Collywobbles Route 1 (Ku Msikiti)

This is one of two access roads to the vulture view sites at Collywobbles. It's moderate in length at 4.1 km and displays an undulating profile with some very steep gradients of 1:5, which are concreted.

The condition of the road can vary from quite good to terrible. During 2023/2025 the road to Ku Msikiti and Ku Lombete were completely upgraded and the steeper sections concreted, making access to the villages much safer with normal 4x2 vehicles.

Engage 1st gear at the bottom of the concrete section, keep your revs up and don't change gears until you're at the top of the ridge.

Some of the text below is repeated on the Collywobbles - Ku Lombete page as both roads share common information.

Scroll down to view the map & video. It is recommended to watch this video in HD. (Click on the "quality" button on the lower taskbar of the video screen and select 4K.) Wait a few seconds for the video to display.....

FULL-SCREEN MODE: Click PLAY, then pass your mouse over the bottom right corner of the video screen. The outline of a square will appear. Clicking on it will toggle Full Screen Mode. Press ESC to return to the original format.

Note: Google Earth software reads the actual topography and ignores roads, cuttings, tunnels, bridges and excavations. The Google Earth vertical-profile animation generates a number of parallax errors, so the profile is only a general guide of what to expect in terms of gradients, distance and elevation. The graph may present some impossible and improbable sharp spikes, which should be ignored.

Digging into the details:

Getting there:
There are several ways to get to this road and all of them require precise navigation. On the way you will encounter fork after fork and very few of them are signposted. We will describe the route from Idutywa (the nearest sizeable town), but it can also be reached from Willowvale and Elliotdale.

From Idutywa head NNE out of town on the N2 towards Mthatha for 5 km and turn right onto gravel at GPS S32.059054 E28.329391
Head ESE for 3 km to a fork at GPS S32.072764 E28.357228 - take the left hand fork
Head ENE for 10.5 km to a fork at GPS S32.046607 E28.457223 - take the right hand fork
Head East for 3.4 km to a fork at GPS S32.050354 E28.492274 - take the left hand fork
Head ENE for 1 km to a fork at GPS S32.047277 E28.502005 - take the left fork
Head NE for 0.25 km to a fork at GPS S32.045546 E28.503984 - take the left fork
Head NE for 9 km to a fork at GPS S32.020007 E28.564464 - take the left hand fork
This also marks the western start of the Collywobbles/Ku Msikiti route

Cape Griffon Vulture in flight / Photo: MPSA Guest Photo

The roads in this area are generally sub-standard, but the locals drive them daily in normal vehicles. Drive slowly and patiently. Deflate your tyres to soften the bumps a bit - about 20% of normal should be about right if you are driving on 2 ply tyres. If you have 3 ply tyres, deflate to 1.4 bar.

Description: 
The start of the pass is marked by a fork. Make sure you keep left. Over the next km, the road will begin descending gently and will leave the rural villages, where a big view begins opening up over the Mbashe Valley.

The road descends towards a big right hand curve, where the gravel gives way to rudimentary brick paving. At the apex of this bend, a wide view awaits where you can see both of the Collywobbles Vulture Routes as well as the track that descends down to the Mbashe Dam.

View from the first bend after the paving starts / Photo: MPSA

If you intend driving out via that track over the Mbashe Dam via Mveso, be warned that is only suitable for high clearance 4x4 vehicles.

The paved road descends turning 90 degrees to the right and fairly quickly reverts back into the NE via another 90 degree left hand bend, which is quite sharp. The paving gives way to concrete and very soon reverts to gravel.

All of the signs to Collywobbles have been damaged or flattened. Some of them, with a little imagination, are still legible.

There is a staggered junction at the bottom of that descent. Left goes to the Mbashe Dam (4x4 only) and right goes to the two vulture view sites at Ku Msibiti and Ku Lombete. Soon after this fork (about 100m) there is another fork. Keep right.

The road climbs quickly revealing deep views of the Mbashe River on the left and right. This is one of the knife-edges. A set of power lines come into view. These used to transfer power to the national grid from the Collywobbles Hydro Power plant.

The Collywobbles Hydro Power Scheme was one of South Africa’s most ingenious small hydroelectric developments. Situated on the spectacular Mbashe River in the Eastern Cape, about 35 km east of Idutywa, the scheme takes advantage of the extraordinary river meanders known as the Collywobbles, where the river twists through a series of dramatic loops and gorges.

Development of the scheme began in 1982 under the former Transkei government as part of a programme to improve electricity generation within the homeland. The power station was commissioned in 1985 and was originally operated by the Transkei Electricity Supply Corporation (TESCOR). Following the reintegration of the former homelands into South Africa, ownership transferred to Eskom in 1995.

The engineering concept is remarkably simple yet highly effective. At a point where two bends of the Mbashe River almost touch, a concrete storage dam was constructed on the upper bend. Water is then diverted through a 1.4-kilometre-long tunnel and penstock that cuts directly through the intervening ridge. This shortcut bypasses approximately 34 kilometres of river meanders, creating a hydraulic head of about 135 metres.

The powerhouse contains three Francis turbines, each rated at 14 MW, giving the station a total installed capacity of 42 MW. Water discharged from the turbines re-enters the Mbashe River downstream. The station operates as a run-off-river scheme with limited storage capacity, supplemented by water transferred from the Ncora Dam in the neighbouring Tsomo River catchment.

Despite its innovative design, the project has faced challenges. Severe erosion in the Mbashe catchment has caused rapid siltation of the reservoir, significantly reducing its storage capacity over the years. The station also experienced flooding soon after commissioning, requiring extensive flood-proofing measures and modifications to the tunnel lining. Nevertheless, the scheme remained an important source of renewable energy for the Eastern Cape and stands as a remarkable example of how geography can be harnessed to generate electricity. The plant ceased operations about two years ago.

Aloes for Africa / Photo: MPSA

After a brief descent, a fork is reached. Ignore the sign that points to the right "Collywabbles" (sic) and take the left hand route which soon passes a small quarry on the left. A concreted section looms ahead which is very steep.

Engage 1st gear and keep your revs up and do not attempt to change gears until you are at the top. The gradients on this section range between 1:4 and 1:5.

Once at the top, the road levels off and reverts to gravel. A few buildings and homes line the road on either side with the largest of these being a school. From here you'll have grand views of a good portion of the Collywobbles. Stop as the road begins descending to Ku Msikiti and stand on the slope to the right overlooking the river. Here you have a very good change of spotting the vultures. High above the winding Mbashe River, the cliffs of Collywobbles support one of South Africa’s most important breeding colonies of Cape Griffon vultures. If you arrive after 1100 the thermals will be heating up which is the best time to watch the birds in flight.

These immense birds, with wingspans approaching 2.2 metres, rely on the sheer sandstone and shale cliffs for nesting and roosting. The rugged terrain, constant updrafts and relative isolation of the gorge create ideal conditions for a species that spends most of its life soaring rather than flapping.

School children from the Ku Msikiti Junior School get excited about seeing tourists / Photo: MPSA

The colony is dominated by the Cape griffon, a species endemic to southern Africa and now listed as vulnerable. Pairs build large stick nests on narrow ledges and usually raise a single chick each year. Breeding begins in the cooler months, and the young bird remains dependent on its parents for many months before taking its first flight. Colonies such as Collywobbles are therefore crucial to the survival of the species, because vultures breed slowly and populations recover only gradually from losses.

The Xhosa word for vultures is 'ixhalanga'. The Cape Vulture is referred to as 'idlanga'.  The locals are very proud and protective of the vultures and consider themselves guardians of this colony.

The birds play an essential ecological role as nature’s clean-up crew. By feeding on carcasses, they remove decaying animal matter from the landscape and help limit the spread of disease. Their highly acidic stomachs can neutralise many harmful pathogens that would affect other animals. In the grasslands and communal farming areas surrounding the gorge, the vultures are part of a natural recycling system that has operated for thousands of years.

The Mbashe River seen here in one of the dozens of bends in the Collywobbles / Photo: MPSA

Despite their importance, the vultures face serious threats. Poisoning from contaminated carcasses, collisions with power infrastructure, disturbance at nesting sites and habitat degradation have all reduced populations across southern Africa. Conservationists monitor the Collywobbles colony closely and work with local communities and authorities to protect nesting cliffs and reduce poisoning incidents. For visitors standing on the rim of the gorge, the sight of dozens of griffons circling in the thermals is a reminder that this dramatic landscape is not only beautiful, but also vital for the survival of one of Africa’s most iconic scavengers.

Once you have completed the bird watching exercise, you must return the same way down the concrete road, but turn sharp left where the previous fork was with the Collywobbles sign. This road is also featured on this website as the Collywobbles / Ku Lombete Road. This is an absolute must if you have taken the time to get to this area.

The local Xhosa people continue life in the traditional manner / Photo: MPSA

You can return to Idutywa the same way you arrived (Remember to trace your route on your GPS) or you can go back via the Mbashe Dam and a string of villages via Mveso and back to Idutywa on the N2. The latter is a longer (but scenic) option and only suitable for high clearance 4x4 vehicles

Fact File:

Route Map:

Use these powerful features to get the best use out of the map:

• Choose either Map View or Satellite View (overlaid on the map detail.)
• Zoom in and out; rotate in any direction.
• Use the 'Get Route' feature (directly beneath the map): Type in your address to get a personalised route straight from where you are to the pass, with time and distance included.
• Detailed written and printable directions.
• Drag the 'little orange man' icon onto the pass for a complete 360° tiltable "street view".

Route files:

||Click to download: Collywobbles/Msikiti Road - (Note - This is a .kmz file which can be opened in Google earth and most GPS software systems)