Leopards Kloof is the demanding walk at Harold Porter, and the one you cannot simply wander onto. A permit and a gate key are issued at the garden entrance, and the gate stays locked behind you both going in and coming out. Keys are not handed out after one in the afternoon and must be back by four. This is a walk you arrive early for.
The path rises briefly, then drops to the first river crossing. There are three crossings in all, and after them a series of ladders climbs to the second and then the third waterfall. The base of the third waterfall is the end of the route, and you come back down the way you went up. Allow more time than you think, and work backwards from the four o’clock key deadline.
After heavy rain permission may simply be refused, because the stream crossings become dangerous. Sturdy shoes are required here, ordinary ones are not enough, and no swimming is allowed in the pools or anywhere else on the garden estate.
