A scenic but hard walk from Houtbay to Llundudno

Hiking Trail: Houtbay to Llundudno
Name of Reserve / Area: Karbonkelberg
Nearest Town: Houtbay, Llundudno
Province: Western Cape
Country: South Africa

Duration of hike: 6 - 7 hours

Our Hiking Guide: Dieter Heiser - aka Bosvark (u gotta love it!)



Directions to get there: From Cape Town CBD, take the scenic coastal road past Campsbay and Llundudno. Follow the road into Houtbay untill you reach the 3rd circle at the bottom end of the road. Turn right into Harbour road, pass the Mariners Warf on the left and continue with this road all the way.



Take the last road right into Skipper road. This will lead to a gravel road and a dead end. I do not recommend that you leave your car here, but this is where your walk starts (as seen in the pic below). We parked our cars at the Mariners Warf Restaurant and hitched a ride to the start of the walk. (We were also told that we were not allowed to park at this parking spot by the car guard of the restaurant, but do not let the owners bully you into moving your car. This is a public common ground parking area and there for everyone's use.)



Best time of year to go: (there are 4 things to take note of here)

1. A very early start (around 06h00) is recommended for the summer. You are walking in the shade almost 2/3 of the way.
2. This section of the mountain is fairly protected from a NW wind in winter, but caution is always recommended.
3. Make sure you start when the tide is going down, or else you will have to climb steep cliffs in places to escape the high tide.
4. This route is only recommended to be done by an experienced guide like Bosvark, do not attempt to do this one on your own.
   

We all gathered at the starting point marked by an old stone wall being a clear entrance to the start of this magnificent walk.



What costs did you incur to do this hike: none, but the guides may ask for a fee.

How safe is it: I always say that the mountains around Cape Town are never safe from crime and one should never drop your guard. Always take a mace spray and or a shocker along with you.
The phone signal is very poor and sometimes non-existent.
The route is exposed in many areas. Rock scrambling and bolder hopping is par for the course. According to the hikers in the know, every year this route has claimed lives, so please do not attempt this route on your own.



The route starts with a single track and bolder hopping for the better half of the way. Here is a view of our first peak that we pass, the Sentinel (331m) on the right as seen in the pic above.



Fresh Water: none, unless you are fortunate enough to pass a small running stream from the mountain. We often stopped to take a 5 min break and to re-group.





After bolder hopping for about an hour the route flattens out below the Karbonkelberg.



Another break on the rocks at Duiker Point and in front of a surfer spot known as the Dungeons - a world famous spot for surfers who wish to catch the biggest wave in Africa.



Leaving Duiker Point, we head off again to scramble the rocks below the cliffs of the Karbonkelberg.







The views along the entire way were breathtaking. The ocean was that beautiful sea-green and just to add to our delight, we saw a school of dolphins playing in the water below us.



Being the typical girl, my hands started feeling rather sensitive from this point on, and next time I do this walk, I will remember to bring my mountain bike gloves with me. At the end of the walk, I made a mental note that gloves and a medical kit is a must if I come here again. This route is just too isolated for you to not come fully prepared.



As seen in the pic above, again, we took another break, which gave the group a chance to regroup for the next 1 hour very tough leg to an area known as Leeugat by the first shipwreck (Bos 400 - 1994). From here we were exposed to the merciless heat of the day, and rough bush and shrub terrain.



A mere 1 meter of shade next to the rocks, gave us a welcome break from the sun and a chance to enjoy the opportunity to view this massive wreck from very close by.



This area known as Leeugat has 3 wrecks to prove what this part of the ocean has to offer on a bad weather day.

1. Bos 400 hit the rocks in June 1994 and all 18 of the crew survived by being airlifted safely to shore.
2. The Maori was a British steam ship that hit the rocks of the rocky peninsular known as Oudeschip (as seen far left in the pic above) in 1909. Only 22 of the 55 crew survived and she lies below the water to the right of this bay (as seen in the pic above).
3. The next shipwreck which can be seen on the rocks of Oudeschip landed there in 1986 known as the Harvest Capella. She was a long-liner owned by Sea Harvest.
   

After leaving the shipwreck Bos 400, we went scrambling again through very thick bush and schrubs for about 45 minutes - we reached the now deserted Rocket Station (built after the sinking of the Maori in 1909) at top of the rocky peninsular known as Oudeschip. Here is a clear view of the Harvest Capella. We chose not to go down into the valley, but opted to follow the jeep track above, which took on a easy walk down into Sandy bay. I saw many naked bodies all over the place. Most of the walkers could not wait to jump into the cold water, before taking the short 15 minute walk back to the carpark in Llundudno.

Difficulty: Its a long walk and only the fit and experienced hikers should attempt this. Many parts need rock scrambling, so if you have a fear for heights, then I will also recommend that you rather give this one a miss.

Pets: not recommended at all

How will I rate this hike? I have always wanted to walk here, but never knew the route existed. When Dieter invited me on his annual Houtbay to Llundudno walk (the 9th one this year!), I could not wait for it. The weather was perfect, the tides were low. The crowd that walked with us were awesome. I will not attempt this one on my own, but can not wait to take my friends along to show them parts of this route sometime in the future. The water at the famous Dungeons was flat as a pancake. It seemed like a different place to the one that Im normally used to seeing the biggest wave in Africa at. Very cool hike. Great memories to last a long time for me. Thanks again to Dieter and the guys who joined him on this walk. Also thanks to the gentleman that gave me his last plasters to cover my war-wound on my leg, and who saved me from being stuck in a deep pit in the rocks. Dolphins playing in the water below us... loved it all!




Thanks to Dieter and the very friendly crowd for an amazing experience.

Contact Information: email Bosvark

India Venster via Platteklip Gorge

Hiking Trail: India Venster via Platteklip Gorge
Name of Reserve / Area: Table Mountain National Park
Nearest Town: Cape Town, Camps Bay, Hugovale, Seapoint
Province: Western Cape
Country: South Africa



Duration of hike: 3 hours 30 min at a fast pace (it took me 1hr 6 min up Platteklip and 2 hours down, which included rock scrambling and running) so this can take much longer.

Directions to get there: From Cape Town CBD, drive up Buitengracht Road towards the mountain. At the top turn left onto Tafelberg Road. Follow the scenic road for about 10km. You will pass the entrance to the Cable Way, and then your stop will be at a wooden hut on the right of the road.

Best time of year to go: on a clear day (make sure it is not windy or raining)

What costs did you incur to do this hike: nothing

How safe is it: very dangerous. Not a route for average strollers or walkers. Involves many very high rocks which you need to scramble down. Always be careful from a crime perspective and keep your mace spray at arms reach.



Fresh Water: make sure you have your own, but there are a few streams from May - Sept.

Difficulty: 4D. Hard walk up and down. The walk up is straight up - no flat sections, the walk down is straight down, and the flat sections are situated next to cliffs that drop more than 300 down.

Pets: This is not a walk and do not attempt to take your poor dog on this route. Mountain rescue have reported families trying to carry their dogs down the rock scrambling sections.


Platteklip Gorge is the gorge in the middle of Table Mountain and can not often be seen from the bottom when looking straight at the mountain. Sitting here on Devils Peak, its much easier to spot the gorge. This is the alternative route people walk up to the top of Table Mountain instead of taking the Cable Way.



Platteklip Gorge starts about 2 km past the Cable Way next to the small wooden Information Centre.



This is a straight walk up into the gorge with no mercy for the unfit.



Below you can view the top of Devils peak on the right.





Once you get to the top of Platteklip Gorge you will reach a cross road.
You will have a choice between going to Maclear's Beacon (the highest spot on Table Mountain), The Cable Way Station, India Venster, or straight back down the gorge again.

(click on images for a larger view)

After spending about 15 minutes refueling, we started heading down towards India Venster Route.









This is me and Caroline making our mark and enjoying the moment :)







The route hugs the Table Top all the way around untill almost right below the Cable Way. On this day it was slippery and extremely dangerous. Soon afterwards this was where we missed our down turn and continued along a very dangerous ledge. Luckily for us, we saw some hikers below, which led us to back track on our steps and route our way down a more safer path.



This picture was taken to show you the sheer drop down. I do not think this picture justifies the extreme danger, but it was nothing less that 300m straight way down.



The views of Campsbay and Lions head are spectacular and worth enjoying the moment of time standing still.










Due to the 5 fatalities on this route this year alone, Table Mountain National Park eventually decided to put some staples into the rocks in the more dangerous places.

I was still not comfortable with what they did, and think more can be done in relation to what the other much safer routes look like along the mountain.





Finally we reached the Cable Station below and took a taxi back to our car. We could have walked the Contour path back, but time was not on our side.

How will I rate this hike? I was on a high for about 3 days after wards. The adrenalin surely added to this, but 5 people have died on this route in the past 8 months - which is why I was so keen to investigate the real deal.

I can understand why this has happened, but Im still concerned by the attitude surrounding this dangerous route - especially from the side of the authorities.

The attitude that I do not agree with is the following:
This is a dangerous route
and people must read the signs.

I believe that is not good enough: I believe this route should be closed off for casual walkers and only members of the various mountain / hiking clubs should have 'permission' to walk this route.

By doing the above - casual walkers - especially the foreigners will find other alternative routes to enjoy a day in the mountain. This route is like a big fat advert right next to the most popular tourist attraction in South Africa, begging travelers with jet-lag to wander onto. It really is crazy that Table Mountain National Park have not taken this in a more serious light.

How many more people are going to die on this route? I got lost coming down. The part where I got lost was on top of an extremely slippery ledge that took me further and further into more danger. Thank God there were hikers walking below us, that showed me I was not on track. It really felt like they were sent to be there at exactly that moment to show me that Im going wrong. The route is very poorly marked too.

As a average 'hiker who might also like to do rock scrambling' this route is do-able. But for the other 99% of the casual day strollers out there, this route should be made for people with permits only.

How do you control this? You just cant. But this will make people think twice when they consider climbing India Venster Route - to rather take an alternative path - like the very scenic Contour Path instead.

Hiking Mount Kilimanjaro Day 1

When you plan to climb mount Kilimanjaro, you plan to do a trip of a lifetime. Many can only dream to achieve this remarkable journey.

Peter Leonard and Daniela Radley hiked up Mount Kilimanjaro in late December 2008.

The first thing Dani said to me whilst giving me the run down for this article, is that you need to travel in the shoes that you will be climbing with.

Dani mentioned that if you loose your luggage en route, its the shoes that you will not be able to replace. Everything else is replacable.

The Jouney before the climb:

Dani and Peter took the train from Cape Town station to Johannesburg. They said it was an awesome thing to do and comes highly recommended. (celebrated the entire 2 days travelling to johies)



Then they flew from Johannesburg in South Africa, to Tanzania. (loads of celebration took place on the flight)



A toyota hi-ace bus is the standard form of taxi transport, which takes you direct to your hotel.



Once the two travellers checked in, they head straight for the bar and enjoyed a local beer. Celebrating their arrival. (Pisscats actually, but we will keep it low-key! - Ed.)



Dani mentioned that the accommodation was not as good as they were promised.



Meeting the guides and one other travel partner:
(from left to right:)
Stuart Hoy (hiker), Elipokea Mosha (guide), Peter Leonard (hiker), Frank Malisa (guide) and Daniela Radley (hiker).



After spending one night in the hotel, they headed towards the challenging mountain. Which by the way, they had still not seen. It was covered in clouds almost all the time.



Day 1 officially starts at dawn with a bus drive from Moshi to the Machame village (1500m).



This board explains the estimated times of arrival from one point on the route to another.



Once the porters, guides and hikers are ready, they head up onto the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro.



The first part of the hike is a long walk through a very dense rain forest.



Soon the hikers go above and outside the rain forest ...




Late that afternoon the party arrived at the Machame Hut (3000m). The porters errect the tents, provide some hot water for a washing up, and start preparing supper.




Soon the temperature starts to drop below freezing.



Dani and Peter were pleasantly suprised by the awesome meals which were prepared for them throughout the duration of this trip.



(Day 2 soon to follow...)