What's inside?
* Wild Coast Tour V7 - Another winner
* Swartberg Tour - Crossing the Gouritz
* Garden Route Tour - Klein Langkloof
* Kouga-Baviaans Tour - The river is deep!
* Cederberg - Uitkyk Pass
* Pass of the Week
WILD COAST TOUR - OVERVIEW
Another amazing Wild Coast Tour has just been completed a week ago. This was our 7th tour and we keep getting better at it. Our motto is we can always do better. Despite choosing November as our 'muddy' tour (and it certainly was last year) this tour turned into more of a dusty tour, as we only had one day of dodgy weather with strong westerly winds and some light drizzle which cleared up by lunchtime. The week before South Africa as a whole, experienced hectic weather resulting in heavy rain and even good snowfalls in Lesotho and the Drakensberg. On the day of arrival we had chilly weather with the mercury registering just 2C the next morning. Apparently this is not uncommon for the area in November.
Only one recovery had to be done. A Fortuner bogged down in the mud on our way to the Msikaba Vulture colony, requiring a winch recovery, which went smoothly. There were just two punctures on the entire tour, which is nothing short of remarkable. Both were swiftly resolved.
One of the ladies on the tour tripped and fell, resulting in a shiner of note. Another (less fortunate) client slipped and fell on a rock crossing the river at Magwa Falls, where a sharp rock sliced into her thumb muscle, necessitating two stitches at a local doctor in Lusiksiki.
There was a lot of laughing, fancy dinners, seafood for Africa, and general merriment as the Wild Coast worked its magic on the guests. We discovered whisky gingers and other hitherto unknown concoctions - all designed around one common goal; to have fun. There were a few hikes; some easier than others, beach walks, and wild swimming. Photography was of a high standard and we have a massive collection of photos and videos to share with you over the next few months as we unwrap the story day by day, chapter by chapter.
Love was in the air too, when two of our solo guests teamed up and fell in love during the tour. That was a first on one of our tours and it added a wonderful vibe when the announcement was made, much to everyone's delight and surprise.
The vultures flew for us; the locals smiled and waved; our guests bought trinkets and beads. It all came together on the final night at Crawfords Beach Cottages in Chintsa East in a festive evening of laughter, joy and merriment. A very, very enjoyable tour. The next Wild Coast Tour is scheduled for May 2024. Bookings will open soon.
SWARTBERG TOUR - CROSSING THE GOURITZ
The drive westwards from the Gamkaberg Reserve to the Rooiberg Lodge at Vanwyksdorp is via a lovely, quiet back road, jam-packed with aloes, rivers, farm gates and soothing mountain scenery. There was one last obstacle I was a bit concerned about and that was the crossing of the Gouritz River. It had been coming down in flood for several days during the previous week's flood episode and intel coming in from some of my contacts indicated that we might have a problem. We had a Plan B up our sleeve, just in case.
Before we reached the Gouritz our route took us over the Kleinrivier Pass. This delightful little pass offers a very scenic and pleasant drive amongst isolated farms, with thousands of aloes and amazing succulent plant life. Even though the traverse is short at just 2.7 km, the pass offers some tight corners and inclines reaching 1:7.There are a number of passes along this road which make this drive particularly enjoyable for those not in a hurry. The going is slow and there are numerous farm gates that need to be closed behind you.
The rule with farm gates is to leave the gate as you found it. The DR1469 is fairly long drive that takes about 2.5 hours to complete from Van Wyksdorp to Armoed (near the R328). The road is not suitable for normal sedan vehicles but a 4x4 is not mandatory (unless it's wet)
Ken Goodenough leading this part of the group over the flooded Gouritz causeway / Photo: MPSA Tour Group
On arrival on the eastern side of the Gouritz Valley we could see the river was flowing nicely and quite wide. When we arrived it became apparent that the current was fairly strong, but as we had no Jimnys in our group, all the vehicles would be heavy enough to manage the crossing, despite the depth of around 500mm and the current.
MPSA 1 drove through first without any issues. The rest of the group was called through via the radios, one by one, until all had safely reached the western bank. All that was left was an easy drive through to Rooiberg Lodge (where we had started five days earlier) to complete the tour with one of our classic Chappies evenings. Our next Swartberg Tour will take place in July 2024.
GARDEN ROUTE TOUR (DAY 3 - KLEIN LANGKLOOF)
De Vlugt is an interesting settlement. It survives almost entirely on tourism and of course, farming. The amber coloured Keurbooms River meanders restfully through the village, where tranquillity and nature hold hands in perfect harmony. A bit of exploring in the village will take you to Thomas Bain's original homestead which he built whilst he was busy constructing the Prince Alfred's Pass. It was on the 'stoep' of this old cottage with its creaking yellowwood floors and small windows, that one of Thomas' daughters died after falling and hitting her head after being scared by a turkey.
We rate the Klein Langkloof section of Prince Alfred's Pass the most enjoyable of the entire 68 km length. It is here that the road gets squashed onto a narrow ledge in the contorted and twisted rocks and the river, which despite its small appearance can become a raging torrent when the rains fall. The points of interest come thick and fast amidst sharp curves, narrow bridges and pretty waterfalls interspersed with rock pools.
Bain's Pillar - a tall free standing rock monolith.
Tata Riet se Gat - Where Bain's babysitter used to bring the children to a cave like shelter while their father toiled on his road building efforts.
Convict's Grave - Bain buried one of his convicts close to the first bridge. He was mindful of ensuring their dignities remained intact.
The convict's grave is close to this bridge
Hangkrans - An overhanging rock which forced Bain to build his retaining walls into the river bed. He did a great job as those walls have truly stood the test of time.
Tiekielief Draai - An interesting story relating to some of the convicts having completed their sentences and were issued with a certificate called a Ticket of Leave. The convicts struggled with the English language and Ticket of leave morphed into Tiekielief.
Soon the 1035m high summit beckoned, where we turned the convoy around (that takes some forethought!) and retraced our route back to Knysna and our second night at the lovely Portland Manor.
Next Episode: Natures Valley, Grootrivier and Bloukrans passes.
KOUGA BAVIAANS TOUR (DAY 1)
Our route for the day was straight forward enough. Head east from Steytlerville to Patensie via the T3 Baviaans route and Anoniesberg Pass, which crosses the Grootrivier at a bridgeless drift. We had been actively sourcing intel on water levels at the crossing in the days leading up to the tour, with most of the messages coming through saying the river was too deep. The nature of Karoo rivers is that they rise fast and fall just as fast. We decided to go and check it out with a plan B to divert north via the Cockscomb road to Uitenhage if necessary.
Everyone was in high spirits as our convoy headed eastwards to the Grootrivierpoort. The Karoo was looking nothing short of fabulous after all the recent rain, with flowers blooming everywhere. We have never seen it looking greener. When we started descending the Antoniesberg Pass, it became immediately clear that the crossing was substantial - certainly more water than what we've ever seen there before.
Walking before we drive it. The Boks have Rassie. We have our own waterboy - Dion de Beer
We brought the convoy to a halt and sent our water diviner to walk the crossing with a pre-measured hardwood stick. This honour is bestowed on the youngest male in the group, which in this case happened to be Dion de Beer, from Knysna. Although there was much laughter and many ribald remarks, as Dion walked the river, the depth went from 300mm to 850mm. It was right on the limit for most of the vehicles, but still within safety margins. A certain air of nervous apprehension pervaded as Dion slowly made his way back to the group on the opposite track.
It was decision time. I decided to take the lead vehicle (MPSA 1) through as a test run and although deep, we made it through without any issues. The current was also in our favour which changed the odds slightly. Once we were on the far bank, I radioed the group and asked them to take their time and carefully consider if they wanted to risk the crossing or take the plan B detour. If didn't take long and the response came in, unanimously voting to give it a go.
It was heart in the mouth stuff with water spilling over onto some vehicle's bonnets, but everyone made the crossing. The bar had been set. We had a real adventurous group! It would be the first of many deep water crossings on this tour and a good confidence builder.
Rupert Worsdale cruising through the deep water in his Land Cruiser 300 GR / Photo: Barrie Barnardt
The climb out on the eastern side was slow and rough, but the convoy did well as we crested the far summit to enjoy the long two spoor over a plateau, which becomes increasingly narrow. This particular area receives a lot of rainfall and forms the watershed between the Baviaans and Winterberg mountains. The views are dramatic and vast, with proteas and wildflowers in abundance.
Cresting one of many short climbs along this section, the track suddenly became very muddy and slippery with MPSA 1 coming to a lurching halt with the left hand side wheels buried in mud. Lockers on made no difference, so it meant making use of gravity and reversing back downhill and trying a different line, a bit higher up the side slope. It was slippery as well, but with just the right amount of momentum, we were through. The rest of the convoy followed through one by one.
Suddenly an anxious call came through on the VHF: "The Land Cruiser is stuck and might roll!"
Richard Heathcote's Land Cruiser bakkie with a camper conversion bolted on the back looked (and obviously was), top heavy. I turned MPSA 1 around and asked the ever helpful Theo Hammond, in his Ford Ranger, to follow me down to Richard's vehicle. We got the rest of the convoy to proceed to the top of the hill and wait for us there. We needed space to work.
A precision recovery was needed to prevent a rollover / Photo: MPSA Tour Group
The Cruiser was indeed teetering at an alarming angle. Alan Buchholtz used his "kop" and jumped on the high side running board to prevent a rollover. After assessing the situation, the decision was made not to recover the Cruiser backwards (the easiest way as gravity would assist), due to the fact that it would probably increase the risk of a rollover. Instead we would winch it uphill carefully from the correct angle, forcing the RF side downwards.
Theo added his mass to the running board and we soon had the winch cable attached and commenced with the recovery. The winch (Warn 12,000 lb) was working hard pulling a combined weight of around 5 tons uphill, against mud resistance and the dead weight of the Cruiser. It took about 20 minutes of careful winching and having to reposition MPSA 1 to ensure the pull direction was adjusted as the distance between the two vehicles decreased. Finally we had a relieved Richard back on solid ground and the convoy proceeded onwards to the Elandsrivier Road and the Geelhoutboom Pass. At that stage we didn't know it, but the fateful Land Cruiser would suffer another breakdown. More of that in the next edition.
We arrived in Patensie and our overnight venue, the Ripple Hill Hotel with some time to spare and settled in on the old-school balcony for a few cold beers before dinner. The hotel only has 7 rooms, which meant some of our group were domiciled in two annex guest houses nearby. It rained hard that night, adding to the already high water levels in the area.
Next episode: Kouga Dam, Land Rovers and Land Cruisers and some more deep water crossings.
Cederberg Trip - Day 2
We managed to get the drone up at the Eselbank Waterfall. The video is best watched in widescreen with sound on.
Our route back to Mount Cedar was via the usual (and only) road southwards. The Nieuwoudts Pass was in reasonable condition and that mind-blowing revelation as one crests the summit to see the deep valley to Algeria, never fails to impress. Fires and floods have done a lot of damage, but the road is passable. Algeria was deserted, thanks to the bad weather.
Our route continued up the Uitkyk Pass which is now fully paved (a mix of tar and brick paving), but the June floods have carved a deep channel into the mountain side of the road, damaging about 2 km of roadway. It's going to take a fair bit of reconstruction to fix it.
Water damage to the Uitkyk Pass is extensive for about 2 km up the pass / Photo: Mandy Richert
We stopped in at Dawid Nieuwoudt's excellent farm, Dwarsrivier, to sample some Cederberg award winning wines. The sommelier that assisted us was exceptionally knowledgeable which added to the experience. What a pleasant way to while away an hour at South Africa's highest altitude vineyards. From Dwarsrivier we popped over the Kromrivier Pass for a look-see at the new look Kromrivier farm (Cederberg Park). Several new chalets have been built and gone are all the dark and gloomy old units. The campsites have also been upgraded and the restaurant is wonderful. Here you can buy wines and craft beer and the food is great as well. We loved the leiwater canal that runs right through the interior of the restaurant. This venue is a good boost to general tourism in the area.
Horses at Mount Cedar / Photo: Mount Cedar
Our drive took us along the back road through Kromrivier and past Truitjieskraal, after which we rejoined the main road back to Mount Cedar over the majestic Grootrivierhoogte Pass. Another surprise lay in wait for us at Mount Cedar. We had been upgraded to the Waboomshoek chalet right on the banks of the river. This outing was a father-daughter breakaway, which was seriously enjoyable. Something that needs to be repeated.
Below is a video filmed per drone of three of the villas at Mount Cedar. If you're looking for a decent break in the mountains, this is a great venue.
PASS OF THE WEEK
Grootrivierhoogte forms part of the exceptionally beautiful route through the Southern Cederberg, connecting farms like Kromrivier, Matjiesrivier, Nuwerus and Mount Ceder, with the plateau of the Koue Bokkeveld. The road is made up of two major passes - the other being the Blinkberg Pass. Both offer stunning mountain scenery in crisp mountain air. The passes are seriously steep in some places - as steep as 1:5 !!!
Grootrivierhoogte is one of the steepest along this route and light front wheel cars will struggle on the final section near the summit in wet conditions, but for the vast majority of the year, this pass is doable in any vehicle. Take time to stop at the summit and allow the mesmerising mountain views to captivate your soul.
* * G R O O T R I V I E R H O O G T E P A S S * *
Trygve Roberts / Editor
“Extraordinary things are always hiding in places people never think to look.” ~ Jodi Picoul
