Cecilia Waterfall: A short, intense hike that your water-loving dog will enjoy

One of our absolute favourite hiking spots is Cecilia Forest. It has an array of different trails you can do, depending on your mood and what you’d like to see. One that is a short (5km), steep staircase climb to a beautiful oasis is the Cecilia Waterfall trail.

This hidden gem, which takes about two hours to complete, is worth exploring with your pawsome pet and easy to find if you follow the landmarks below as a guide. 

From Cecilia Forest parking area (opposite Hohenort Avenue, just off Rhodes Drive), follow the Jeep Track towards the pine forest. At the fork in the road, turn right and continue on this path until you reach a water feature. 

It is a small catchment area, caused by a flowing stream that runs down the mountain, where your furry friend can take a dip. This is a welcome reprieve on a hot summer’s day and one of the highlights of the trail is that there’s quite a few spots where your dog can wet his undercarriage and cool down his paws. 

When they’ve had enough of a swim, take the stairs to the left of the water feature and continue your ascent. It is soothing to hear and see the water flowing on your right as you continue your climb. 

When you get to the top of the stairs, you will see four different routes, the contour path towards Kirstenbosch, one that leads to the Lower Constantia Nek and another through Cecilia Forest and the path that leads to the Waterfall. 

Continue up the route diagonally opposite the stairs you’ve just ascended. Follow the stairs made of rocks to the top. You will be walking underneath a canopy of trees, which provides some much-need shade on a sunny day. Often you will hear the swarm of bees high up in the trees and if you are an avid bird watcher, look out for various species.

Follow the path until it reaches a landing area, where you will come across a disused concrete braai area on your left. 

Opposite the braai area is the log staircase that leads to the Waterfall. Follow the staircase as it continues to wind up the mountain.

We usually start our hike before sunrise and it is an absolute treat to see the sun make its appearance as you climb. 

Sugarbushes and a sunrise

You can catch glimpses of the sky turning cotton-candy colours, before you see the red and orange through the gaps in the trees. It’s amazing to witness the first light illuminate the path ahead and see how the orange colours cast their glow across the mountain.

While this isn’t a very technical hike, be sure to pack your climbing legs as the route is a continuous staircase-climb of about 2.5km. Conversely, it provides for a fast descent. On a difficulty rating scale, it gets a seven out of 10. You know your pooch and their abilities so take this into account when planning your hike. 

Kygo is an experienced hiker and rotties have an abundance of energy. He was excited to try this new trail and was literally pulling favourite person (my husband, Waleed) up the mountain.

There are a few small rock scrambles you need to make your way over but it is much easier to do if you have four paws. If you have a smaller dog, you may need to pick it up and help it across these areas. 

You will see that the log staircase was built around the rocks, with a clear view of the path you need to continue on. You can smell the different varieties of fynbos and flowers as you climb.

Look out for the bright cerise Sugarbushes on either side of the trail and take regular breaks to catch your breath and take in the spectacular view.

Continue straight ahead

When you see a sharp, short staircase to the left of the path you are on, do not take it as this leads to the upper Constantia Nek. Instead, continue along the narrow path you are on, as the log staircase resumes but you are descending towards the Waterfall. On a clear day, you will have an unimpeded view of the Southern Suburbs. And if you look across the way, you can see the path that you ascended on. With the recent rains, there are a few mini-waterfalls along the way to the main one. 

You will undoubtedly know you’ve arrived at the Waterfall as the sounds of a more vigorous ‘rainfall’ welcomes you and the foliage would have gone from fynbos to tropical ferns and green moss.  On a hot summer’s day, the Waterfall provides an awesome outdoor shower. There is a fallen tree wedged from the Waterfall to the path and the moss has already made a home on it. When you are standing at the base of the Waterfall you experience its magnitude, as it towers over you. 

It is a very serene place to sit, enjoy the view and just listen to nature at play. The location is reminiscent of a tropical island vibe, think Thailand or Bali. And once you’ve taken your pictures and had your fill, you can descend back to the parking area using the same trail you followed to the Waterfall. There is an alternate route that ends in Kirstenbosch.

Your pooch needs a permit to enjoy these trails

You need a SANparks Level 1 Dog-Walking MyActivity permit to enjoy the trails with your dog(s) in Cecilia Forest, which is part of the Table Mountain National Park. For more info on the permit and where to get it, click here.

Have you done this hike? Pop me a comment below to let me know what you thought. Feel free to share this blog with a friend.

Happy hiking!

Imtithaal