Kologha Forest Trails, Eastern Cape

The Kologha Forest Trails are loc­ated in the east­ern end of the Amatola Mountains which are near Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape.  These moun­tains are covered in indi­gen­ous forest and mont­ane grass­land; mak­ing for a spe­cial exper­i­ence for the hiker and birder alike ...

For the hiker, the mag­ni­fi­cent yel­low­woods and stink­wood trees of the Kologha State Forest provide cool shade – per­fect for walk­ing!  The forest is home to bush­pig, bats, mon­keys , duiker and numer­ous birds (more about bird­ing later!).  There are six dif­fer­ent trails, all of which are marked and take in both water­falls and trout fish­ing.  Mountain bik­ing and horse rid­ing are allowed on some of the trails but please check at the Plantation Office before embark­ing on your chosen route!

The Plantation Office is approx­im­ately 7kms from Stutterheim on the R30 and all the trails both start and end at the Kologa Picnic Site.  The trails also vary in dis­tance from 3kms to 17kms so whatever your speed or fit­ness level you should be able to find one to suit you.

For those who enjoy a longer walk, the 17km Red Day Walk would suit you.  This is a cir­cu­lar route which passes through indi­gen­ous forest and grass­lands.  Along the way are three water­falls — it is safe to drink this water should you have run dry along the way.

The 8km walk is along the road to Andersons Dam — an easy walk and once at the dam you can enjoy lunch before return­ing to the pic­nic spot.

The Yellow Day Walk is a kilo­metre shorter at 7kms and the cir­cu­lar route fol­lows part of the longer Red Day Walk.

The Blue Day Walk, although shorter at 3kms is just as beau­ti­ful and takes in three water­falls along the way.

Two moun­tain bike and horse rid­ing trails are provided; one is a 17km cir­cu­lar route along a car track passing through the forest and plant­a­tion and the shorter 8km trail makes its way to Andersons Dam and back again.

For the birder, are a series of trails laid out from the forest pic­nic site and most are between one and four hours long and rel­at­ively easy going.  Keep your eyes open for, among oth­ers, the Cape Parrot, White-starred Robin, Cape Sugarbird and Grey Crowned Crane.  Maps are avail­able from the forest kiosk.

Toilets, braai facil­it­ies and pic­nic tables are provided at the pic­nic site so one really can make a day of explor­ing and enjoy­ing the Kologha Forest Trails.

Useful Links:
Eastern Cape Hiking Trails
Amatola Attractions
Stutterheim Attractions
Stutterheim Accommodation
Eastern Cape Accommodation