A second KwaZulu-Natal mountain bike trails park has been added to the MultiPark member-parks list. And right on time too! Holla Trails, Ballito is probably KZN’s most popular mountain bike trails park and over the Festive Season it’s expectedly busy with both locals making the most of holiday training time and visitors, mostly from Gauteng.

So what’s the big deal with Holla Trails then? Well, for starters, it offers over 375km of marked, maintained trails, one of the biggest distance trails networks in the country. It also has a very established, upmarket trailhead at Sugar Rush Park, which is geared to fun activities for families.

Trails: Established almost 15 years ago, Holla Trails consists of an established mountain bike trails network that winds its way through sugar cane fields and indigenous vegetation. There are a wide range of trails to choose from, which gives all levels of rider an opportunity to be challenged and rewarded.

There are 10 official trails as follows:

Green: 16km

Silver: 14km

Blue: 16km

Purple: 26km

Pink: 29km

Red: 28km

Maroon: 26km

Yellow: 49km

Gold: 49km

Black: 85km

The signage at the trailhead is excellent and includes fitness and skill levels required to complete each route. This helps you decide which route to ride based on your abilities. Another great feature at Holla is how they include distance to the finish of each trail on the trail signage. In such a vast network this definitely helps you with your expectations and energy management.

Local tip: If you ride there in summer, go very early. It can get exceptionally hot and humid on the KZN coast. The sun also rises earlier there than in Gauteng. It’s not unusual to see a full carpark at Holla Trails by 05h30.

Safety: The farming community on which the trails are built have security in place, but it’s actually a relatively safe area to ride. Ideally, try not to ride alone though because it’s a long way from some trail sections to the trailhead and you want someone with you in case of an emergency. They do offer guided rides at an additional fee if that suits you better.

Operating hours: Open all the time to those that have an annual permit. Trailhead hours are Monday: 06h00-15h30; Tuesday-Friday: 06:00-16h30; Saturdays and Sundays: 05h30-15h30 (06h00-15h30 in winter months)

Directions:

MULTIPARK PARKS