Take a Hike with Olive Valley Walks Paarl: Wander Through Olive Groves, Sample Olive Oil, & Sip on Fynbos Tea
If you’re in search of a restorative adventure, immerse yourself in the tranquil atmosphere of The Retreat, a peaceful oasis in Paarl. Nestled in Waterfall Valley Estate, The Retreat’s Olive Valley Walks invites you to take time out for a different type of experience, combining hiking, olive oil, fynbos, and (rather unexpectedly) marzipan.
Olive Valley Walks is one of the many incredible experiences highlighted on the Cape Country Routes website. Cape Country Routes is a curated collection of independently owned accommodation properties and unique experiences across South Africa’s Western, Eastern, and Northern Cape provinces with the aim to promote scenic, cultural, and adventure-rich travel through routes that highlight the region’s natural beauty and heritage.
Olive Valley Walks offers a variety of different walking experiences. Visitors are given the opportunity to walk among the olive groves, traverse up mountain paths, and wander through fields of buchu, before heading back to The Retreat.
Here you’ll discover the excellence of Cascade extra virgin olive oil (EVOO); learn about fynbos tea or experience a make-your-own marzipan workshop, all in a setting of natural beauty. Our group visited to try the Walk to Workshop experience, but we also got a taste of some of the other walk options available during our visit.
Walk to Workshop: What to expect
Your visit begins with a warm welcome at The Retreat, where Maika Goetze and her team will introduce you to the property’s history and brief you for the walk ahead. Led by Maika, you’ll then enjoy an easy 4km guided walk through the olive groves, surrounded by the gentle slopes of the Waterfall Valley Estate. You’ll learn all about the different varieties of olives and what goes into growing olives that are ideal for making EVOO.
Then you’ll head up the mountain trails, through the buchu fields, and past the dam. Along the way you’ll learn all about the different types of fynbos, tasting and smelling your way through the trail. With Maika’s help you’ll gather a few fynbos leaves as you walk, which will come in handy later! There’s also the option to book the ‘Hike and Refreshing Swim’ experience or the ‘Hike and Sunset Swim’ which includes a refreshing dip in the dam.
The walk is ideal for most fitness types, it’s not strenuous and if you’re walking fit you’ll more than cope. There are plenty of opportunities for water and snack breaks along the way. No need to pack your own, our guide spoiled us with fresh dates and nuts to snack on for energy while we walked. Maika is incredibly knowledgeable about fynbos, buchu, and other local flora, so if you’re hungry for information you won’t starve on this excursion.
No matter which walk experience you choose, a walk with Maika is the perfect chance to connect with nature and learn more about fynbos and olives while exploring the landscape that gives life to both. If you’re in the area, or live nearby you can’t miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in nature, get to know the area, and take in picturesque views.
After the walk, the fun begins! Back at The Retreat, the experience continues with your chosen activity. You can learn all about how high-quality olive oil is produced and what makes Cascade EVOO stand out in the world of olive oil.
The workshop includes an olive oil tasting and bread pairing enhanced by the estate’s own extra virgin olive oil. The tasting includes a variety of bread and crackers paired with the Cascade olive oil. For each pairing, the olive oil is flavoured with the fynbos and herbs you learned about and gathered on your walk. Pairings include Cape Mountain Sage, buchu, and Kapokbos.
You’ll also learn about the many health and practical household uses for olive oil and leave the experience with a new-found respect for the humble olive and its golden nectar.
If you’re eager to know more about the health properties of fynbos, then be sure to try the tea tasting. Guests are invited to sip on fynbos tea made with locally sourced herbs and fynbos, completing your sensory walking journey.
We sampled three teas: silver bush, mint pelargonium, and buchu. You’ll learn about the health benefits of each tea and how to best to enjoy it. Once you know your favourite you can peruse the gift shop for loose leaf fynbos teas to take home and continue to reap the health benefits of the teas you’ve discovered.
Foodies will love the marzipan workshop. Watch, learn, and get hands-on as Maika teaches you how to extract buchu essence and press the oil-rich marzipan into art. We learned to make three infused marzipan treats; Buchu marzipan (bold and aromatic), Honeybush marzipan (with sweet with floral notes), and Rooibos marzipan (with rich, warm flavours).
During the workshop you blend crushed local almonds with icing sugar and buchu water. Your mixture is then separated into three batches to mix with your three flavours before rolling into little bite-sized balls. You can either snack on your creations as you work or pack them in a cake box to take home and enjoy at home.
Book with Olive Valley Walks
This walking experience is ideal for those looking for a way to relax outdoors. The experience is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the outdoors, taste authentic local products, and take in the scenic beauty of Paarl.
Olive Valley Walks offers a variety of short walking itineraries which can be catered to the needs of your group. The walks include a morning or evening hike with a rejuvenating swim; a Cascade to Ashia Cheetah Sanctuary walk with wine tasting at Nederburg Estate; a Family Fynbos walk, and the Walk to Workshop. Olive Valley Walks experiences start at R200 per person.
Click here for a full description of the walk experiences available and prices. Booking is essential.
For more activities to do in the Cape, visit the Cape Country Routes website.
