Wild Eastern and Western Cape, 3 Weeks in South Africa, September 2017 (page 7 of 8)

The pass

It didn’t disappoint me! Long and rather challenging! Beautiful!

Since the rain didn’t show up, the river crossings were easy. We climb up, we go back down... the edges are sometimes steep.

Hey Michel, wouldn’t you try adding a map?... ‘cause I’m kinda lost here 🤪 Muriel

Any animals?

Yes, buffaloes and rhinos too.

Baviaans was largely unknown for a long time. Until the day a buffalo gored a hiker...

Big spotlight moment, and it became clear that the walk had to take these big beasts into account. Around 20 rhinos... all black!

Rhino dunk



Tree destroyed by baboons



Kudus and an antelope whose name I’ve forgotten, sorry





Vervet



The Hilux and the tortoise



Who got there first?

And a map, here we go!



So, in the West, Willowmore, where we’re coming from.

In the East, Patensie, where we’re headed.

The orange section is the reserve, and the enclosed blue area is private (that’s where we stayed)... We’ve just entered the reserve by following the road.

The pass has existed since the beginning, so since the mid-18th century.

You can still see traces of it (a bit like the route to California with the wagon wheel ruts... or the Great Trek route, same thing).



Near the summit, the current road—the "black" trail is the old track.

Uhh, I meant a map with your whole route on it 😇 ... because you kinda left me hanging since Knysna 😊

In the middle of the pass, you'll cross the biggest ford—the Kouga River.

Just before that, if you're coming from the west, there's a picnic area... A little tip: cross it by continuing to your left, and 1 km further on, you'll find a second picnic area, deserted with the river all to yourselves!

Great spot for fishing or even a swim.

And a map, here we go...

https://www.google.fr/maps/dir/Port+Elizabeth, +Afrique+du+Sud/Mountain+Zebra+National+Park, +Afrique+du+Sud/Graaff-Reinet, +Afrique+du+Sud/Karoo+National+Park+Campsite/Die+Hel+(Gamkaskloof+Wilderness+Valley)/Knysna, +Afrique+du+Sud/Willowmore, +Afrique+du+Sud/Patensie, +Afrique+du+Sud/Port+Elizabeth, +Afrique+du+Sud/@-33.6757234,23.7135791,8z/data=!4m81!4m80!1m5!1m1!1s0x1e7b290045ffd62b:0x86fd2337cd894226!2m2!1d25.5207358!2d-33.7139247!1m5!1m1!1s0x1e7d6dc564b5af1b:0x188b4e28ebe5be84!2m2!1d25.1355545!2d-32.1692586!1m5!1m1!1s0x1e7d9232c51e82c5:0x934a33e520825f81!2m2!1d24.5480227!2d-32.2547052!1m10!1m1!1s0x1c2aae9c6fa2a4cf:0x88b07308deb182e!2m2!1d22.4925895!2d-32.3330535!3m4!1m2!1d22.2352305!2d-33.5922912!3s0x1dd5e9f2607bd387:0xabaa7fa335bc6c8e!1m10!1m1!1s0x1dd45a2f0b698ad9:0xb0c2c09fa1b66041!2m2!1d21.62871!2d-33.36282!3m4!1m2!1d23.0356994!2d-34.0369323!3s0x1e78ea91b06e3d67:0xaa3a43765760ef16!1m10!1m1!1s0x1e78ea4096010cd9:0xbe2ab9e17550cecd!2m2!1d23.0464693!2d-34.0350856!3m4!1m2!1d23.1547156!2d-33.8978048!3s0x1e78c48f065ac1c3:0xc63d0f2ea6e2efad!1m10!1m1!1s0x1e7edc2b32bac591:0x3f19c0abc4c4b67f!2m2!1d23.4895156!2d-33.287665!3m4!1m2!1d23.9471911!2d-33.5355988!3s0x1e794d65b2bbad1f:0x474e82d6999331f5!1m10!1m1!1s0x1e7ba6a7ee95a53d:0xf6d819c770fbcf44!2m2!1d24.8122367!2d-33.755182!3m4!1m2!1d24.8085854!2d-34.1351284!3s0x1e7a50cd7278cf23:0x3a9d86e9d43a597a!1m5!1m1!1s0x1e7b290045ffd62b:0x86fd2337cd894226!2m2!1d25.5207358!2d-33.7139247!3e0

and an antelope whose name I don’t remember, sorry

The Bushbuck 🙂

Thanks 😉

There are still people living in the reserve who were there before it was created. Not many, but a few. Here, it's... donkeys at every corner... uh... no streets... just tracks... Quite a few are semi-free-roaming, actually.

Almost as many as the tortoises...

Oh, there we go! Thanks! 🙂

Part 2 of the pass is even a bit more complicated.

We start with the most important ford... but it's easy this season.





There are two campgrounds run by Baviaans officials, Rooihoek and Dooringkloof...

Fellow campers, the place is pretty nice, but the baboons are always around and relentless in their persistence! Also, the restrooms are in a state... (if you can even call them restrooms).











The landscapes and challenges keep coming.

A little note for those who might get a flat tire...

First off, if you leave the main road like I did, you’re moving away from any traffic... which isn’t the best idea. If you do, try not to do it in the middle of a baboon convention... And to avoid a flat, steer clear of acacia thorns.

Anyway, since I didn’t do either of those things—or listen to my own advice...

Here I am with a flat tire. Check out the "rescue" T-shirt!



No big deal, except the spare tire is secured with an extra chain (to prevent theft) and, of course, a padlock...

When you’re not too bright and lying under the car, it’s hard to realize the lock is protected by a plastic cover... and it’s only after... well, duh!... that you figure it out!

That said, if you break down there... No signal, hardly any traffic, and at least 2 hours either way to get a tow truck.

The final part.

So we end up in the valley.

What a surprise!

Here, everything is green, dust-free, lusher—citrus is grown like crazy...









Why did the settlers leave this obvious oasis—so much more pleasant to live in—just to get lost on the other side... and stay there???

Couldn’t our Peter, the lonely bachelor working in his lost valley, come here instead???

You really have to have bush in your blood and a taste for isolation to go and stay in the first part of the valley. As a tourist, I appreciated the isolation, but to live there...

Anyway, Patensie welcomes us... A small, peaceful town that lives off citrus.

By the way, if you need a tire repaired... don’t hesitate... less than 50 ZAR! Unbeatable!

We’re staying at Ripple Hill tonight.

An old-school hotel... right in the middle of renovations and very basic. A bar with... whites and blacks. Same for the restaurant, and a cheap meal.

We’re definitely in everyday South Africa, that’s for sure!

So much so that you have to book and choose your breakfast and what’s in it the day before...

Make sure to arrive on time to have it (or else you’ll be punished?)

And before 8 AM because after that... there’s no more electricity! And this has been going on for a year!

So all that's left is to head back to our starting point, PE... Stopping by to say a quick hello to the ocean... with wind strong enough to blow the horns off a bull.



St Francis and Plettenberg Bay are really upscale beach resorts.

Deserted... They even built a fake "marina" with a real lagoon...





Upscale for some, much less so for others...

The A380 is waiting for us in Joburg via PE.



A little recap?

You might have noticed we stayed far from the classic, "touristy" routes in South Africa—both in terms of wildlife and landscapes.

The pace, too... slow, in contrast to the usual rush.

It was intentional. Taking our time. Trying to see and experience a deeper, more real South Africa. Getting off the beaten path.

Sure, it’s easier when you’ve already got a few trips to South Africa under your belt.

We wanted it, we got it!

The highlights?

The stunning Karoo parks (Mountain Zebra and Karoo NP, Camdeboo to a lesser extent) with the added bonus of spotting buffaloes, lions, and black rhinos—beyond the usual sights in those areas! And a tracking story to tell!

The incredible 4x4 roads that took us to beautiful, surprising, and unusual places.

The whales in Knysna.

All those encounters!

The lows?

Meh, maybe one or two dodgy meals?

A personal highlight?

The reactions of South Africans (Black and white) when they heard me speaking Zulu! With the cherry on top being our last meal at Tambo, at Ocean Basket... where the servers (who spoke Zulu themselves) were completely surprised... ending in genuine laughter.

Well, that’s about it...

I think I’ll have to go back... Gotta keep practicing my Zulu, right? (Good excuse, isn’t it?)

Thanks for this travel journal! !😉