to return walk.

We find this magnificent King Protea (South African National Flower)
Once we have all recovered and fed, we begin our descent back down to the Restaurant.  It has rained recently so the pathway is slippery and we need to take care to avoid sliding.  We make use of the many branches and grasses to assist our descent.
Back to the parking lot we have taken 45 minutes for the climb down and two hours for the whole outing.

We drive back to Port Elizabeth with a stop for an ice cream.
To be part of a hike such as this one or any other hike in the Port Elizabeth area -- Contact Peter Giddy at peter.giddy@gmail.com

Also available are Coastal Hikes; Walking City Tours; Township Tours; Wildlife Safaris; Ocean Safaris & Garden Route adventures;  Speciality is the Addo Elephant National Park Safari

As we make our way up the Ladys Slipper I find this beautiful specimen of Leucadendron Conicum (Garden Route Cone Bush).

 Boys having fun on a bit of rock face on Lady's Slipper.

 Peter with Daniel and Joshua at the highest point of the mountain

 Views down into the fields below.  It is a bit overcast but it continues to take my breath away

 Boys seem to have endless energy

From the mountain -- looking over the Protea in bloom -- we could see across to Jeffreys Bay if the weather was clear.