Myburgh’s Waterfall Ravine

The Table Mountain along with its hilly escarpments facing the city of Cape Town is a hiker’s paradise. Numerous treks traverse through this mountainous region either going to the top or leading to picturesque valleys and waterfalls dotted with many flowering plants. One of these will take you to the Myburgh’s Waterfall Ravine, which has been named after Hugo Hendrik Myburgh who once farmed near the foot of the ravine. The route to Myburgh’s Waterfall Ravine is mostly covered with Disa Uniflora plants that burst into magnificent bloom mostly during January through March every year.

Hikers attempting to reach Myburgh’s Waterfall Ravine have two options (both being equally hazardous and so appear more inviting to daring souls), one starting from the Constantia Nek while the other through the Suikerbossie turn-off from Atlantic Drive, bang opposite the Little Lion’s Head. Most people, though prefer the former and hence is described below.

Nevertheless, those preferring to take the former route should remember that the trekker has to negotiate numerous twists and turns before reaching the destination. For instance, immediately after the descent from Constantia Nek on the road towards Hout Bay, one has to take the Disa Road turn-off to the right. After reaching the end of the road, he/she has to turn left into Valley Road and then take the first right hand turn that reaches Garron, straight into Connemara. From here one has to turn left into Hunter’s and then into Farriers to the top. There is also a pathway on the left, just before the end of the road. The backpacker should take this and ascend through the contour trail that runs from Suikerbossie to the Orange Kloof, which of course, is part of a classified area. Nevertheless, the trekker has to turn right and follow the same contour trail for a short distance to reach the wooded ravine.

While in the ravine, you should look for the route that is marked by a pile of boulders strategically placed for your benefit. Once you reach this, carry on through it for about a quarter of an hour to reach a cliff face situated to the left of the ravine. You will need to scramble up through the rock formation going to a relatively higher level where the pathway continues into the ravine.

Reaching this point, you may find boulders resembling large prehistoric mammals resting under the shade of lofty indigenous trees where the trek veers to right, ascending an easy gradient. This is the site for numerous Disa blooming brightly among rocky crevices, presenting a glorious setting, the ideal location for a much needed lunch break.

However, one should continue along the rock face dotted with delightful Disa till higher in the gorge the waterfall would be visible at a close range. But one should not run for it from the near side as it very slippery. Instead, one may go over the cascade to the opposite end and then climb through a better trek where the ravine opens out, offering gorgeous views over the Orange Kloof with the Cape Flats and the False Bay lying far away. And that’s where the beautiful trek ends.

Climbing the Table Mountain

Although June and I are not actually globe trotters by the strictest sense of the paraphrase, we nevertheless, love visiting lesser publicized tourist spots, often finding them more interesting than the hackneyed ‘honeymooner’s heaven’ or the million dollar French Riviera. And that’s precisely how we found ourselves at Cape Town in South Africa on a chilly winter morning and was at once captivated by the flat-topped mountain overlooking the city that is known as the Table Top Mountain.

June looked at me and I looked at her face and we both knew that climbing up the silly looking mountain was the first priority in our mind. Settling down in a BB joint we made enquiries and were told that there are several trails to go up the mountain for able bodied hikers like us while others could avail of a lovely self-rotating cable car that takes a few minutes to reach the top. Needless to say, we preferred the hike but were confronted by several options.

Winter Ascent Of The Table Top Mountain

Even though there is a direct route from the city side to go up the mountain, it is usually discarded because of the steep cliffs around the summit whereas the trail that follows the Platteklip Gorge going to the top also provides a direct ascent sans the toil. However, if one wants to reach the top and at the same time enjoy the hike, it is better to take longer yet scenic trails that are described below for the benefit of those wishing to explore the area.

One of these longer routes goes via the Back Table, the comparatively lower portion of the main Table Top Mountain. From the southern suburbs area, the Nursery Ravine and Skeleton Gorge trails begin at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Another route via Skeleton Gorge to Maclear’s Beacon is popularly called Smut’s Track in memory of the keen hiker, Jan Smuts. There is also a Bridle Path or rather a Jeep Track that offers an easier ascent, starting from Constantia Nek and going along the road that was used for servicing the dams on the Back Table. Trails going to the top through the picturesque Table Mountain National Park which encompasses magnificent valleys, bays and beaches as well as the legendary Cape of Good Hope and known as the Hoerikwaggo Trails obviously take longer time to reach the summit.

However, we chose the most popular Kasteelspoort trail on the Atlantic side, leaving the Pipe Track, preferred by elderly walkers.

Cape Town Winelands Tour

While in Cape Town, the winelands tour, whether private or shared, is a must for anyone to discover and appreciate the beauty and heritage of Cape Winelands, often called wine routes. Way back in 1685, Simon van der Stel, the first Governor of the Cape, who himself was an authority on winemaking, had selected the fertile Constantia valley to set up his wine estate. Groot Constantia, developed by the late Governor is the oldest wine farm in South Africa that produces excellent red and white wines both.

The original Constantia Farm, over the year, have diversified into several individual units, each as distinctive as the other, producing world-class wine. Apart from these, there are several other wine routes that include Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Wellington and Paarl, equally famous for their priceless products. What however is common to all these wine estates include the views offered by them, being set against the backdrop of green mountains, lush valley and flowery meadows.

Also located at the foothills of the beautiful Constantiaberg Mountains, the Klein Constantia Estate, which is owned by the family members of the late Governor offers the same impressive views across the valley and towards the False Bay. It produces some of the finest South African wines. Wine sales and Tasting: Monday through Friday (09.00 to 17.00) Saturday (09.00 to 13.00). Cellar tours by appointment only.

As you proceed through the eastern slopes of the Constantiaberg Mountains, you can’t miss the Buitenverwachting Estate that was also once part of the original Constantia group started by Simon van der Stel. However, it has changed hands many times in the past and consequently had lost most its inherent goodwill. However, it has since been restored and is producing good quality wines. As an offshoot to the main business, the present owners have opened a continental style restaurant on the lawns of the estate which is currently rated amongst the top 10 in the country. Wine sales and Tasting: Mon-Fri (9.00 – 17.00); Sat (9.00 – 13.00). Cellar tour: by appointment only.

Yet another Constantia subsidiary is the Constantia Uitsig Estate that is famous for not only producing world-class wine but also for its award-winning restaurants named Constantia Uitsig and La Colombe both serving continental food. However, the Spaanschemat River Café owned by the Constantia group is mostly preferred by Cape Towners for dinner amidst breathtaking surroundings. Wine sales and Tasting: Mon – Fri (09.00 – 18.00); Sat (09.00 – 17.00).

Three Days in Pretoria

According to an old adage, a tour of Pretoria can truly bring to life the history of South Africa for which three days may prove rather inadequate. However, you might not have more time than this. So 3 days might be all that you can spend. Besides, it also depends on the mental make up of the person as to how he/she wishes to spend those precious days. For instance, a person more interested in sampling the night life of a city may become bored to death when invited to enter into a museum loaded with relics pertaining to the history of the place (which incidentally is true in the case of Pretoria).

However, since Africa is known for fascinating wild life, well preserved in many national game reserves that may become difficult to visit within such tight schedule, the time bound traveler may visit Pretoria’s famed Hartebeespoort Dam Snake & Animal Park that features lions, tigers, panthers, cheetahs, pumas, chimpanzees as well as many other primates, all kept in natural surroundings on day one. The Park is also home to many Animal TV and Movie Stars that regularly appear in local and international films and videos. Since most of the Park attendants have been well trained in breeding of threatened or endangered species like the Blackfoot wild Cat, Cape Hunting dog, etc they often impart such training activities to visitors who are interested in the subject.

The traveler may, during the first half of the day, visit Pretoria’s Hartebeespoort Aqurium that hosts an exciting array of African Pelicans, seals and other semi-aquatic animals and birds indigenous to Africa. On weekends, the Park attendants present live shows involving these rare species. The second half of the day may be spent at the Van Gaalen Cheese Farm to experience the fascinating process of cheese making according to old Dutch traditions and recipes. The wary traveler can have cheese with farm-style lunch along with coffee and cakes at the same premises at a nominal cost. Wine tasting is also offered on certain traditional Dutch holidays.

The third or the last day is a full day program at the Gaabo Motho Cultural Village where dancers from different African groups perform on a daily basis. Here they offer traditional accommodation in African village-like surroundings where drums beat to the tune of music played by Zulu, Ndebele, Tswana, Venda and other tribes. This gives the opportunity to the visitor to sample life as led by many African tribes in the most unorthodox way. Amazingly enough, the Gaabo Motho has conference center that can accommodate 300 people (in U-shape conference type) or 500 participants in cinema style.