Hit the trail, without the trial

From kiteboarding to mountain biking there is no end of ways to get outdoors and find adventure. But surely the most pleasurable is simply putting one foot in front of the other and seeing where the road takes you. Lace up your hiking shoes and the world’s your oyster.

Fair enough, hiking’s not for everyone. Few people think stone huts and freeze-dried food make for a great holiday. Happily, there’s a middle ground between flopping on a sun lounger and embracing your inner Wim Hof with cold-water bathing in icy mountain streams. Slackpacking hits all the right notes, with comfortable overnight accommodation and someone to cart your bags from point A to point B. All you have to do is walk there.

Over the past decade, slackpacking options have gone decidedly upmarket, trading draughty trail huts for luxurious digs. A chef in charge of dinner and a curated wine list for sundowners? Why not.

Take the De Hoop Camino, for instance.

Traversing much the same landscape across the De Hoop Nature Reserve as the famed Whale Trail, the De Hoop Camino links two luxury lodges across five days and four nights of pristine trails. The Camino begins at Lekkerwater Beach Lodge, with remarkable seafront suites ensuring you’re well rested for two days of guided walks along the shoreline and fynbos trails.

Day three is a 15km stretch completing the last section of the Whale Trail, taking in dramatic oceanic cliffs and lonely beaches. You’ll see dolphins here year round and Southern Right whales in winter. The last two days are spent walking the paths around De Mond vlei, a remarkable wetland rich in birdlife, and overnighting at the new De Mond villa, an off-grid escape offering five en suite bedrooms overlooking the vlei.

You’ll find more dramatic coastal scenery in the Tsitsikamma, where the Dolphin Trail promises a spectacular coastal route broken up by overnight escapes in upscale cliffside lodges. The views are similar to the famed Otter Trail, but without the five days of carrying all your own food. Instead, look forward to bookending days on the trail with three-course dinners, local wines and lodges featuring relaxing jacuzzis.

In the Eastern Cape the Pondo Trail, a project of adventure tourism company Wild Child Africa,  trades lodge jacuzzis for some of the most remarkable rivers, waterfalls and seaside vistas SA has to offer.

This remarkable experience is less about the hike and all about peeling away the layers of the region. With local guides to lead the way, you’ll delve into the rich Pondo culture, or perhaps discover rare flowering orchids. Lunch may not be served on white linen napery, but the seafood will be harvested fresh from the ocean and served hot off the coals beneath an ancient milkwood.

Prefer to set your sights further afield? Europe offers thousands of kilometres of well-marked walking trails, but what if you don’t know your Alps from your Apennines? Turn to the experts. UK-based On Foot Holidays is one of the leading walking holiday operators in Europe with dozens of slackpacking trails offered in 11 countries across the continent.

Though the Amalfi Coast is a top seller, South Africans are also looking to less-touristy and more affordable corners of Europe, with Liguria, Slovenia and the Rhine increasingly popular. On Foot does all the work for you, from booking charming local hotels that will ferry your luggage between overnight stops, to providing detailed directions and GPS way points.

It’s a fine way to get under the skin of Europe, without spending a fortune. All you have to do is take that first step.