!Khwa ttu Nature Reserve Walk

By Vicky · Published Feb. 4th, 2026 · Updated Feb. 16th, 2026

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This lovely walk in !Khwa ttu Nature Reserve has nice views and many flowers in the Spring, plus it starts from a great museum and restaurant.

!Khwa ttu Nature Reserve Walk Map

Location

This walk starts from the Heritage Centre in the middle of !Khwa ttu Nature Reserve, on the West Coast. It’s roughly 1 hour’s drive from central Cape Town, on the way to West Coast National Park and Langebaan. There’s a car park at the entrance to the Heritage Centre. Entrance to the reserve is free, but you have to pay to visit the museum.

Tips

The Heritage Centre is open every day from 9am to 5pm.
The museum at the centre costs R115 per person and it’s definitely worth visiting to learn about the San and much more. You can also go on a guided tour – themes range from Tracking to The Veld Pharmacy – enquire at the reception.
The restaurant is also great, with fine-dining food and very reasonable prices, with all the ingredients fresh and local.
At !Khwa ttu you’ll also find several cute little cottages and cabins* with lovely terraces and several with hot tubs.
In wildflower season (Aug-Sept), there are lots of pretty flowers across the reserve.
The walk described here is official ‘Springbok’s Trail’ and is 4.5 km. There’s also a longer walk called at !Khwa ttu called ‘Eland’s Trail’, which is roughly 10 km and starts from the same place.
Useful for many hikes, get an offline hiking App such as Organic Maps.
For more hiking ideas, check out our South Africa Hiking Guide.

!Khwa ttu Nature Reserve Hiking Route

a hiking trail in !Khwa ttu Nature Reserve

Head behind the heritage centre, away from the ocean. In the middle of the back side, you’ll find a dirt track junction and several hiking/biking maps. The route described here is Springbok’s Trail. Leave this junction on the dirt track contouring along the hillside.

In about 500 metres, the main track bends sharply left. Continue following it until it bends into a small reentrant. After the fairly sharp bend, take the first, slightly smaller track on the right. Keep right at the next corner and walk along the track, which now heads uphill.

!Khwa ttu Nature Reserve Walk with cool rocks

Walking on the west coast of South Africa

This track reaches the edge of !Khwa ttu Nature Reserve, with farming fields beyond. The track bends right at the boundary, then right again towards the top of the hill. There are some cool rocks on this section of the walk, and nice views of the ocean.

At the top of the hill, take the small path leading straighr down to the right. This leads to a boma (covered seating area) and toilets if needed. Turn left along the track just before the boma, then keep left at the next track junction. The track now heads downwards to the other side of the reserve.

Flowers on the west coast of south africa in spring flower season

Keep walking along the boundary of the reserve, then follow the track as it bends gentle right and back towards the Heritage Centre. This is the end of the !Khwa ttu Nature Reserve Walk. Remember that if you want to walk further, you can choose Eland’s Trail, and whichever hike you do, make sure to visit the museum and restaurant.

!Khwa ttu Heritage Centre

Before or after you walk, make sure to check out the !Khwa ttu Heritage Centre. You’ll find a really interesting museum, a delicious restaurant and a curio shop selling mainly high-quality handmade items such as baskets and blankets. You can also stay on the reserve* in one of the cute cottages or cabins, a great base for exploring West Coast National Park and beyond.