{"id":268321,"date":"2025-08-27T15:16:30","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T13:16:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/?p=268321"},"modified":"2025-08-27T15:16:33","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T13:16:33","slug":"lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\/","title":{"rendered":"Lost hikers safe after Kogelberg Biosphere emergency rescue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>ROOIELS &#8211; Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) Western Cape successfully rescued two lost hikers from a remote waterfall in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve near Rooiels on Monday night (25 August).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The hikers, aged 75 and 68, contacted CapeNature for assistance when they became disoriented and couldn&#8217;t locate the trail down the mountain. Despite poor cellphone reception in the area, they managed to call for help and transmit their GPS coordinates from a vantage point above the waterfall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>WSAR teams responded immediately, dispatching a two-person rescue team from Overstrand to the area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After conducting an initial reconnaissance from a nearby lookout point, the team descended into the valley on foot, carrying extra clothing and torches for the hikers. The nearly two-hour trek led rescuers to the pair, who were found just off the main trail in good spirits despite being cold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rescue team carefully guided them back down the mountain while a drone from the Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS Drone Unit provided aerial support and monitored the operation&#8217;s progress. The mission concluded successfully at 22:17 on Monday night, with all parties safely off the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>For mountain emergencies, contact WSAR on 021 937 0300.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/540434204_1204299918_57193.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Despite limited cell phone reception, the pair managed to send their location from a high point above the waterfall. A drone from the Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS Drone Unit was used to monitor the team\u2019s progress. Illustration by Rob Nel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two elderly hikers lost near Rooiels waterfall were safely rescued by WSAR Western Cape on Monday night (25 August) in a drone-assisted operation in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":268322,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"60","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"2","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"1","article_feature_type":"normal","article_main_image_caption":"Two elderly hikers, aged 75 and 68, were safely rescued from near Rooiels waterfall in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve on Monday night. The pair were found a short distance off the marked trail, cold but otherwise in good spirits. Photo: Dirk Kruger.","article_media_icon":"1","article_template":"news","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"Lost hikers safe after Kogelberg Biosphere emergency rescue","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"ONLINE_JGrescue","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":["ONLINE_JGrescue_P1","ONLINE_JGrescue_P2"],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[93,7874],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-268321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-featured","tag-local-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Lost hikers safe after Kogelberg Biosphere emergency rescue | DistrictMail &amp; Helderberg Gazette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lost hikers safe after Kogelberg Biosphere emergency rescue\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Two elderly hikers lost near Rooiels waterfall were safely rescued by WSAR Western Cape on Monday night (25 August) in a drone-assisted operation in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"DistrictMail &amp; Helderberg Gazette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/districtmail\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-27T13:16:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-27T13:16:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/539146907_1204299975_57160.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@district_mail\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@district_mail\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a2d643edb30d8c9b5b3d47ab5d6f934e\"},\"headline\":\"Lost hikers safe after Kogelberg Biosphere emergency rescue\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-27T13:16:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-27T13:16:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":244,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/539146907_1204299975_57160.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Featured\",\"Local News\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\\\/\",\"name\":\"Lost hikers safe after Kogelberg Biosphere emergency rescue | DistrictMail &amp; Helderberg Gazette\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/539146907_1204299975_57160.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-27T13:16:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-27T13:16:33+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/539146907_1204299975_57160.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/539146907_1204299975_57160.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"Two elderly hikers, aged 75 and 68, were safely rescued from near Rooiels waterfall in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve on Monday night. The pair were found a short distance off the marked trail, cold but otherwise in good spirits. Photo: Dirk Kruger.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Lost hikers safe after Kogelberg Biosphere emergency rescue\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/\",\"name\":\"District Mail & Helderberg Gazette\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"District Mail & Helderberg Gazette\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/district-mail-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/district-mail-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"District Mail & Helderberg Gazette\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/districtmail\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/district_mail\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/distrikspos\\\/\"],\"description\":\"DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette has been the heartbeat of the Helderberg for nine decades. DistrictMail was established as a newspaper in 1928, with the goal of keeping the communities it serves informed. Helderberg Gazette was founded in 1998, as a free title distributed to the same communities.\",\"email\":\"districtmail@novusmedia.com\",\"telephone\":\"+27218530211\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a2d643edb30d8c9b5b3d47ab5d6f934e\",\"name\":\"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/40b8a06b228a6e4c9fc59fa596cafeff73f94d283340e109c8224bcfefe7872f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/40b8a06b228a6e4c9fc59fa596cafeff73f94d283340e109c8224bcfefe7872f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/40b8a06b228a6e4c9fc59fa596cafeff73f94d283340e109c8224bcfefe7872f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/author\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Lost hikers safe after Kogelberg Biosphere emergency rescue | DistrictMail &amp; Helderberg Gazette","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Lost hikers safe after Kogelberg Biosphere emergency rescue","og_description":"Two elderly hikers lost near Rooiels waterfall were safely rescued by WSAR Western Cape on Monday night (25 August) in a drone-assisted operation in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\/","og_site_name":"DistrictMail &amp; Helderberg Gazette","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/districtmail\/","article_published_time":"2025-08-27T13:16:30+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-27T13:16:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/539146907_1204299975_57160.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@district_mail","twitter_site":"@district_mail","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\/"},"author":{"name":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#\/schema\/person\/a2d643edb30d8c9b5b3d47ab5d6f934e"},"headline":"Lost hikers safe after Kogelberg Biosphere emergency rescue","datePublished":"2025-08-27T13:16:30+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-27T13:16:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\/"},"wordCount":244,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/539146907_1204299975_57160.jpg","keywords":["Featured","Local News"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\/","name":"Lost hikers safe after Kogelberg Biosphere emergency rescue | DistrictMail &amp; Helderberg Gazette","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/539146907_1204299975_57160.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-27T13:16:30+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-27T13:16:33+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/539146907_1204299975_57160.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/539146907_1204299975_57160.jpg","width":1200,"height":900,"caption":"Two elderly hikers, aged 75 and 68, were safely rescued from near Rooiels waterfall in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve on Monday night. The pair were found a short distance off the marked trail, cold but otherwise in good spirits. Photo: Dirk Kruger."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/lost-hikers-safe-after-kogelberg-biosphere-emergency-rescue\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Lost hikers safe after Kogelberg Biosphere emergency rescue"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/","name":"District Mail & Helderberg Gazette","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#organization","name":"District Mail & Helderberg Gazette","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/district-mail-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/district-mail-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"District Mail & Helderberg Gazette"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/districtmail\/","https:\/\/x.com\/district_mail","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/distrikspos\/"],"description":"DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette has been the heartbeat of the Helderberg for nine decades. DistrictMail was established as a newspaper in 1928, with the goal of keeping the communities it serves informed. Helderberg Gazette was founded in 1998, as a free title distributed to the same communities.","email":"districtmail@novusmedia.com","telephone":"+27218530211","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#\/schema\/person\/a2d643edb30d8c9b5b3d47ab5d6f934e","name":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/40b8a06b228a6e4c9fc59fa596cafeff73f94d283340e109c8224bcfefe7872f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/40b8a06b228a6e4c9fc59fa596cafeff73f94d283340e109c8224bcfefe7872f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/40b8a06b228a6e4c9fc59fa596cafeff73f94d283340e109c8224bcfefe7872f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/author\/districtmailhelderberg\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/539146907_1204299975_57160.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":267288,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/two-stranded-hikers-at-helderberg-nature-reserve-guided-to-safety\/","url_meta":{"origin":268321,"position":0},"title":"Two stranded hikers at Helderberg Nature Reserve guided to safety","author":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","date":"30 July 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\"The hikers, who were uninjured, were found in good spirits and safely guided back down to the entrance,\"","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Helderberg Nature Reserve","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/helderberg-nature-reserve.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/helderberg-nature-reserve.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/helderberg-nature-reserve.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/helderberg-nature-reserve.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/helderberg-nature-reserve.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":269225,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/rescue-success-genets-return-to-wild-at-vergelegen-estate\/","url_meta":{"origin":268321,"position":1},"title":"Rescue success: Genets return to wild at Vergelegen estate","author":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","date":"1 October 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Two rehabilitated small-spotted genets successfully returned to the wild through a new soft-release enclosure at Vergelegen Wine Estate, marking a pioneering wildlife rehabilitation partnership between the Somerset West estate and Kogelberg Biosphere Wildlife Rescue Centre.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1.JuvenilegenetinVer_27625.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1.JuvenilegenetinVer_27625.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1.JuvenilegenetinVer_27625.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1.JuvenilegenetinVer_27625.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1.JuvenilegenetinVer_27625.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"DistrictMail &amp;  Helderberg Gazette","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268321"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268321\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268321"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=268321"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=268321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}