Travel
Every year, Noelene and I organise a trip through the Eastern Cape, with the highlight being traversing Baviaanskloof. Each trip has been slightly different to the previous one, with this trip, in my opinion, being the best one!
The idea was to meet up at the village at the mouth of the Bushman’s River, Boesmansriviermond, near Kenton-on-Sea. Mike and Clara arrived a few days early and we enjoyed a ride up the Bushman’s River in our little boat and walks on the beach.
The rest of the group—Roy and Naome, Doug and Santie, and Dave and Valery—arrived on the Friday, the day before the official departure. Doug and Dave booked a campsite at Cannon Rocks, 20 or so kilometres from Bushman’s. We arranged a braai for that evening, and I admit that I was shocked to my little toes when I saw that Doug and Dave had brought a caravan and camping trailer along. This is definitely not a caravan or trailer-friendly route and I voiced my hesitation.
The long and the short was that Doug decided to continue despite my fears, and Dave decided to withdraw from the trip. This was not entirely due to my warnings but also to Valery not feeling up to scratch. We also heard that Roger would not be able to make it because of personal problems at home.
Saturday: Bushman’s to Ocean View
On Saturday morning, the remaining four vehicles met at Bushman’s River with our first destination set for Bathurst for breakfast. We drove via the "poor man’s game drive" (the old main road from Port Elizabeth to Port Alfred, now incorporated into the Sibuya Game Reserve) and the winding road through the spectacular Cowie River Valley.
After brunch (the trip took longer than expected due to the bad roads), we wandered along to the Fish River Lighthouse, a place worth a visit. This historic building was erected in the late 19th century with the light first shining on 1 July 1898. The warning light has a strength of 5,000,000 candelas and is 85 metres above the high water mark with a shine range of 32 sea miles. Wish I had that on the front of my Hilux!
The most unique feature about the light is that it has no bearings for the 2-ton light to spin on, but rather it floats in a bed of mercury—ingenious!
From there, we drove back past the Bushman’s River, towards Boknes, and onto the scenic gravel road going to Alexandria that services all the dairy farms in the area. We turned off the gravel onto a farm road and came out at a camping site, Ocean View, where we arranged to spend 2 nights amongst the dense Eastern Cape bush on the edge of the sand dunes. This made for a snug campsite sheltered from the wind.
Interest: The location of this campsite is on the eastern edge of the area with the largest shifting dunes in the southern hemisphere—truly spectacular!
Sunday: Beach Day
The next day was spent exploring the beach—miles and miles of pristine beach where there is not another soul to be seen!
Monday: To Brakkeduine
Monday morning, bright and early, we set off towards Port Elizabeth where we planned to leave Max, our faithful hound, for the duration of the trip, then on to Humansdorp and finally to a resort called Brakkeduine. Doug and Santie, pulling their caravan, suffered a puncture and stopped in the little town of Alexandria to have the tyre repaired. We decided that the remainder would go on in convoy through Port Elizabeth and meet them there.
Once clear of Port Elizabeth, the three remaining vehicles followed the R102, down the old Van Staden’s Pass, across the single lane bridge spanning the Gamtoos River, and past Jefferey’s Bay. At Humansdorp, we hit the gravel roads and eventually reached Brakkeduine in the late afternoon. Doug and Santie were already there, with Doug trying his hand at fishing in the dam. The campsites are to die for—set along manicured grassy terraced ledges overlooking the dam, each site separated by neatly trimmed hedges.
Tuesday: Dune Adventure
The following morning we met Johan, our guide for the day. After airing down (0.6 bar!), we set off in convoy to attack the dunes. Before we reached the first dune, Doug pulled a tyre off the rim. We all got stuck in to repair the wheel and were on the road again fifteen minutes later. The airjack proved its usefulness!
We played in the sand for the next few hours, then Roy managed to pull one of his tyres off the rim—on a steep incline and in the boiling heat of the midday sun. This time the airjack did not do so well! We were eventually forced to use Mike’s trusty hi-lift jack. Eventually, we changed wheels and headed for camp, then back to Humansdorp to get the wheel repaired.
Doug had also picked up a problem with his Prado, and he and Santie decided to head to the Toyota garage in Joubertina, further along the R62, with the plan that we would all meet up again in Kareedouw.
Wednesday: Rus en Vrede Trail
From Kareedouw, we headed off north into the mountains. The road was rocky and full of loose stones. I was concerned about the tyres on Doug’s Prado and caravan, but we arrived at our camp as the sun was setting. Baviaans Lodge is situated in the Kouga Mountains at the start of the Rus en Vrede trail across the mountains to the Baviaanskloof. The campsite is cosy, set among the trees on the bank of a small stream. There is a hot water shower and toilets, all well maintained and clean.
We enjoyed an evening around the campfire, though I went to bed concerned about Doug pulling his caravan over the mountains.
On Wednesday morning, everyone was packed and ready to go by 08:00. The day was slow going but with no delays or problems. The only casualty was the awning from Mike’s Cruiser, which was shaken free and rescued by Roy.
The Rus en Vrede trail, originally cut by woodcutters in the 1800s, now crosses three farms. It consists of gravel, loose rocks, eroded farm tracks, and mountain terrain. There are 13 gates that had to be opened and closed—thank you Noelene and Naome!
The views are breathtaking, covering seven different mountain ranges. We were lucky with the weather—clear skies, no wind, and cool temperatures. The proteas were in bloom and the centuries-old cycads stood tall over the peaks.
Thursday: Into the Kloof
The trail ends at Rus en Vrede farm, where you pay the farmer per vehicle and person. We entered the Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve, crossing Holgat’s Pass, Kombrink’s Pass, and the Grootrivier Pass. The roads were rough and slow-going but scenic.
Our destination was Kudu Kaya, a working citrus farm. We camped on a hill overlooking the farm. Doug did some repairs to the caravan and Santie spent time cleaning up food shaken loose—custard and gunk everywhere!
Friday: To Kaboega
Thursday morning, we drove to Steytlerville via Antonie’s Pass—a rugged rock and gravel road. After lunch at the Royal Hotel in Steytlerville, we continued to Kaboega, a private farm near Addo Elephant Park. We camped at a big dam and were warmly welcomed by Ian Ritchie and his wife Sandy.
Friday morning, Ian and Sandy joined us for coffee. Sandy shared insights into Bushman’s paintings and local history. Ian then led us around the 6,000-hectare farm, sharing his deep knowledge of biodiversity, plants, and terrain. Apart from a locked gate we had to cut open, the day was smooth. We ended with a swim in a mountain pool instead of visiting more rock art sites due to the time.
Saturday: Mountain Zebra Park
On Saturday, we took scenic gravel roads to the Mountain Zebra Park via Somerset East and Cradock. After breakfast in Somerset East, we passed through Swarthoek and Maraiskloof Passes to Cradock for fuel, then entered the Park and set up camp.
Though we originally planned to stay one night, everyone decided to stay an extra day for game drives. The reserve is home to a wide range of plains animals, especially the rare mountain zebra, and other wildlife found in the gorges and valleys.
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Richard M. Fudge
The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page. Every journey we undertake is a chapter filled with lessons, experiences, and stories.