BAVIAANS KLOOF FEBRUARY 2004.

BAVIAANS KLOOF
TRIP OF 27. 28. & 29 FEBRUARY 2004.

This trip was set up by Trevor & Anita Jennings. They are experienced Baviaans and adventure explorers. Trevor called me about this trip during January this year and I had a reasonable memory of the drive through the Baviaans Kloof from the trip that we did two years ago on our way to the Orange River adventure. I said Yes, Include us!

Two weeks before the trip we gathered at Trevor and Anita’s house for a pre-Baviaans briefing and supper. It was only here that I realized who would be with us on the trip. A great group of people, mainly connected to the church. There was Lou, Barbara and their two daughters (Shanene, son in law Brain and family), Derrick and Linda, Rob and Trish & family, Hannes, Jacqui and family; John, Carol and family; Jacqui, Tindall and family; Rory and Joanne; Maxine, and ourselves. It was going to be a terrific group of diverse people with the common ground of being Christians. I began to really look forward to the trip.

At this briefing, Trevor warned us of some of the problems that we might encounter: Baboons, Monkeys and Buffalo. In addition we talked about meal and other logistical arrangements. It was a good time to chat and get to know the group.

On the Friday 27th, I took a few days leave so that I would not be rushed. Alli had a party at the Supertube with one of her friends, Megan Oddy so we agreed that we would leave after this important function. The 27th is also Barbara’s birthday and she had a lunch planned with the girls. So while Barbara and Alli were out partying, I got stuck into packing and getting the grocery shopping ready.
We eventually picked Alli up at 14.30 and left town by about 15.00H.

The Road to the Baviaans Kloof from PE goes through Loerie, Hankey and Patensie. Shortly after Patensie (about 100kays from PE) the road becomes a dirt road. The first ten or so kays is acceptable but becomes rough as you enter the wilderness reserve. Alli did what she does best. Slept in the back. This allows Barbara & I to have a bit of a chat and take in the scenery instead of entertaining our beloved child.

One of the most amazing sights of the Kloof is the fact that this is a River bed from millions of years ago and you see the round stones of the ancient river embedded in the cliff face way above you as you drive past. Entering the Kloof is also a treat as you are able to see the cliff formation that was created by upheavals and eruptions of millions of years ago. Then there is also the river flowing just below. All of this makes for a very interesting drive.

After a short while the road becomes increasingly rough and you seem to be on a road made exclusively for four-wheel drive vehicles. The road begins to ascend up and up a narrow, winding track with little more space than one expects to find on a flat jeep track. There is certainly little place for two vehicles to pass each other and the road comprises rock and donga’s.

From the entrance to the Kloof there is about a 20 kay drive to the Rooi Hoek camping area where we were to meet the others. This section of road is incredibly scenic and needs to be taken slowly to be able to enjoy the splendour and majestic beauty of the reserve. Together with the enjoyment of the views and the terrible track that is wrongly called a road, the drive takes about 1and a half to 2 hours. Don’t miss the Red Hartebees that gather in herds on the first crest; also the beautiful stone walls so carefully built by the pioneer farmers of the region.
This is a dangerous road and should not be undertaken lightly nor is it advisable to start off late as it would be treacherous to drive in the dark. One should be prepared for a very slow drive to avoid damage to the vehicle or tyres as repairs would be very difficult and there is no cell phone reception except for the short area where the Red Hartebees herds are seen.

We took about three hours from PE to Rooi Hoek … a distance of about 150kays.

At Rooi Hoek we met with the group and found a site for the tent. We are reasonably experienced at setting up camp and were soon settled in with our stretchers, tables, cookers and eats. Being wary of the monkeys we packed all edibles away and went for a walk to the beach. However I left the tent for a few moments to try to see a pair of Fish Eagles that Barbara had spotted and in those few minutes the monkeys were in the tent, they opened the milk carton and stole some of Alli’s sweets. After this incident we were wiser and repacked all our provisions and even clothes in the combi. The beach is a stretch of river sand that puts the most white clean sand of the ocean beach to shame. The water was warm and refreshing and the children (and adults ) were soon wallowing in the water.

Some of the campers had inflatable mattresses and used the vehicle batteries to pump these up. The problem with this is that the car should be left running while this is being done otherwise this exercise tends to run the battery flat. Fortunately I had Jumper leads and we were able to start the vehicles.

Barbara went back to the tent to fetch something and shouted at us that there were again troops of monkeys and baboons in the tents. They were busy stealing anything that had a smell or that was soft such as the toiletries, toothpaste and tissues.
We had now learned that nothing is safe from these marauders and felt lucky to get away lightly with little of real consequence being stolen. I think that Trish was quite disgusted when she learned that a baboon had been chewing at her toothbrush!

The beach and swimming was delightful and it was only the call of hunger that lured us back to the camp. Hannes set up the fireplace and we soon had a roaring fire and drinks all round. The evening was perfect. We were a group of 18 adults and 14 children chatting and playing in the light of a fire in the wilderness. Is there more to life than this?
The coals settled and out came the meat and potatoes. And for some more organized people; there were salads and other delights.

I think that we were all pretty tired and the thought of a mattress and a tent was too inviting to be missed. The night was quite eventful as a dead tree situated not more that ten meters from our tent split in the middle of the trunk in the night. This prompted the monkeys in the tree next to our tent to leap onto the tent and the whole commotion woke me for a few milliseconds before I fell fast asleep again.

I was awake pretty early the next morning to the sound of the Zeelie boys chatting and shooting their catapults at the monkeys in the trees. I went down to the river and had myself a bath with the special (biodegradable) soap that can be used in rivers. When I got back Barbara was up and we soon had the hot water going and had ourselves hot chocolate and rusks for breakfast.

I had registered for a course on the new testament and we spent some of the morning doing our homework and readings. It is a very interesting course to do. The rest of the day was spent in the water, on the “rapids” with tubes, lazing on the beach & sleeping in the tents (which in our case became too hot as the trees did not shade us from the midday sun). Some of the group went on game drives and walks into the Kloof. Later that afternoon Lou took us for a short walk up to the ridge where there is a magnificent view of the valley below and we were able to see some Kudu and Baboons next to the river. We started the fire a bit earlier than the previous evening and soon a number of the group began to gather around the fire. It amazed me the amount of equipment that was taken into the Kloof; tables and chairs, fine wines and ice cold drinks together with an array of meat and eats made for a gourmet dinner around the fire again created by Hannes.

Happily, Derrick and Linda had come through that afternoon. Derrick had fallen ill the previous day and had not been up to the drive. It was so great to be there that evening. Listening to the fireside conversation and the screams of delight from the children as they told each other stories and played in the darkness by torchlight. The weekend was coming to an end as we began to discuss leaving times for the next day. It seemed that Anita wanted to get home it time for evening dinner and there were various opinions of other times that would be suitable. One of the great things of this weekend was that there were very few rules. It soon became evident that there were a number of very tired bodies; the sun and exercise had taken its toll. So it was off to bed and a far more peaceful nights rest.

The next morning started the same way for me with a bath in the river, coffee and rusks and a bit of study. But the rain began to fall and Barbara & I decided to leave early. It did not take us long to pack up and we were on our way home just before 09.00am. We said our goodbyes to some who looked like they too would leave fairly early and others who looked settled for the day. I personally was quite happy to leave early as I had marking and other preparation work to do for the week ahead.
We later heard that those who stayed on for a bit longer had some stories to tell. Like when Lou took the men for a long (three hour) walk into the bundu. These chaps were lucky enough to come across a herd of Eland within about 20 meters of when they were hiking. We also heard the story Rob who met up with a Fiat Multiplia high up in the kloof. It seems that there were 5 Italian tourists in the vehicle and that they had hit the sump plug out and lost all their oil. Fortunately a Landrover driver had been able to assist them out and pulled them out of the really treacherous section of the road and then back to Patensie.

We drove exceptionally slowly and took every rock and turn in the road very carefully and with great respect. The toughness of this road was again brought home to us as we lurched over and straddled across the rocks and ditches of the track. The slow drive is made worthwhile by the beauty of the views and valleys of the Kloof and the wonderful camping experience that we enjoyed at Rooi Hoek.

As we left the Kloof we passed a number of 4 X 4 vehicles, fortunately none where the road was really too narrow to accommodate two vehicles side by side. We made a stop in Patensie for breakfast. There is a delightful shop called Tollbos that is run by two local ladies. I had a Kudu pie while the others had more conventional meals of bacon and egg sandwiches. As we were leaving John and Carol arrived. I think also for a meal. The road along Patensie is tar but a real farm side road as the red soil of the fields gives the road additional colour. The citrus orchards are often lined with Poplar tress, bougainvillea and rose bushes. There is clearly a degree of pride in the area for the quality of the farmlands.

We were home by 13.00, unpacked and gave the combi a good wash. I was then able to do the homework that is essential for the week ahead.

Thanks to Trevor and Anita for setting this weekend up. I will recommend that anyone who receives an invitation to join the Jenning’s on one of their adventure trips to say yes immediately just in case your place is taken up while you procrastinate.


Peter, Barbara and Alli Giddy
29 February 2004.