I am interested in organizing a holiday in South Africa. What company do you recommend for organized trips?
We have worked with a small tour operator call Mmilo Tours, based in Centurion, Pretoria. Their Tripadvisor client satisfaction score is consistently high. Just mention Gregory and Janet and the company will take care of you. More information: See their TripAdvisor page.
How long did it take to produce the guidebook?
We spent three years living and working in South Africa while we recorded the trails and wrote the guidebook.
Our work in South Africa provided us unparalleled access to hiking areas and “unlimited time” in the weekends to explore trails.
The guidebook is based on a selection of the best trails in and around Pretoria and Johannesburg.
What makes this guidebook different?
In addition to the guidebook, users also have access to GPS files, photos and planning tools. As such, the project offers so much more than a guidebook normally provides.
For example, check out the Wildlife Finder and the Day Trip Finder; interactive tools on our website to find the best trails in the region. These planning tools are available on the website to registered owners of the hiking guide.
How accurate are the GPS files?
Some websites offer thousands of GPS files, also known as GPS track consolidators. Often, the GPS files have not been reviewed, appear to be inaccurate or are just drawn on a map.
We have spent considerable time recording and editing the over 140 GPS files in our collection.
We have recorded the trails several times to improve the accuracy of the data using a GPS device (the Garmin GPSMAP 60Cx) with a 12 channel SiRFstar III™ high-sensitivity GPS receiver that continuously tracks and uses up to 12 satellites to compute and update the position in the field.
Especially in extremely narrow canyons (kloofs), GPS readings can be limited. In rare situations when the SiRFstar III™ could not pick up the satellite signal, we have corrected the data manually.
When you download our GPS files, you are guaranteed to have high quality and accurate GPS files you can rely on in the field. As owner of the guidebook, you have free access to the GPS files. To ensure others do not mess with our GPS files, we really ask you not to post these on the Internet as we can no longer control the quality of the files. Safety is our priority.
Can we publish our own hiking guide using your technology?
Wandel Guides has developed and acquired a number of techniques to produce high-quality hiking books and websites.
If you would like to partner with us on the development of your own hiking project, please do not hesitate to contact us.
What other projects are you working on?
We are working on a number of other hiking guides and websites. As it takes a few years to develop a comprehensive guide, we take our time producing the best hiking resources available.
We expect to release a new title every 2 years.
Do you also have a Hiking in South Africa app?
Our website is based on what is called "responsive design". This means that it automatically adapts to the screen size of your device, ranging from large HD TVs for the HD videos to small handheld devices. Especially on smaller devices, the website behaves as an app, as information is grouped in easy to navigate menus. This is the main reason why we have not developed a separate app.
Can I use the photos for my project?
You will find over 1,000 trail photos on the website. The photos are licensed under Creative Commons CC-BY-SA. This means that you can copy and share the photos with your friends.
Please contact us if you would like to use the images under a different license.
What is your trail classification?
Easy: These routes are appropriate for novice users. They are usually easy to follow, being along a kloof, track or road. Grades are gentle and relatively few obstacles will be encountered.
Moderate: These routes are appropriate for intermediate through advanced users. The terrain is steeper and more obstacles may be encountered.
Advanced: These routes are recommended for advanced hikers. Terrain may be steep and routes are not obvious. You should be able to navigate and must be self-reliant.
Do I need a GPS device to hike the trails?
Most trails can be explored without a GPS device as the guidebook has maps and trail descriptions for each hike. We also have designed trails in areas where a GPS device is rarely needed.
Only a few trails require a GPS device because of the complexity of the terrain.
Can I use the GPS files with Google Earth™ on my computer?
Yes, you can explore the hiking trails using the Google Earth™ KML files. These files are useful for virtually exploring an area before heading out. The Google Earth™ KML files are available on the website to registered owners of the hiking guide.
Which GPS file formats are available?
The GPS E-trails are available on the website to registered owners of the hiking guide in GPS eXchange Format - GPX, Google Earth™ and Garmin™ formats.
Do I need a 4WD vehicle?
All trails can be reached with a normal rental car as we have designed the guidebook for independent travelers.
Where are the hiking trails located?
The trails in the hiking guide have been grouped into five regions:
- Pretoria;
- Pretoria surroundings;
- Northern Magaliesberg Mountain Range;
- Southern Magaliesberg Mountain Range; and
- In and Around Johannesburg.
What about cell phone reception?
It is worth either bringing a mobile phone or buying one locally if you can.
Having a SIM card of the main mobile phone carriers improves, but does not guarantee your chances of getting phone reception while you are in remote areas.
I want to plan day trips from Johannesburg. Do you have any in the book?
Absolutely, we have included an overview of day trips in the guidebook starting from Johannesburg. In addition, the Day Trip Finder on the website is a great tool for selecting your favorite hikes from Pretoria as well.
How many data points are in a typical GPS track?
To avoid that GPS tracks are truncated by older GPS devices, we have included a maximum of 500 data points per file for cell phone, tablest and ols GPS devices. This ensures that you have data for the entire trail while the number of data points is more than sufficient to find your way on the trail.
I want to order the full-color PDF on your website. How safe is it to use my credit card?
The safety concerning your wallet is as important to us as your safety on the hiking trail. We use Paypal through a service called E-junkie if you purchase the full-color PDF version of the hiking guide. It is perhaps not the best name in town for an online shopping system, but it is certainly the best. We have never experienced any problems with the payment processors backed by Paypal and major credit card companies.
We do not collect any credit card information. We do receive a notice from the system that a purchase was concluded that does not include your card details. All payments are automated.
Hey, what about my registration details? Why do I need to register?
You paid for the book, so you should benefit from the additional resources. With a simple registration system, we provide access to additional resources such as the GPS files and planning tools.To register, please use the code from the hiking book.
We do nothing with your username and email address other than providing you access to the website. All communication with users takes place through announcements on this website. No spamming, no fishing, nothing of that nonsense. We focus on hiking, something we do best.
What are the benefits of registering?
Owners of the Hiking in South Africa - Pretoria and Johannesburg - Guide have free access to additional resources. Interested in buying the guide? Please click here for an overview of available versions.
| Features | Book Owners | Visitors |
| Videos | ||
| Hiking Videos* |  |
|
| Tutorials* | |
|
| Trail Photos | ||
| View Photos | |
|
| Download Photos** | |
 |
| Planning Tools | ||
| Day Trip Planner | |
|
| Wildlife Finder | |
|
| Download GPS GDB Files*** | |
|
| Download GPS KML Files*** | |
|
| Download GPS GPX Files*** | |
|
* Videos are currently under development.
** Owners of the hiking guide can download complete sets of photos for each hike optimized for web viewing.
*** GPS E-trails including 121 main trails.
Please note: The files and information on this website are additional services provided free of charge to owners of the Hiking in South Africa - Pretoria and Johannesburg - Guide for the duration of this website's lifetime.
What is new on the website?
We recently revamped the website to:
- Introduce the HTTPS protocol;
- Improve the speed and functionality of the website;
- Edited photos to make them shine even more;
- Run even more smoothly on mobile platforms;
- Use the latest Joomla version;
- Improve security;
- Add new functionality.
Are trail descriptions measured in kilometers or miles?
To serve hikers from the US, Europe, and other countries, we have included trail descriptions using the metric and the English systems.
