Cave Peak, Echo Valley, Rock Arch Loop from Kalk Bay

Varied, atmospheric, and full of surprises, this less-traversed Cave Peak Hike showcases some of the most distinctive features of the area: numerous cave entrances along the base of the cliffs, the cool Afromontane forest of Echo Valley, and a return journey through an unusual natural rock arch that cuts through Cave Peak to descend back to the saddle between Kalk Bay and Clovelly.

Start — From Kalk Bay or Clovelly, ascend to the saddle between the two suburbs, then turn toward Cave Peak and walk upward to the base of the cliffs.

Climb — At the foot of the cliff, traverse left for a few hundred metres to a wide cleft in the rock face. Scramble up a steep path using a simple root-assisted pull-up at the top. Continue along the upper slopes of Cave Peak.

Forest Section — A fork to the left leads past a small forest, then curves back to connect to the main Echo Valley trail towards Kalk Bay. Head down through the Echo Valley Forest onto the sandy path that runs past the Boomslang Cave turn-off to take the next trail leading upward towards the front face of Cave Peak.

Rock Arch — The trail then passes beneath a broad natural rock arch cutting across the ridge above Echo Valley between Kalk Bay and Clovelly and heads back down towards Kalk Bay.

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📍 Meeting Point — Either Godfrey Rd in Kalk Bay or Clovelly Rd in Clovelly.

📌 Meeting spot Kalk Bay — Google Maps

📌 Meeting spot Clovelly — Google Maps

⏱️ Hiking Time — 3hrs 30min

📏 Distance — 5.2km

⛰️ Elevation — 491m

🟡 Grade — Moderate

🐾🐾 — Dog Friendly

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Route Notes — The ascent is a less frequented path requiring minimal scrambling but is not challenging. The second ascent to the rock arch is short but steep.

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The Echo Valley Forest — This small area of forest is one of over a hundred and twenty patches of Afrotemperate Forests in the Cape Peninsula. Except in the Newlands, Kirstenbosch and Orange Kloof areas, these are small forest patches which occur mostly in sheltered rocky slopes and mountain gorges, where moisture is high and the land is protected from fire.

Forest Trees — Common trees of the Peninsula’s Western Cape Afrotemperate Forests include Podocarpus latifolius (Real Yellowwood), Cunonia capensis (Rooiels), Olinia ventosa (Hard-Pear), Rapanea melanophloeos (Cape Beech) and Cassine peragua (Cape Saffron).

Forest History — The Afrotemperate Forest is a subtype of the Afromontane Forest Group, which also includes the Cape Milkwood Forests. Despite frequent fynbos fires in the region, aerial photos of the Cape Peninsula showed a 65.3% increase in forest cover from 1944 to 2008.

Growth & Conservation — The Afrotemperate Forests grew by 51.2%, with the number of patches rising from 107 to 127. Cape Milkwood Forests grew even faster, by 81.4%, with five new patches forming. (Ref: Zoë Poulsen, Changes in Distribution of Indigenous Forest in Table Mountain National Park from 1880 – 2012)