Tag Archives: South Africa
Camel/Organ Pipes day hike
There are seven Drakensberg passes that I have rated five stars in terms of quality – four of which are at Didima. So when I am asked what my favourite Drakensberg region is, I don’t think it comes as a surprise to anyone when I respond Didima. With work sending me to Pietermaritzburg for a […]
December 2021 Cape Trip day 7: Seweweekspoort
I checked out of El Yolo fairly early – I wanted to explore the area a bit. Leaving El Yolo was an interesting experience – from one perspective it had been a really great place to stay, but from another, I can’t see why I’d ever go back there. There was one thing I wanted […]
December 2021 Cape Trip day 5: Blesberg
I woke up to a beautiful morning in the Kammanassie Mountains. Looking back up the mountain I had climbed the day before, I could clearly see that my route choice had been the right one. Sometimes a quick look at a mountain from below can answer a lot of questions – which is why the […]
December 2021 Cape Trip day 3: Mannetjiesberg
Mannetjiesberg, at 1955m, is the highest point in the Kammanassie Mountains. It has 1114m prominence, thus making it one of the more prominent peaks in South Africa. I had never heard of the Kammanassie Mountains before I identified the list, and could find very little information on this peak online. When I found there was […]
December 2021 Cape Trip day 2: Day Off/Desolation Peak
After an epic start to my trip, I decided to take the second day as a rest/exploration day. The goals were simple: visit a few places around Graaff Reinet, buy some items and then drive to Uniondale. My brother had suggested I visit the fossil museum in Graaff Reinet. I looked it up on google, […]
December 2021 Cape Trip day 1 part 2: Murch Point
The line between a really good day and a really bad day can be remarkably thin. As I descended off Compassberg, knowing it wasn’t even 11AM yet, and knowing the drive to get back to this region again tomorrow would be long- and would mean I miss out on what I want to do around […]
December 2021 Cape Trip day 1 part 1: Compassberg
In December 2020 I had planned to do a road trip to climb Compassberg and Murch Point – but when lockdown restrictions were increased to exclude inter-provincial travel, I had to put the plans on hold. For December 2021, I had hoped to make a similar trip, with looping around to Cockscombe, Groot Winterberg and […]
Cape Trip day 12: Simonsberg
When I booked my Cape trip, I had considered flying home on the Monday. When I saw the price of tickets for that day, I opted to stay an additional day and have a go at one of the easiest peaks on the 1km prominence list – Simonsberg. I first noticed Simonsberg as I came […]
Cape Trip days 9 to 11: Hex Mountains
I have found comparisons between mountains in the Cape and the Drakensberg to be unfair. The appeal of both is very different – the Drakensberg is always going to win on scale and altitude, while the Cape has better quality rock for climbing, as well as the peaks being more separate and thus generally more […]
Cape Trip day 7: Sneeukop (Skurweberge)
The Skurweberg is a small mountain range north of Ceres and south of the Koue-Bokkeveld – or, more specifically, in the middle of nowhere. At 2070m, Sneeukop is the highest summit in the range. With the Leeurivier (Lions River) separating the Skurweberge from the Koue-Bokkeveld at an altitude below 1000m, the range is effectively separate […]
Ghaznavid Hiking 
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