Elephants Eye

An epic view upon arrival of the large elephants eye cave

The view of the city from inside the elephants eye cave

The view of the city from inside the elephants eye cave

The beautiful silvermine dam that is near the parking lot, highly recommend taking a fresh dip before or after the hike, be careful that it drops off and rocks delow the surface are hard to spot due to the waters visibility so avoid jumping or diving in

The beautiful silvermine dam that is near the parking lot, highly recommend taking a fresh dip before or after the hike, be careful that it drops off and rocks delow the surface are hard to spot due to the waters visibility so avoid jumping or diving in

Southern Suburbs
»
Silvermine Nature Reserve
»
Elephants Eye
Route Info
Beta
An accessible and enjoyable hike for all, situated in the biodiverse Silvermine Nature Reserve, filled with stunning views along the hike. It's a prominent cave that can be spotted while driving through the southern suburbs.

Elephants Eye

Very Easy
Easy
Moderate
Hard
Extreme
Fastest Known Time:
1
Overview
1-3 hrs
297
m total
5
km total
No Shade

Description

Located in the Silvermine Nature Reserve (gate 1 side), Elephants eye is a lovely 5km (round trip) day hike towards the cave looking over Tokai and Muizenberg (eye of the elephant). The walk is mostly in full sun with the only shade being in the cave. The path is clear and mostly flat with a slight bit of gain towards the caves (297m). On a hot day it is especially wonderful to end off with a swim to cool off in the silvermine dam !

The recommended seasonality is spring due to the cooler day time temps and the lush indigenous flora blooming all around

Tips & Tricks

Make sure to pack a hat, sunscreen and a bottle of water!

BIG NOTE: ONLY NOTES, upon entry Silvermine Nature Reserve only accepts cash, wild cards and activity cards, make sure to check their website or phone for the various prices per activity different rates apply.

Limited to none phone signal once passed the gate

Interactive Icons

GAIA GPS
Click to see the GPX track.
Requires GAIA GPS App
Google Maps
Click to see the Parking Area . Requires
Google Maps

Icons and Symbols

AM Shade
Morning ; Afternoon ; All Day or NO Shade
Trad route with chains
10B | Ch
Equipped with x number of Bolts & Chains (lower off rings)
Alpine
Area's or routes located in mountainous regions and requiring multiple mountain skills (navigation ; extreme weather ; self sufficiency ; remote )
Ice
Area or Route requires Ice Climbing and associated Winter skills
Sport
Area or Route is fully equipped as a sport climb. Separate distinction for # of PITCHES
Sport & Trad
Area or Route is a mixture of SPORT & Trad climbing styles
Trad
Area or Route requires Traditional equipment and experties
2 Pitches
Indicates the typical # of pitches of the area or route
Special
Indicates that a specialised Rack or Traditional equipment is typically required and will be mentioned in the Route Description BETA
Standard
Indicates that typically a Standard Traditional Rack will suffice. Typically in ZA that is a 8-10 Cams + 10-15 wires/nuts.
50m
Indicates the minimum length rope needed to typically climb safely.
Double
Typically climbed using half ropes
Corner
Climbs or mostly climbs a corner system. This often requires stemming as a technique.
Crack Climb
Follows a crack-system predominantly and may require good jamming technique.
Face
Indicates the overall style. Face climbing is steeper than slab usually on small holds and edges, often feeling delicate / insecure.
Overhang
Overhanging, usually involving roofs.
Powerful
Powerful style is often in conjunction with another style but feeling more powerful than is common for the style.
Slab
Usually not quite vertical and requiring smearing and friction techniques.
Steep
Consistently steeper than Vertical but not overhanging / roof-y
Technical
Additional to general styles, requiring careful sequence and thoughtful climbing.
Vert
General vertical climbing with no other defining style.
A bold lead
A bold lead with potentially serious consequences (including a ground fall) to falling off.
Crime
Beware of high incidence of crime
Exposed Sections
Beware of exposed sections
Flooding
Be ware of localised flooding and swollen rivers & river crossings
Highball
Warning - Highball boulder
Lightning
Beware thunderstorms and lightning
Scramble Sections
Sections involve scrambling and may require a rope
Different Start & End Point
The starting and ending points for this adventure are at different locations and may require seperate transport.
Water Shortage
Water can be scarce, be sure to carry sufficient.

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Useful info makes adventuring possible

While it is true that less information may make your adventure more, adventurous, the right information will help you grow your experience-jar to the point that you can confidently choose not to seek the info.

User feedback and community contributions are the fastest way to increase our database, so, if you have the time, inclination and resources to contribute, please hit us up!

Phone

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

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