About us
Fynbos Whisperer is an owner-operated mountain guiding business established in 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Owner, Santie Gouws, aka the 'fynbos whisperer', is herself a mountaineer and full-time, registered and accredited mountain guide. She’s developed an exciting and extensive portfolio of authentic guided day-hikes and multi-day hikes all over Table Mountain, the Cape Peninsula and nearby Boland mountains for clients to enjoy.
Santie Gouws
'At fynbos whisperer we are passionate about the beautiful Cape Mountains and the region’s magnificent and highly bio-diverse flower-rich ‘fynbos’ vegetation. We invite you to join us today for an unforgettable hiking adventure. All hikes are professionally guided by myself or one of the other knowledgeable guides in my team to ensure a meaningful connection with nature and a safe and enjoyable experience'
Owner and Mountain Guide
A life-long romance
Owner, Santie Gouws 'I first fell in love with mountains 30 years ago when I started my engineering studies at Stellenbosch University. The town, surrounded by mountains, offered exquisite weekend hiking escapes to the most beautiful fynbos flowers, highest mountain peaks, hidden waterfalls and deepest rock pools imaginable.
Since then I've been blessed to have had the opportunity to hike so many truly incredible routes, from Mt Taranaki, Mt Tongariro and Copland track in New Zealand, Mt Glittertind in Norway and the Piton des Neiges and Piton de la Fournais volcanoes on Reunion Island to name but a few abroad, to so many local specials like Sneeuberg, Wolfberg and Tafelberg in the Cederberg, Fonteintjiesberg above Worcester, Turret Peak, Swartberg, Groot Winterhoek and Table Mountain... my favourite still being the Jonkershoek hikes in the mountains above Stellenbosch.
Returning home from a life-changing 10-day solo hike across Reunion island in December 2019, I left a 25-year engineering career to pursue my long-felt passion of wanting to share the deeply revitalizing effect of immersing oneself in nature, especially when hiking across my beloved Western Cape fynbos-clad mountains, with others, and qualified and registered as a full-time Professional Mountain Guide in March 2022.
Join me in my 'office' in the mountains today, and enjoy some fresh water from a mountain stream, or mayhaps a cup of my now renowned rooibos and condensed milk tea ;-)'
Our Mission
To unlock the mountains so that you can connect with beauty and untamed nature in a safe, fun and sustainable way through authentic, well-curated hiking adventures.
Our Vision
We are in business so that you can experience the healing power of hiking.
We Value
Authentic off-the-beaten-track hiking
Dancing with the mountain
Being challenged by the mountain
The balance between the dance and the challenge
