Out and About
* Heads up on tours & bookings
* Katberg Tour - Day 1
* Dusty Dashboard - Episode 5
* Ben 10 - It's a wrap!
* Wild Coast Tour Day 7
Listen to an AI-generated discusion of this newsletter:
TOURS & BOOKINGS
APRIL:
At the time that you are reading this newsletter, we will be slumming it in the Mountain Kingdom on our 4th Lesotho Tour, somewhere between Thaba Bosiu and Malealea. You can look forward to a full report back on this tour with lots of photos and videos.
MAY:
Wild Coast Tour V10 is fully booked. (Email us if you would like to be added to the cancellation list)
JULY:
Great Karoo Tour. There is one ticket remaining.
CLICK HERE TO BOOK AND GET ITINERARY.
AUGUST:
Swartberg Classic Tour. Our most popular tour. If you haven't done this one yet, climb aboard and book.
CLICK HERE TO BOOK AND GET ITINERARY.
SEPTEMBER:
Cederberg Spring Tour. NEW ! 15th to 19th . We are running this tour from Mon to Fri so as to avoid all the weekend flower warriors. After many requests to orgnise a spring tour in the Cederberg, we have created a well balanced 5 night/4 day tour of off road driving, spring wildflower viewing, wine estates, rockart, fantastic geological sites, good food, unique remote villages, waterfalls and first class accommodation. Bookiongs will go live aound the 20th April. If you want to reserve an prefential place, pop us an email to
KATBERG TOUR - DAY 1
Our rendezvous point was at the Arminel Hotel in Hogsback - a fairy tale setting amongst giant trees and beautiful gardens, the graceful thatched hotel and cottages suited us perfectly with a blend of privacy and comfort. Whilst the hotel is quite old, they are doing their best to provide value for money accommodation, despite having taken a massive financial knock post Covid.
Many of the cottages had a musty odour, more than likely caused by old thatch that never dries out in the very wet climate of Hogsback. Maintenance costs money and I'm sure the hotel will be back to it's former glory within a year or two. The food was great, with a fire in the lounge and dining area in the morning and evenings creating a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere.
The vibe in the spacious pub was so enjoyable, we decided to have our drivers briefing on the spot, where we explained the programme of events and offroad etiquette, before heading off to the dining room for a slap-up dinner.
Arminel Hotel, Hogsback where we started the tour / Photo: Arminel Hotel
The day dawned misty with no wind - a typical Hogsback day. After a generous breakfast, we got the convoy lined up outisde the hotel and trundled slowly through the misty, sleepy village to locate the Wolf Ridge Road. The drive down this long and winding pass is really beautiful, traversing mainly indigenous forests interspersed with commerical plantations.
A small sign indicated a waterfall viewpoint (Madonna and Child Falls), so those that wanted to, were invited to do the 250m short,wet walk to the viewpoint, but the the mountain mists were so thick, guests did not see much. It was on this little walk that Charles Gerber took his first tumble, slipping on the wet rocks. He picked up a few bruises and scratches in the process, but declared himself fit to continue.
There were signs of a recent fire (which happened during August 2024) which caused major damage to parts of the mountain. Our route ambled all the way down to the Sandile Dam, where we took a break and got the drone up for some aerial footage (which we have yet to process).
The return leg to Hogsback followed a route which we had not driven before, via a number of small villages, then up an old logging track that had not seen a vehicle in many years and involved some 'travel as you prune' trimming, after which we rejoined the Wolf River Pass, heading towards the Robinson Dam for our scheduled lunch break.
Near the summit of the Wolf River Pass taking a lunch break, which greatly offended Rance Timbers / Photo: Trygve Roberts
That was when a local security bakkie made an appearance, which we had noticed following us at a discreet distance earlier in the day. The full report of the sequence of events that transpired was publisihed in our previous newsletter, so we won't repeat the story again.
After a brief chat with the manager of Rance Timbers, we were allowd to visit the Robinson Falls, after which we headed back to Arminel Hotel. Future visitors be warned that there is an ongoing dispute between the residents of Hogsback and Rance Timbers, which has escalated into a very uncomfortable situation and legal recourse is underway. Rance Timbers are actively discouraging tourism in the area, which could have disastrous consequences for the hospitality industry in the village.
As the mist had cleared up, we allowed guests to choose to return to the hotel or do the full walk down to the base of the waterfall. About 60% of the group chose to walk down to the waterfall, which is located close to Hogsback in the Auckland Nature Reserve.
After about 30 minutes I picked up a message on our Whats App group, that Charles had taken another fall, this time breaking his ankle. He would require medical evacuation. We set the wheels in motion and I went to reception to request help. The hotel provided two employees, Steven Monare and Abongile Magobiyane, who followed us to the start of the walk in the hotel's bakkie. One of our guests, Clive Miller, offered to assist with the recovery and jumped into the Cruiser with me. Another guest, Abie Spies, had a moon boot in his vehicle, which he suggested we take down to the casualty, which turned out to be a really smart idea. We had two doctors in our group. One at the hotel dispensing advice via the Whats App group and the other was with the patient on site.
Hogsback heroes - Steven and Abongile from Arminel Hotel hauling Charles up the steep path / Photo: MPSA Guest
On the way to the trail head, I spotted a group of about 8 forestry workers in green overalls with a label "Cape Parrot Project" on their overalls. I asked them if they would be willing to assist with the rescue. One of them gave me the contact number of a lady named Tonya, who was in charge of the search and rescue in Hogsback. I sent her a Whats App and she responded within minutes. She was like a beam of bright sunlight. Efficient, pleasant, confident and decisive. I gave her all the intel at my disposal and suggested a rigid stretcher would be required.
The Arminel team and Clive headed down the steep path where they located Charles and got the boot strapped up. Without any concern for their own physical well being, Steven loaded Charles (95 kg) on his back, whilst Abongile supported Charles from behind. The pair of them set up the path to get Charles back to safety. We posted this picture on our Facebook page. It's probably done more for race relations than we could ever have imagined. The post went viral and is currently standing on 303000 views.
Meanwhile, Tonya arrived with her team stretcher team and immediately went down the path to intercept the other rescuers, where they transferred Charles to the stretcher and worked in relays of 6 people to get him to the top of the hill. Once at the top, we transferred him into a vehicle and his father, Henry Gerber, took him straight through to the hospital in Alice, for X-Rays and treatment.
During dinner that night, the family arrived back at Arminel in time to enjoy dinner with the group. For Charles it would be the end of the tour, but he gamely remained with the group, with his wife driving him around to each of the overnight venues via the tarred roads. Lesser people would have gone home. Moral of the story. Moenie met plakkies hike nie.
Charles Gerber, all smiles after getting a cast made for his foot / Photo: Trygve Roberts
Our sincere thanks go to the Arminel Hotel, MPSA guests and Tonya and her team from the Cape Parrot Project. It's good to know there are such wonderful and efficient people to assist when needed.
What a first day on tour!
Next episode: Baddaford, Fort Fordyce and Mpofu.
DUSTY DASHBOARD - EPISODE 6
The trip home was exactly as long as the trip there. Very close to 3000 km. Fuel is a good deal cheaper in Botswana, as is meat – so plan your journey with that in mind. We refuelled just before the border to save some cash, but don’t fill your jerry cans, as SARS will want their taxes on that excess fuel, when you cross back into SA.
Nowhere in Botswana did we encounter any official looking for a bribe. That pleased me well. Botswana has crime and load-shedding, but no beggars. I found the landscape astonishingly flat and the Russian-roulette dodging donkeys, cows, sheep and goats did (in a bizarre way) help to break the monotony of the journey. After a while you sort of suss things out:
Cows are predictable – they move slowly and deliberately
Sheep – can be skittish. Be wary and slow down
Goats – very unpredictable. Bring your speed right down in case Billy decides to do something stupid.
Donkeys – Stubborn as hell. If they’re standing in the middle of the road, that’s where they will stay, refusing to move, until you give them a light tap with the front bumper.
Hooting at the animals is a complete waste of time.
Lilac Breasted Roller / Photo: MPSA
Kathu was an eye opener. A very busy, mostly all male mining hub from iron ore and manganese with thousands of white bakkies with orange roof lights scuttling about at high speeds 24 hours per day. As we arrived at our chosen guesthouse (Sanyanti) for our final overnight stay, a military clad figure appeared at my driver’s door. My first thoughts were “Now WTF have I done wrong?”
“You absolutely must be Robby Roberts of the Land Cruiser Club and Mountain Passes South Africa. My name’s Gerhard Coetzee and I live across the road. Welcome to Kathu!” Gee, what a small world and how wide does the LCCSA spread its wings over Africa!
A stiff south easterly wind teased the fuel gauge with alarming accuracy all the way from Upington. I remarked to SWAMBO that if the south-easter was blowing hard in Upington, imagine what it’s going to be like in Cape Town. Those would be prophetic words.
The taste of home started south of Calvinia on the gravel R355 as we were able to sustain a speed of 110 kph. The road was so good it felt like tar, with some mud and rain closer to the Blouberg Pass. Our adrenaline stuff was not over yet, as near the Tankwa Padstal, a Ford F250 towing a big double-axle trailer, turfed up another big stone, which connected smack in the middle of our windscreen, causing a stress crack and bullseye. It mattered not, as the screen was already broken from the trip up and a new windscreen would be needed regardless.
By the time we descended through Michells Pass at Ceres the sky looked like aluminium and the wind was buffeting the car, which made keeping it going straight, tough work.
At the southern exit of the Huguenot Tunnel, there was chaos. Two trucks lay on their side on the bridge with another two having crashed into the former; and another had half of its trailer hanging over the 80m sheer drop down into the Miaspoort Valley. Traffic was gridlocked and emergency workers were walking at 45 degrees trying to make progress in the 110 kph winds, which were hurtling down the mountain, having been catapulted down the ravine compounded by the venturi effect. The Cruiser was rocking violently from side to side and having the RTT up top didn’t make things any easier either.
A black South Easter causing chaos on the viaduct exiting the Hugenot Tunnel / Photo: MPSA
“Welcome home” I said quietly to my wife. Now I need a holiday to recover from the trip.
This chapter concludes the story Dusty Dashboard. For those who wondered what SWAMBO means. It's the girlfriend or wife.
She Who Always Must Be Obeyed.
BEN 10 ECO CHALLENGE - IT'S A WRAP.
The fine weather persisted right up to the last day, which is most unusual. December always produces muddy conditions, making this final Ben 10 quite an easy adventure, compared to previous events.
We departed Rhodes Hotel after a solid breakfast, following the beautiful Bell River for many kilometres, before taking a switchback section heading up into the mountains. The graceful curves of the multiple hairpin section is so scenic and a lot of fun to drive, but beyond the true summit and on our way to the 2500 escarpment view point, thick clouds lay in wait and reduced visibility to less than 50m.
We didn't stop, with the knowledge that we would be returning over the nek later in the day and a second bite at the cherry, would liekly deliver better results. It wasn't long and we dropped below the cloud base into pleasantly sunny weather with the Eastern Cape looking so green and fat Ngunis confirming a summer of good rainfall.
We drove the Elandshoogte and Potrivier Passes (the latter concluding the successful completion of the challenge), filled up in Maclear and remained on tar for a while ascending the Katkop and Moodernaarshoogte passes, turning back onto gravel at Luzi Poort. The drive back over the Pitseng Pass and a second shot at Naude's Nek proved our prediction to be accurate as the vistas were sunny and open as we crested the 2500m view point. We got some nice drone footage as well.
The final night on tour is always a great occassion as guests let their hair down and enjoy recounting all the excitement.
We number of drivers entering the Ben 10 Eco Challenge dropped off sharply after Covid and has never really recovered, thanls to another successful Fauci extermination programme. We've been running the challenge for over a decade and brought hundreds of visitors to the Eastern Cape Highlands. In our books its a case of mission accomplished. It's time to move forward and innovate.
The spirit of the Ben 10 will continue under a different guise and name. The new tour will likely take place towards the end of November, early December and will include most of the Ben 10 passes plus a whole bunch of additional ones. We are working on it. Details will be released in good time.
WILD COAST V9 TOUR DAY 7
With the group reunited and Thirsty Kirsty holding a full charge, the day ahead promised fine weather with some fresh sea breeze. Our first stop was Mapuzi Mouth with its drmatic cliffs and serence curved beach, bisected by the lagoon of the Mapuzi River. Our local guide, Mzo, kept guests entertained with his charming and witty stories of Xhosa history and culture.
Next up was a visit to Whale Hill not only to enjoy the views over Coffee Bay, but to support the local ladies who sell beaded items.
Baby Hole in the Wall led to an interesting scenario where a very angry Xhosa mama had pulled a branch across the track, claiming it was her property. A genuine apology and peace offering sorted things out as we followed a different route back to the main road.
The weather was begining to turn with a light drizzle settling in, so we gave the walk down to the mouth at Hole in the Wall a miss, but drove to the higher viewsite for photos and videos, before heading back to White Clay for our traditional long lunch in one of the best shack type pubs in South Africa. I think its the ozone blwoing off the sea that does the trick, as this is where our guests all seem to finally fall in love the Wild Coast.
FEATURED PASS
In this issue we take you for a drive along the Blinkberg Pass in the Cederberg. This much loved pass is either your entry to or exit from the Southern Cederberg. We refilmed it during February, 2025. The two part video set is presented with optional subtitles and telemetry filmed in 4K.
Blinkberg Pass
"Straight talking. I suffer from that disorder that when I speak the truth, others get offended."
