Skietfontein Hiking Trail - Carnarvon, Northern Cape

The Skietfontein hiking trail is an 8km walk starting at the antique shop in Church Street in Carnarvon. The walk which follows the winding footpath along the riverbank to the Skietfontein settlement. The footpath is used today by workers and school children who use it to get in and out of Carnarvon daily. The walk to the settlement will take you through the typical Karoo veld covered with Karoo bossies and beautiful views of the Karoo hills. The walk also passes windmills and water fowl in the pools of water in the river.

The residents of Skietfontein are very friendly people and interaction with them on the walk is very pleasant. In the settlement you can still find the remnants of the ancient stone houses of early inhabitants as well as a few typical Karoo houses. The route back to Carnarvon takes you across the river and along a pathway on the opposite side to which you came. The route passes a permanent spring which can sometimes be very small, the graveyard, up Mark Street and past the U.R. Church (former Rhenish Mission Church) before arriving back at the antique shop.

It is advised that enough time be allowed to enjoy the walk and to visit with some of the locals, as at a relatively fast pace it takes an hour and thirty minutes from start to finish.

Contact details for the Skietfontein hiking trail:
Carnarvon Tourism Office: +27 (0)53 382 3012