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.

Kruger National Park

To be honest about it, it is difficult to describe Kruger. You visit Kruger or any other similar game reserve in Africa not just to see the animals but to experience timeless Africa within your heart of hearts. Earnest Hemingway did it, so did Robert Ruark and Peter Hathaway Capstick. Even President Roosevelt had felt it in his veins when he took a long safari in East Africa way back in 1908.

And we felt it too as we entered into the vastness of the twenty-five thousand square kilometers of Kruger National Park in South Africa about a month ago. But we were also lucky in several respects. One of the Kruger’s Big Five that consisted of elephants, buffalo, leopard, lion and rhino chose to appear and block the road in front of us as we crossed the gate to proceed a couple of miles inside. Imagine a towering tusker looming grotesquely large a few feet away from your windscreen with swinging trunk almost touching the bonnet of the Toyota. We had nothing else to do but to wait and see. So did a lot of other cars that piled up behind that of ours. However, after several long minutes that felt like hours the pachyderm finally decided to leave us alone and ambled off into the nearby bush.

We traveled by asphalted road and gravel tracks all through the day and saw many animals, save and except the rest of the big five. There were zebra, giraffe, impala and wildebeest in great number. We came across warthogs wallowing in the sludge at many waterholes and a family of baboons foraging at the roadside meadow. But what amazed us most was their camouflage. You see a giraffe now and the next moment that tall fellow is lost to sight as he stands next to a baobab, trying to rub his chin against its loftier branches.

Even though there are several lunching spots spread all over Kruger, we chose the Satara Campsite that had a fine restaurant. We ordered steak but were offered omelets. ‘No meat, Bawana’, lamented the cook-cum-steward, ‘the baboons had raided the camp before lunch hour and everything has been pilfered. Only a few eggs kept in the cupboard have been saved’. We had no other option but to gorge as many omelets as possible and then leave the place in search of the lions as these predators are often seen in late afternoon, stalking an impala or a kudu straggler that has come out of the herd and then feels difficult to rejoin.

And indeed this happened right in front of us. On taking a turn towards Szukuza Camp we suddenly came across a lioness stalking a larger kudu through the grassland, its belly almost touching the ground while three more lionesses simultaneously charged at their prey from three other sides. Needless to say, the prey animal was run down and killed very shortly when a strange thing happened. A massive black-maned lion appeared from behind the bush a few feet behind our vehicle, ambled over leisurely towards the kill and literally toasted the meat. I was later informed about this strange custom among lions in which the male leads a lordly life, doing nothing except eating and mating while his harem members provide his food on their own.

Garden Route Entry Into The Tsitsikamma National Park

While the Park basically is a coastal reserve, the route (Garden Route) covers a scenic stretch of the coastline that starts from the Mossel Bay in the Western Cape to the Storms River that is crossed through the N2 Coastal Highway. Then it goes over the Paul Sauer Bridge right up to the Eastern Cape. Garden Route is a befitting name since it takes the traveler through a garden-like country dotted with numerous ecologically different plants, lakes and blue lagoons. The route also covers several towns that include Knysna, Oudtshoorn, Nature’s valley which is a holiday resort tucked between the foothills of the Tsitsikamma Mountains, the Indian Ocean and the Groot River lagoon. George happens to be the largest city as well as the principal administrative centre of the Garden Route.

Above all, it boasts of a fantastic climate, considered as the second mildest type of weather after Hawaii, according to the Guinness Book of Records. Temperatures rarely go below 10º C (minimum) in winter and seldom climb above 28º C (maximum) at the height of the summer. Precipitation is year-round with a tendency to peak during the spring, caused no doubt by the moisture affected sea wind coming from the Indian Ocean. In short, it is credited with Maritime West-Coast Climate with mild to medium summers and mild to cool winters, allowing visitors to enjoy the trek all through the year.

The mesmerizing trail carves its way between the Tsitsikamma and Outeniqua Mountains with the Indian Ocean keeping constant company. The local forests appear to be an assortment of Cape Fynbos and Temperate Forest, providing excellent hiking trails that include eco-tourism activities. The bird life in this region appears prolific, varying from fynbos to woodlands to wetlands.

There are altogether 10 nature reserves embracing the ecosystem of the area plus distinctive marine reserves that are home to dolphins, seals and many other aquatic fauna. What is more, several bays along the Garden Route function as nurseries for the endangered Southern Right Whale that reaches the bays to calve during the winter and spring.

Even though people usually explore the Garden Route in cars, some of the more romantic type prefer rail travel provided by Africa’s last remaining steam-engine train, the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe.

Ever been to the "Ostrich Capitol of the World"?

Had it not been for Carl, we would never have made it. He took us up through the Robinson Pass to Oudtshoom, which is believed to be the ‘ostrich capitol of the world’ for the simple reason that wherever you happen to look, you sure would see hundreds of these over-sized birds moving about or feeding. It was more or less like the cattle in WY! However, the mountain pass was fabulous and we enjoyed every bit of the journey with the foaming coastline serving as the backdrop as we descended through another hilly pass.

But Carl knew the place like the palm of his hands. The first stop was at the wonderful Cango Caves with their bushman paintings. Call it primitive if you like but the figures were almost alive and breathtaking even after they have been exposed to the elements all these years. Among the many graphics, the image of an elephant was stunning. However, it was time to leave and Carl stepped on the gas as soon as we fastened our seatbelts.

Our next stop was for lunch at the Oudtshoom Inn, appropriately festooned with ostrich feathers and the lunchroom filled with palate-tickling flavor of barbequed ostrich fillets. Since this appeared to be the customary dish at the Inn, we ordered a plate each for three of us (that included me and wife Barbara plus Carl) and when it arrived with mouth-watering French Dressing and a side dish of French fries, well, we forgot about everything else and just tucked in till the plates were polished.

But the real fun of the day started as we reached the Cango Ostrich Farm, a fantastic farmhouse teeming with birds of all size and shape. There were large male birds that could be ridden; temperamental females not to be touched for fear of getting pecked and tiny ostriches herded by mother birds that wouldn’t let anyone come near them. However, the height of entertainment a-la-ostrich style comprised “Ostrich Kissing” comprising a man holding a ostrich food pellet between his lips and at a given command a male bird will come near and gracefully pick it out of his lips, simulating a kissing effect.

However, we were mistaken in thinking that the farms were making most of their profits out of selling ostrich meat. In reality, they got 15% of their income from the sale of feathers, 25% from the meat but the lion’s share comes from leather products made that are out of ostrich hide, which is fairly expensive in the open market. As for ostriches ‘falling in love’, we were told that when the male bird gets really horny, its beaks and long legs turn red and, true enough, we found a mating ostrich with the male partner sporting a pair of bright red legs !