NURSERY RAVINE
A popular hike that is steep but also relatively short and less slippery than the nearby Skeleton Gorge. The ravine isn't named Nursery for nothing - the trail includes beautiful forests and dense, wild Fynbos with plenty of birds and proteas.
DIFFICULTY
STRENUOUS
TIME
2h30
DISTANCE (km)
2.08
ROUTE TYPE
OUT & BACK
ELEVATION (m)
572
Not dog friendly
Yes
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The recommended route starts at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens (which charges an entrance fee), Rycroft Gate. The path is paved and climbs gently and segways into a stepped-path leading to the Contour Path. Follow the signs to Nursery Ravine. Meander along the contour path until the start of the gorge on your left. From here it is steep, with some parts requiring big steps over vast rocks in the path. The path is in the forest for the first half, and is straight up alongside the cliffside of Nursery Buttress.
TRAIL TRIVIA
In the 1880s there was a tree nursery on top of Table Mountain located above the ravine, from which it takes its name.
IMAGES
WEATHER
OTHER HIKES
HIKE ONE
HIKE TWO
HIKE THREE