TABLE MOUNTAIN TREKS AND TOURS – CAPE HIKING – THE GUIDES

Mark Hawthorne

Mark is a qualified, registered Tourist Guide (Western Cape including the Garden Route) with a vast knowledge of South Africa’s Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Born in Cape Town, growing up on the slopes of Table Mountain, Mark followed his passion and qualified with a National Diploma in Nature Conservation working in this field for 32 years – including 2 years with Cape Nature Conservation and 30 years in the Table Mountain National Park – until 2012.

Mainly involved in environmental education, especially amongst the previously disadvantaged youth through schools and other organisations, camp programmes, mountain and general field guiding, Mark also trained and managed volunteer guides for overnight trails on Table Mountain and for Orange Kloof restricted area and played a role in training school educators to help equip them for outdoor education. He also hosted international volunteers who helped with various environmental education programmes as well as projects such as alien plant clearing, indigenous tree planting, litter clean-ups and footpath maintenance in the Table Mountain National Park – contributing towards biodiversity conservation.

Mark is passionate about trekking and guiding hikes and enjoys sharing his knowledge on South Africa’s rich and diverse cultural and natural heritage – especially with regards to the Cape Floral Kingdom, wetlands, birdlife and the Afro-montane forest ecology.

Mark is a member of the Mountain Club of South Africa. He became a trekking / hike leader for the Cape Union Mart Hiking Club when the Club was established in 1991, guiding members on informative day hikes, bird watching excursions, night and sunset/ full moon hikes as well as overnight hiking trails. He served on this committee for 10 years, during which time he served as chairperson, and under the training and education portfolio he was involved in the training of hike leaders as well as organising numerous educational events.

Mark made a significant contribution during his career in promoting environmental awareness and in 2003 he was the proud recipient of the Cape Times/ Caltex Environmental  Award,  for outstanding achievement in the Natural and Cultural Environment in the Category Professional Individual or Group, which was a highlight in his career.

Justin Hawthorne

Justin is a qualified, registered Tourist Guide in the Western Cape of South Africa.

Justin believes in promoting responsible mountain use and spreads the word of the leave no trace principles with whomever he communicates with in the outdoors. His core strengths include interpretation of the botany found within the Cape Floristic Region, the industrial/waterworks history of Table Mountain and having a vast knowledge of the adventurous trails of the Cape Peninsula. He focuses on the Fynbos, Forest and Succulent Karoo biomes in South Africa. A personal passion of observing animal behaviours on the mountain keeps him occupied in his spare time. He studies Nature Conservation through the University of South Africa, and also holds a National Diploma in Civil Engineering.