Ralph and Gilly Louw were our wonderful guides on the Whale Trail in late November 2016 - which proved to be a truly special and memorable experience. Ralph has considerable knowledge of the animal, plant and bird wildlife, and is a mine of information on several other areas of interest on the trail e.g. the local geology, the formation of the sand dunes and the stars. He and Gilly are highly organised, kind and thoughtful people with a sense of humour - they see to all the chores of slack-packing so you don't have to! Ralph is good company and excels in helping others see the best the trail has to offer...he is also patient and supportive. We hope to be back to explore other parts of the Cape with him and Gilly.

Ralph was terrific! I walked the Whale Trail hike with him and his wife Gillian in November 2016. His passion for the flora and fauna was infectious, and he was an all-around nice guy and great to be around. He helped make the hike the highlight of my trip to South Africa.

On the Saturday morning early we prepared for the hike at Kogelberg.  It was chilly but it was a beautiful day.  The cool wind was ideal for hike, and it was never too hot during the hike.  The trail was properly laid out, and when starting the hike, all you see is the vast amount of greenery.  Ralph quickly took us through the Proteas that were flowering everywhere, and explained in great detail on how they need to survive.  We were impressed with the knowledge that they presented us with.  The fynbos is amazing this time of the year, and with a closer look you see much more plant life than what you expected to see.  On the trail we walked through the fynbos and reached the streams with the large old trees.  This was absolutely beautiful.  With moss on the trees and fungi growing on fallen branches, Ralph took us through the types of trees and ferns in the area.  Although the trail was 8km long, it was not exhausting, and it was well paced.  We stopped for a coffee break at the top of the cliff overlooking the sea - absolutely breathtaking.  I would come back for a hike like this any day.  Thank you for a most special time!