In this edition....
* Wild Coast V10 Tour
* Ntentule Waterfall
* Msikaba Bridge Update
* Fishing for Kob
* Lesotho Day 2
* Muela Hydro
* Tours Availability
Listen to an AI-generated discusion of this newsletter:
WILD COAST V10 TOUR
The Wild Coast continues to attract guests as can be attested by yet another fully booked tour. Things got going at Resthaven on Tuesday 13th May, with everyone arriving on time in perfect weather. Radios fitted, tyres deflated and drivers briefing completed, guests settled in to a delcious dinner (lamb shanks) and an early night after a long day's travelling.
In the convoy we had Land Cruisers, Prados and Fortuners, Land Rovers, a Ford Everest, a Nissan X-Trail and an Ineos Grenadier. There were no punctures or mechanical breakdowns, not to mention 10 days of brilliant weather, with clear blue skies and temperatures mainly above 25C. Considering it's already late autumn, guests were been swimming daily, whether in the Indian Ocean (24C), lagoons or pools.
Many guests ask us why we start this tour in Matatiele. The reason is that we take guests down to the coast via a set of maginificent passes (all on gravel) through some of the most beautiful landscapes imaginable, from towering mountains with steep cliffs, peaceful villages in the the valleys, fast flowing rivers and indigenous forests. There's an incredible amount of variety on that first day. The roads were generally in reasonable condition, until we arrived in crazy, chaotic Lusikisiki, where patience was the watch word negotiating a 13 vehicle convoy through the throngs of people, taxis, animals and double parked vehicles. It's quite a "when in Africa" experience!
Once we were on the road to Mbotyi we noted lots of major new road works, presumably part of the new N2 Toll road that will take traffic over the Msikaba Mega bridge and the Mtentu bridge. Once we reached the entry gates to the Magwa Tea Estates, the road conditions worsened dramatically, necessitating a speed below 20 kph and it remained like that all the way to Mbotyi River Lodge. In effect it is no longer possible to drive down to the lodge in a normal passenger vehicle. Let's hope they can at least send a grader down there to do some basic repairs. At the moment it's a shocker. To add to the drama, we would have to traverse the pass 5 more times over the next two days.
Mbotyi was heavenly with the cherry on top being the superb weather. Some of the guests opted out of the next day's activities which focused on hiking to Waterfall Bluff. We discovered a new way to get there, which cut off almost two hours of driving time. This meant the group would hike from south to north and take in Secret Waterfall, Mermaids Pool, Cathedral Rock and Waterfall Bluff, returning the same way. It turned out to be quite a tough walk in the warm weather and complete lack of breeze. Our local guide, Armstrong, earned himself a new nickname that day of "Almost There"
Guests enjoying the spectacle of Waterfall Bluff
Meanwhile the small group that remained behind at the lodge indulged themselves in various activities from stoep sitting to catching crayfish, oysters and a 6 kg kob. The latter group were well and truly oiled by the time the rest of us got back from the hike, with nary a taste of the catch on offer!
Day 3. An easier day with the offerings being a site visit to the Msikaba Mega Bridge construction site, three waterfalls each with its own special allure and an hour watching the Msikaba Vultures or guests could remain at the lodge and just chill, soaking up the glorious Wild Coast weather.
Driving up the Mbotyi Pass somehow seemed less daunting with each traverse. Our first port of call was at Angel Falls on the Mkozi River in the heart of the Magwa Tea Plantations. Altough not a huge waterfall at approximately 20m, it is a curtain waterfall with a straight drop into a deep rock pool. Access is easy, being about 80m from the road. If you don't know where the waterfall is, you will drive right past it, being none the wiser.
We stopped near Msikaba Bridge to photograpgh the Ntentule Falls, which has a straight drop of 174m and is the second highest waterfall in South Africa. Later in the day, we drove up a back road, to get to the top of the falls, but it's almost impossible getting a full view of the falls from the ridges, so we put the drone up and got some great video footage.
A good deal of progress has been made at the constructon site. We had the North Tower engineer, Luigi, meet us for the safety session and orientation video show. This was followed by a full tour of the south tower construction site, which has reached a height of 104m. When completed each tower will stand 127m tall.
The bridge deck sections have arrived, as have the first of the cables, neatly laid out below the towers encased in a protective plastic covering. Progress appears to be slow, but when one is standing amidst all the massive equipment, the sheer magnitude of the project takes on a much more sobering and realistic aspect. All the metalwork is built in Middelburg, Mpumalanga and brought to site by road. The gantries for the deck launching are in place. According to Luigi, the bridge should be completed by 2028.
Some went fishing. Armstrong (guide) with guest Willie and his 6 kg kob.
The drive down to the vulture site was easy on a fair gravel road and the good news is that the marshy area along the final two spoor section, has now been upgraded to cement bricks. The first attempt at this community project failed, due to lack of knowledge, as the locals didn't first put down a base of stone chips and the bricks soon disapperared in the mud. Many people have ended up getting stuck, including some of our guests on previous tours.
Lessons learned, all the bricks were uplifted and stone chips were laid down in trenches and the bricks laid on top of that. It's not a perfect job, but at lease it's possible to reach the vulture view site in a normal vehicle now. In addition, the locals have erected a hand painted sign 'VULTURES" at the start of the two spoor. Things are improving, but at the Wild Coast pace of life.
The visit to the Msikaba vultures was by far the best sighting experience we have ever had. The weather was perfect with a very light breeze blowing with around 50 birds airborne at any one time. Guests were mesmerised and described it as the highlight of the tour up till that point.
Cape Griffon Vultures numerically stronger than the SAAF / Photo: Trygve Roberts
Next Episode: Day of Waterfalls
LESOTHO - DAY 2 - OXBOW LODGE TO LERIBE
An easier day (distance wise) awaited us, but light rain and overcast skies arrived with the dawning of the day, as we headed west up the Moteng Pass, known for its complex hairpin bends, steep gradients and traffic jams. Trucks get stuck on this pass on a daily basis, causing long tailbacks, so it's always a bit of a gamble. We were lucky to enjoy a traffic free descent and only came across one truck which had conked out, which didn't impede the traffic flow much.
Because of the persistent rain, we decided to skip the planned visit to the Liphofung Caves and went directly to the Muela Power Station, where guests enjoyed a thoroughly entertaining talk on the LHWP; how the dams interlink via tunnels to the Katse and from there through the Muela power plant generating 52% of Lesotho's electricity, before fowing to the Ash River and on to the Vaal Dam.
Butha Buthe, Hlotse and Leribe are lively places with taxis whizzing about, interspersed with a mix of pedestrians, cattle, sheep,goats and dogs, which required careful driving before we arrived at the Leribe Craft Centre where mentally challenged women spin yarn and produce products which are sold at the centre to generate an income for them.
We squeezed the whole convoy into the parking area at the Naleli Guest House, before settling down for dinner. One of the rooms had a water pipe come loose resulting in a minor flooding, but the staff got everything resolved within 2 hours.
Next Episode: Day 3 - Leribe to Thaba Tseka via Mafika Lisiu Pass and Katse Dam
TOURS UPDATES
We have three tours coming up in July, August and September. There are still a few places left, if you want to experience one of our legendary tours.
JULY: GREAT KAROO TOUR (NEW) - 6 Nights
Dutch Reformed Church, Nieu Bethesda
Highlights
Bedrogfontein Historical 4x4 Route,
Darlington Dam,
Addo National Park,
Mountain Zebra National Park,
Nieu Bethesda,
Owl House Museum,
Kompasberg,
Fossil tour,
Merino sheep farm,
Valley of Desolation,
Camdeboo National Park,
Drostdy Hotel, Graaff Reinet.
2 spots available. CLICK HERE TO BOOK
AUGUST: SWARTBERG CLASSIC TOUR (7 nights)
Highlights:
Rooiberg Lodge,
Assegaaibosch Pass,
Rooiberg Pass,
Boplaas Port Wine Visit,
Bosluiskloof Pass,
Bosch Luys Kloof Lodge,
Gamkapoort dam tour,
Seweweekspoort,
Kruisrivier Valley,
Rus en Vrede,
Derustica Olives,
De Rust,
Meiringspoort,
Prince Albert Village,
Swartberg Pass,
Die Hel,
Swartberg Country Manor,
Red Stone Hills,
Gamkaberg Nature Reserve,
Lawsons Pass, wildflowers.
5 spots left. CLICK HERE TO BOOK
SEPTEMBER: CEDERBERG SPRING TOUR (NEW) - 5 nights.
Highlights:
Val du Charron wine estate,
Bainskloof Pass,
Gydo Pass,
Piet Esterhuysen Pass,
Balie's Gat,
Blinkberg Pass,
Grootrivierhoogte,
Matjiesrivier,
Cederberg Park (Kromrivier),
Truitjieskraal,
Stadsaal Caves,
Cederberg Winery,
Kromrivier Pass,
Eselbank,
Kerskop Pass,
Wupperthal.
Hoek se Berg Pass,
Biedouw Valley (wildflowers),
Kouberg Pass,
Pakhuis Pass,
Clanwilliam Dam,
Nieuwoudts Pass,
Algeria,
Skimmelberg Rooibos Farm experience,
Katbakkies Pass,
Tankwa Padstal.
2 SPOTS LEFT. CLICK HERE TO BOOK
Trygve Roberts
"If peace cannot be maintained with honour, it is no longer peace" ~ Lord John Russell
