How to Hike Bailey’s Kloof from Muizenberg

You can easily combo a beach day at the famous Muizenberg Beach (known for its colorful huts and surfing) with some awesome hiking at Bailey’s Kloof in Muizenberg.

Even in the summer months (December- February), the coastal Cape Town waters are cold (15-18° C). If you’re a wimp like me, then you’ll forgo swimming and just take a pic at the colorful huts before moving on to a hike.

OH, and did I mention it’s also super windy at Muizenberg Beach? Wind and cold water are a no-go for me. But there are plenty of swimmers and surfers braving the waters. You can too!

The mountains around Muizenberg are part of Table Mountain National Park. That means you can hike from one end of Cape Town to the other via the connecting trails on top of Table Mountain! Don’t take my word for it though because I have no plans to do this.

p.s. Did you know Kloof means “gorge” in Afrikaans?

Bailey’s Kloof Muizenberg Hiking Guide

The highlight of the Bailey’s Kloof trail is the incredible views of Muizenberg beach and its surroundings as you climb to reach the top of the mountain. The climb is steep but is manageable as the path to the top is set up like a stone staircase.

You can hike Bailey’s Kloof as a loop or as a one-way trail to Silvermine Nature Reserve. Silvermine was named for the unsuccessful silver mining attempts by the Dutch settlers in the 1600s. Though no silver was found, the name stuck.

Tip: There is no shade cover on the trail so bring sunscreen and a hat.

Bailey’s Kloof Muizenberg Hiking Guide Map

Getting to Bailey’s Kloof

The trail starts at the Shark Spotters Lookout Point / Observation Deck. To get here, walk to Muizenberg Park (next to the police station). There is a path that looks like it goes “up.” Take this to the road above. There are some squatters who seem to live along the sides of the path. They didn’t engage with us at all.

Heading into Muizenberg Park

When you get to the road, take a left and after 100 meters or so you’ll see the Shark Spotters Lookout Point. Cross the road and the hike will begin!

Alternatively, you can take a right on the road and start at Ou Kraal hiking trail. This will connect to Bailey’s Kloof if you keep to the left on the trail.

At the start of Bailey’s Kloof Trail

Bailey’s Kloof Hike

Whether you choose to hike the loop or hike to Silvermine, you’ll start off on the trail the same way. The Bailey’s Kloof trail is a moderate hike. You can make the hike as long as you want as many different trails connect on the Table Mountain plateau.

You may find a cute trail friend like this turtle!

The beginning of the trail is a steep staircase up to the mountain plateau. After 20-30 minutes (depending on how many breaks you need), you’ll reach the plateau. Here you’ll have a small incline and then the path becomes level.

Don’t forget to turn back to look at views over Muizenberg

Eventually, the path turns into a gravel road and you’ll pass the classic Table Mountain Map.

Continue on the right side of the path to keep on to Nellie’s Pool. This pool is mostly used for dogs to cool off. There is a small shore where you could have lunch but the scenery is not that great compared with the coastal views.

You can visit the Muizenberg Caves right before Nellie’s Pool. We didn’t do this but check out this blogger’s guide for more info and the popular SA Venues site for their guide.

Loop

Loop Distance: 4km

After visiting Nellie’s Pool and the Muizenberg Caves, take the St. James Peak route back down to Bailey’s Kloof or link up with the Peak’s Valley trail. You could also add on Muizenberg Peak and then head back down to Peak’s Valley to make a longer hike.

To Silvermine

Distance to Silvermine Gate 2: 5km

Continue past Nellie’s Pool to Maiden Pool and then to the Silvermine Waterfall.

The waterfall is tiny but the route there is very beautiful. We smelled some lovely honeysuckle-type flowers and came across a friendly lizard while hiking. The waterfall is just 5 minutes off the main path.

Do you spot the cool lizard? This viewpoint is right over the Silvermine Waterfall

The path continues at a decline until you reach the Silvermine “Gate 2.” If you don’t have cell signal here to order an uber, don’t freak out. You can walk along the side of the road for 10 minutes until you reach the Lookout Point over Southern Suburbs. You should have cell signal here. The uber cost us R215 to get back to Woodstock.

It might take some time for an uber to accept your ride and be prepared for the driver to ask where you’re going. They don’t want to drive all the way out the lookout point if you’re going nearby.

If you want to make your hike longer, just check out the Table Mountain route picture above or zoom in on Google Maps as the trails are well marked.

Safety

As with most trails in South Africa, it is not advised to hike alone or after sunset. We felt safe on the trail and didn’t encounter anyone other than serious hikers (and some dog walkers once we were closer to Silvermine). We brought both of our cell phones with us and our cards.

What to do in Muizenberg

If you’re making a full day out of Muizenberg and the surrounding hikes, be sure to not only check out the colorful beach huts but also the cool train station.

Although we didn’t eat in Muizenberg, I had a couple of places on my list as food options if we choose to have breakfast or an early dinner here. Instead, we ate downtown for breakfast and dinner in Cape Town.

Harvest Cafe— a cute spot with healthy dishes.

Knead Bakery— popular cafe chain with fresh bread.

Tiger’s Milk Muizenberg— this spot has a ton of reviews and looks to have a reliable meal. It’s also a chain.

Carla’s Mozambique Restaurant— plan to visit after your hike as Carla’s doesn’t open until 4 pm.

The Black Cat Cafe— this cafe looked super cool when we walked by on our way to Muizenberg Park to start our hike.

P.s. St. James Beach and tidal pool also have some huts that you can visit if you’re still not done with the huts.

Getting to Muizenberg

An uber from Woodstock to Muizenberg cost R250 and will take around 30 minutes. The ride feels short because the scenery on the way there is great.

You can easily drive to Muizenberg and park.

The train station is close to the beach and hiking starting point. Check out the schedule here. When I last checked in Sept 2021, there were no trains operating on Sunday.