Sable Ranch Hiking Day Trip

Sable Ranch is nestled in the Magaliesberg mountains near the Gauteng-North West border. The ranch offers hiking and a 4×4 driving course on their property. Sable Ranch hiking is perfect for a day trip from Joburg or while you’re on a trip in Magaliesberg.

Sable Ranch is named for the Sable antelope that you’re bound to see while hiking around.

Check out hiking at Rustig (for more spectacular views of the Magaliesberg mountains) or parks in Joburg (if you want to stay close to home.)

Sable Ranch logistics

Bookings are not required at Sable Ranch. It is R70 per person (R30 for kids) to hike and is only payable via cash. If you need an ATM, stop at the Total Gas station around Hekpoort. Check out more information on their site.

The trails are open all week, as well as on public holidays.

You do not park at Sable Ranch itself. Rather, park across the road at Noble Village. Here you can also get food (Wednesday-Sunday) and beer.

Bring your own nibs (sandwich, chips, fruit) to make it through the hikes. Also, bring water as there is limited shade cover when hiking. There are plenty of marked picnic spots along the trail.

The Noble Village space looked like it could be a lot of fun for the whole family. Besides food and beer, there is a jungle gym course for kids. Noble Village also advertises archery and paintball.

COVID note: I visited during level 4 lockdown on a Monday so there was no beer or food. However, we were assured the restaurant still operates.

Sable Ranch Hiking

There are 4 Sable Ranch hiking trails. They all follow the same loop and branch off (and connect again) to make longer hikes. The hikes are 5km, 8km, 10km, and 12km.

The first 2-ish km takes you through Noble Village, under the highway, and up to Sable Ranch. Here is where you’ll likely spot the Sable antelope!

The trail then turns into a moderate, uphill hike until you reach the top of the mountain. You’ll pass the first turn-off to head back to Noble Brewing for the 5 km trail.

Keep left at the junction where the sign says “go here if you’re tired”. Hike up along the fence. You will reach a shaded picnic spot with braai facilities and the ground will level out. Continue hiking and you’ll reach the dam.

The dam looks like it could be the perfect spot to cool off on a hot day… But the lack of rain (in July when I visited) and the murky waters do not make it look inviting.

From the dam, you’ll continue through past picnic spots and viewpoints.

Eventually, you’ll encounter a steep but short climb. You’ll know it when you reach the “YOU CAN” sign. You’ll reach a junction that will differentiate the remaining hiking options for you. All options will eventually lead you back on this trail to Noble Village. It just depends on how far you want to go. Take the 8 km trail and you’ll start the descent to Noble Village.

Take the 10 km trail and it will lead you back to the shaded picnic spot before reconnecting with the 8 km trail to descend. The 12 km trail will reconnect with the 10 km trail after a meander.

I opted for the 10km trail option as most of the views were the same at this point and so it didn’t warrant an extra 2km of hiking. Though there were a lot of uphills, the trail was not super tough. If you go in the winter/dry season, watch your footing because the dirt and sand make the trail slippery. I speak as someone who almost fell multiple times.

As you head back, the trail eventually levels out as you reach the backside of the Sable Ranch. Check out the Sable antelope one last time before making it back to Noble Village.

The 4×4 track

The 4×4 track takes between 2-5 hours. You use your own car (?!) to maneuver up the mountain with 15 obstacles. It looked pretty wild to me. And something more suited for an ATV than your own car but to each their own!

Spend the night

If you’re looking to make a trip out of Sable Ranch hiking, then you can choose to stay at the ranch. There are several Airbnbs nearby as well. We stayed at Den’s View. Ziggy’s River Cottage is on the same property (and run by the same hosts as well). These two Airbnbs are located in Mokoya Lodge. You can also stay at another lodge, like Rustig.