Basic Terms and conditions
main rules
- This is a PRIVATE PROPERTY and not a state forest nor public trail.
- The owners share this piece of stunning earth kind-heartedly with guests who are willing to respect their property, nature, rules and regulations.
- Right of admission reserved.
- Observe the hiking trail culture where guests come exclusively to experience nature and its beauty, peace & quiet.
- Please respect the environment and others at all times.
These are the most important RULES:
NOISE:
NO radios / cellphones nor any other music allowed if you are sharing a camp with any other group whatsoever.
ALCOHOL:
NO excessive alcohol consumption will be tolerated, ever.
SMOKING:
NO buds anywhere else than in a dustbin PLEASE.
On a trail: make sure that you completely put out the cigarettes and bring back the buds to camp.
NO smoking inside the buildings AT ALL.
WOOD:
NO gathering of wood AT ALL.
Our staff sells Black wattle wood in their honesty shops in each camp.
Only R20.00 per bundle. Groups of 10 people use ± 5 bundles per night.
Please bring appropriate change.
FIRES:
NO bonfires.
***May to October is a VERY HIGH VELD FIRE RISK time of the year, so please be very careful***
Fires ONLY allowed in designated areas.
Never leave any fires unattended.
Last person to go to bed must put out all fires by gently splashing water on it.
LITTERING:
No littering please.
What you can carry in, you can carry out.
Egg shells, apple cores etc, ALL COMES BACK to a dustbin! These are unnatural and visual pollution.
GRAFFITI:
Graffiti is littering!
IT IS VISUAL POLLUTION, too, and downright disrespectful to nature, the owners of this property and fellow hikers who come after you.
So NO scribbling on rocks, stones, trees nor anywhere else, please.
Parents, keep your kids in check concerning this.
COLLECTING:
No collecting of anything; not pretty rocks nor driftwood nor anything please.
Parents, keep your kids in check concerning this.
ANIMALS:
Do not feed any animals, please, for their AND YOUR safety’s sake.
Due to wild animals on this property, STRICTLY NO PETS ALLOWED.
RUBBISH:
All rubbish in bins please, leave NOTHING on the trails. This ALSO goes for apple cores, egg shells etc!
LIGHTS:
Switch off all lights during the day and when you leave a camp.
EMERGENCY NUMBERS:
Even before you depart to visit us, please make sure that you have all emergency services numbers at and, this is your responsibility.
OTHER:
Make sure you get the duty staff member’s number BEFORE your arrival!
HONESTY SHOP:
Multi-day backpack hikers cannot carry too much or heavy things with them and so our staff took initiative and make a limited number of cooldrinks and alcoholic drinks available to backpack hikers who have just finished a trail. These are sold on an honesty shop principal, please respect this. Drinks are not for guests doing a base camp trail since they can bring their own drinks with.
Booking Policy
- Only a 50% deposit will secure your booking.
- If another group pays their deposit first, you probably will forfeit your preferred date.
- The final number of guests may not be less than what the original booking was made for.
~ However, you may enlarge your group size later, if space is still
available.
~ Should you decrease the number of people or period within 31 days of the event the original booking amount will still be applicable and the remaining 50% will need to be paid. - The final amount (second 50% and added bookings) is payable 31 days prior to your arrival otherwise the camp may be given out to someone else and you may forfeit your entire deposit (see our cancellation policy here below).
- ONE person must please collect all the monies from their group and then make a once-off payment to us using the reference number as on the invoice. This goes for both the deposit and the final payment, please.
Cancellation policy
- Non-arrival – no refund of any monies paid. Total invoice payable.
- 0 to 30 days prior to arrival – no refund of any monies paid. Total invoice payable.
- 31 – 60 days prior to arrival – 50% refund of the deposit paid.
- 61 days and more prior to arrival – 75% refund of deposit paid.
- All cancellations must be in writing.
GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
- An indemnity form must be completed by each guest and brought with. No indemnity, no access to any of the facilities, see it as your passport. Paper or digital formats are accepted.
- Your itinerary and other important information will be sent with your invoice. Group leaders need to read through it all and confirm that they understand everything and that it is complete and as arranged.
- It is the responsibility of group leaders to distribute all information to their groups.
- It is each guest’s responsibility to familiarise themselves with ALL rules, arrangements etc.
- Management reserves the right to change your start | finish camp.
- Management reserves the right to reallocate accommodation | huts.
- Parking is safe, for this day and age at least, but you should leave all valuables at home or carry with you.
- Arrival time is no earlier than 15h00 and no later than 21h00 unless otherwise arranged.
- Rooms and bathroom areas must be vacated by no later than 09h00 and kitchen and other communal areas by no later than 10h00 so that we can prepare for the next guests, please.
- After the last day’s hike we do give hikers the opportunity to shower and prepare something to eat before they depart, no matter the time. Please leave the facility neat and tidy for the next guests, too, our staff probably are done with the day’s cleaning by then.
- Slackpack containers must be ready for pick-up by no later than 08:00. Shuttle will be at your next camp before 14:00.
- Groups of between 2 and 26 guests can be accommodated, but for safety reasons no fewer than 4 hikers is recommended on any trail on any given day (one gets hurt, one stays with the patient and two others go seek help). Hikers are ALWAYS responsible for their own emergence arrangements.
- Experienced solo hikers welcome, please arrange personally with Pieta.
- No unauthorised driving between camps will be allowed.
ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES:
We DO NOT have a central reception so go straight to your start/finish camp as arranged when your booking was finalised. Guests’ arrival times are varied, the camps are far apart and some has no or very poor network coverage so PLEASE MAKE SURE that you follow each camp’s arrangements carefully in order to ensure that they are open and available on your arrival. Make sure that you DO NOT follow your GPS, but our directions!
- Facilities are self-explanatory and the trails are well marked.
- Group leaders please confirm the daily itinerary with management and share with your group prior to your arrival.
- The High 5 trail can operate as a circular OR linear route and your trail can start at any one of the six camps, including that of our neighbours, so please make sure of your itinerary before you arrive.
- There is no standard route, each group’s itinerary is tailored to suit them best. One can pretty much hike from any camp to any other camp, such is the dynamic of the layout of these wonderful, extremely diverse network of close to 100 kilometers worth of absolutely wonderful trails!
