Good Hiking Practices

Hiking in South Africa is a great way to get away and just relax whilst getting some exercise and enjoying nature all at the same time. A hiking trip can go horribly wrong though if you do not follow good hiking practices. Here are some tips to help you make your hiking in South Africa trip a great experience that you will want to repeat.

Make sure you get good quality boots for the sake of your feet and comfort. Hiking in South Africa places a lot of stress on both your ankles and feet. This stress is transmitted through your legs. If you are wearing boots which are not very good and do not give your feet and ankles sufficient support then your back and legs will suffer for it. Goo quality hiking boots can also minimise the number of blisters you get as they will tend to fit better and not rub in all the wrong places. Good hiking boots will also support your ankles so that there is a lowered likelihood of you turning your ankle as you step on a rock.

It will also absorb some of the shock caused by your foot hitting the ground time and time again meaning that you will suffer less and your ankles and the soles of your feet will hurt a lot less after a day of hiking through tough terrain.

Being comfortable while you are hiking in South Africa is essential. In order to help you with this you should also consider your backpack carefully. you will need to carry at least ten kilogram’s on your back for extended periods of time. Of course, the weight will get lighter as you go as you will be consuming some of the food you have in there, but it will still be heavy. This means that you backpack needs to be fitted comfortably and packed evenly. Put the heavier items at the bottom and lighter ones at the top. If you are going to be snacking while you hike make sure that the snacks are in the side pockets before you set off so that you will not have to go rooting through your backpack on the trail and unbalancing everything. A good backpack should have wide comfortable straps and a padded waist band so that you can support some of the weight on your hips instead of having everything on your shoulders.

Then there is your sleeping bag. Be prepared for the weather you are most likely to encounter. If it is going to be cold, make sure you get a winter sleeping bag, or even both a winter and summer one. If you decide to do this, put the winter bag inside the summer one. This will give you the benefit of the winter lining and the summer sleeping bags added insulation around the outside.

When you go hiking in South Africa be prepared. There is nothing worse than being stuck halfway through a hiking trip and finding that your boots or backpack are causing you problems or that you are too cold to get a good enough night’s sleep to deal with the next day’s walking.