Hiking in Paarl with Olive Valley Walks: Learn about Olives, Fynbos, and Yourself

Olive Valley Walks is a unique experience in Paarl that offers hikers and non-hikers a relatively easy 5km walk with views that are a disproportionately wonderful reward for the effort required. Beyond that, you also get to learn about and sample olives and fynbos.

There are different routes and experiences available, but this is the one I participated in:  

The Walk to Workshop Experience

The experience begins at the base of Olive Valley Walks, known as The Retreat (formerly The Cascades Country Manor and Spa). From here, you walk through the olive grove, learning about the different olives that are grown here and the olive oil produced.

The terrain gradually gets wilder as you walk past beautiful waterfalls, then over a bridge, and through a forest area, passing a pond with ducks, where you have the opportunity to swim (I went in winter and that didn’t sound fun). 

You also walk through a buchu farm on a hillside with incredible views of the valley. I feel like the word “buchu” sounds so unappealing, like something you’d scrape off your shoe! (For my international readers, that's not a 'ch' sound but a 'gh' sound). But, oh my gosh, frolicking in this buchu field could actually be every bit as romantic as it doesn’t sound! (With the right company, of course.)

Guiding you along the way is Maika Goetze, a nature lover and guide, who identifies and teaches participants about the olives and the fynbos you find along the way.

Olive Oil, Fynbos Tea, and Marzipan - Oh my!

Upon returning to The Retreat, where we started our adventure, we got to sample the fynbos we had discovered en route.

Fynbos Tea

First, we sampled three teas: silver bush, mint pelargonium, and buchu. 

Since the experience, I have actually become a buchu tea convert. It smells and tastes like a blackcurrant wine gum, which reminds me of my childhood and makes me feel like a kid again. It also includes a natural diuretic which can be helpful for high blood pressure for elder millennials like myself who may feel like children but have the ailments of the middle-aged. 

Olive Oil Tasting

Then we had an olive oil tasting with olive oil produced in the area, again flavoured with the different fynbos herbs from our walk, such as Cape mountain sage and Kapokbos. I can confirm that both pair exceptionally well with cheesy breadsticks. Yum! We also learnt about the anti-inflammatory properties of olive oil, which can also only help some medical symptom I’m bound to have at my advanced age.

Marzipan Treats

The last part of the experience involves making marzipan sweets to take home. We blended crushed almonds (also grown in the region) with icing sugar and buchu water. We then flavoured them with rooibos, honeybush, and more buchu - this time with pistachio - before rolling them into little balls.  

Not only is every step surprisingly delicious, but after learning about the health benefits of the fynbos and olive oil, I can now justify any carbs I consume with these ingredients as “self-care”.

Why Olive Valley Walks

This experience with Maika feels like a mental health walk, physical exercise and a botany lesson all in one!

Together with the tea, olive oil tasting and sweet making, the whole experience is a treat for all of your senses. And it’s impossible not to feel positive about life after a guided walk through some of the most breathtakingly beautiful parts of Paarl.

Book Your Own Guided Hike in Paarl with Olive Valley Walks

Olive Valley Walks offers various short itineraries, with some including stops at the Ashia Cheetah Sanctuary and the Nederburg Wine Estate. Rates range from R200 and R1 200 depending on the experience. 

Experiences:

• Tuesday 8.30 – 13.00: a hike and a rejuvenating swim. 
• Wednesday & Sunday 8.30 – 13.00: a guided walk through olive groves and vineyards to the wildlife animal welfare operation Ashia Cheetah Sanctuary and Nederburg Wine Estate.
• Friday 16.30 – 19.00: a hike and a sunset swim. 
• Saturdays - Walk to workshop experience (as described above)

Location: Waterfall Valley, Paarl Winelands. Use Google Maps to find it here.  

Travel: About 70 km / 50 min from Cape Town. 

Activities can be done as a group or an individual. 

Find out more or book here.

Discounts with Cape Country Routes

And, as a member of Cape Country Routes, be sure to check out their loyalty membership options here, which start at R200 per annum and include great discounts on all their activities and accommodation offerings.

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Related Post: 

A Visit to the Alpaca Loom in Paarl: 

Home of the much fluffier hornless cousin of the unicorn!

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