News — Travel

By Albert van Niekerk

I knew I should have printed the directions but, like always, I never did. The sun was setting and darkness approached quite rapidly as the mist eerily started to swallow the gravel mountain pass that we were driving on. Even though I was convinced that we must have missed a turnoff somewhere, I refused to admit that we were lost. I just kept on driving, pretending that I knew exactly where I was going.

• Difficulty: 3/5
• Fitness Level: 3/5
• Photo Ops: 4/5
• Adrenaline Rush: 2/5

A crisp breeze blowing into the car carried the amazing smell of moisture on a dirt road. I love that smell, to me that is the smell of adventure. After going around yet another winding bend on the mountain pass, Sanddrif Holiday Resort miraculously appeared out of nowhere like a mirage. We were tired and sticky after our 4 hour trip (it was supposed to be only 3), so we quickly settled into our cozy 3 star self-catering cottages.


If you are running on a bit of a budget or prefer camping, Sanddrif also offers a beautiful shaded camping site as a cheaper alternative. Visitors are advised to book well in advance as the resort fills up rather quickly during weekends and school holidays. Also take note that due to strict conservation rules only a certain amount of day visitors and hikers are allowed on the hiking trails at a time.

At first light the next morning, we set off to hike up the Wolfberg Mountain into the famous “Wolfskeure” or Wolf cracks. But to get to the cracks you first have to make your way all the way up the mountain. The climb is rather steep but I reckon anyone with a decent pair of hiking shoes and an average fitness level would be able to make the climb. Taking young children along might not be such a good idea as some parts of the overall hike can get a bit dangerous, and of course, if they get tired you will have to carry them.

As you make your way up the mountain you will have a spectacular view of the Dwarsrivier and the surrounding Cederberg valley. Nearly at the top of the mountain the little footpath just seems to disappear. I was concerned that we have wandered off course, but right at the foot of the towering cliffs, we found a tiny arrow guiding us towards a crevice in the rock face.


Armed with head torches, we made our way into the crevice and wormed our way upwards to find a small cave chamber right above us. This part of the trail is appropriately named “The Chimney” because of the vertical climb in the tight little tunnel. If you have some issues with tight spaces you should probably turn back because there are quite a few more of these claustrophobic encounters further along the way.

Climbing over and under a couple more rocks in our way, we finally reached the Wolf Cracks. It was even more spectacular than I imagined. High walls of stone on either side gave me the impression that I just stumbled upon the set of a Lord of the Rings movie. The sheer size of the cliffs reminds you just how utterly small and insignificant you really are.

After we fought our way past various rocks blocking our way along the canyon, we finally made it to the top, which was surprisingly flat. From this perspective we could literally see hundreds of other cracks in the mountain, all dissolving into the mountain top. It looked as if though a giant cat took a swipe at the mountain with it’s paw and left it scarred with hundreds of parallel cracks. Be sure to pack a lot of snacks and water because once you sit on one of the cliffs and have a look at the beautiful view beneath you, you might not want to leave for a while.

If hiking up a mountain sounds a bit too hardcore to you, you can always go and relax next to the riverbanks of the beautiful Dwars River. Only a short 30min walk from the Sanddrif campsite you will find the dark brown waters of the notoriously known “Maalgat”. On a hot summers day in the Cederberg mountains, the “Maalgat” is the perfect place to go for a cool down. Here you can sunbathe on the rocks or plunge high off a cliff into the refreshing deep water below.

The Cederberg Mountains is the perfect weekend breakaway since it is only a +/-250km drive from Cape Town. The secludedness and lack of cell phone reception really allow you to take a break from the real world and gain a new appreciation for your surroundings.

Thanks Albert for sharing! - Here to Stay

By Terence Vrugtman

Looking for any reason to go on an adventure has become a day job for me for well over a year now. The opportunity to try something new, spend time with those that matter to me and have a camera in hand has become a full time pursuit, and I love it! As an occasional racer, I found the notion of convincing myself to go and watch comrades a bit silly. Mike Benci, a mate of mine, was planning on running and I wasn’t ready to take on 12 hours of mental and physical war. So why would I go? Well, Comrades isn’t the only event or activity happening in Durban. There's the beach, surf boards, I own a kayak… there's the beach. After weighing up the pros and cons, I decided it would be best if Mike didn’t drive to Durban alone, ergo Ash and I packed our bags and just like that the adventure started.


After recently returning from the Nedbank Save the Rhino Trail Run the idea of a holiday wasn’t a good one according to my wallet. So the plan was to have fun on a budget and just keep it simple. We did exactly that, and so can others.

Transport can be expensive in this day and age, the cost of petrol is sky high and plane tickets aren’t cheap either. Car pooling was the best option and we all love a great road trip. Packed into our semi-fuel efficient Parejo ‘io’ we shared the cost of a round trip to Durban which was less than R700 each. As these weekends become more frequent, you start to appreciate the open road along with great company.

Accommodation in Durban is an easy thing. I thought finding accommodation would be a real mission especially because we were booking two nights before a race that attracted thousands of people to Durban. The mass of back packers that Soccer World Cup left behind made the search easy. We found a homey place about 2km away from the beach that was still really affordable. Back packers are not only a prudent form of accommodation but they often come with free entertainment… in its own form.

Comrades and its logistics aside, Ash and I spent the bulk of our time as close to the ocean as possible. We visited Addington Beach near uShaka Marine on the first day and didn’t want to leave. Our goal was to find affordble and fun activities to do for 2 days. With little knowledge and even less effort we found what we were looking for.

For a while now, Ash and I have always wanted to do some SUPing. So we hired two boards and hit the ocean for our first SUPing experience. I was expecting to pay about R200 per board and was comfortable with that, I was pleasantly shocked to find that we could rent two boards for 1h30mins at R200! The open ocean, SUPs and the will for adventure provided ample laughable moments and the fun we were looking for. It wasn’t as easy as one would think and the massive swells of high tide didn’t make it any easier. Not that we were complaining.

Mike and some local friends hired a kayak and joined the party in the ocean, also for only R100 per hour per boat. A real bargain because you can hire a two-seater and have as much fun, if not more. The challenge of getting the kayak out to sea and surfing it back was the real source of fun!

The first morning in Durban, we walked along the promenade, the second we decided to do something different. We hired an old-school Schwinn Tandem bike and went for an hour long ride. The bike came from the same store as the SUPs and also only cost R100 for the hour. It was a ton of fun and is ideal for couples. We loved every second and took turns steering, racing other people, looking at the sunrise and trying to convince people for a high-five while on the move.

For more adventures, follow us on Instagram: @Ashezzzzzz and @Act10nMan

Or
Check out www.adventurelife.co.za for more in depth adventures.

Written By Elzette

Louie Greeff is a 62 year old extreme adventurer who has embarked on a second trip to swim 2300kms down the world's most dangerous river - the mighty Zambezi. He is also a renowned travel author and he’s adventures are well documented and worth a read!


Louie will be going through 7 southern African countries, swimming past 180,000 crocodiles, thousands of hippos, killer rapids and Zambezi sharks. On land, he’ll encounter lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, poisonous snakes and landmines.

Although the above mentioned challenges seem insane, the purpose behind Louie’s venture is a heart-warming one and one tends to forget how many ill faced circumstances still exist in our beautiful continent.

Here’s an excerpt from his blog:

“The aim is to raise awareness about children living in abject poverty including numerous health issues amongst children orphaned because their parents have died of either malaria, TB, AIDS or landmines and Louie will also showcase orphans along the way as he was one too. Some of these very young orphans as young as 4 years are complete alcoholics.

They scavenge the land for anything they can eat even though they plant vegetables for prison staff in Lusaka.

These children have been jailed for selling marijuana to tourists and sentenced to 5 years. They serve 4 in jail and the last at the vegetable station. If they eat any of the vegetables, they are back in jail for an additional 5 years. All of them have been raped and traumatized and even though they sleep under makeshift plastic shelters, they are happy to be free.

I did this very same extremely dangerous trip in 2000 raising awareness about soiled water and education amongst the very poor tribal communities.”

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Written By Elzette

Saray Khumalo attempted to be the first black African lady to summit Mount Everest this year. Her trip was sadly cut short due to the devastating avalanche that killed 13 Sherpas. We also take a look at the Powermonkey Extreme solar powered charger with the CEO from Wintec Solutions in our product review!

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Written By Elzette

We speak to Ryno Griesel about the inspirational journey towards breaking a record AGAIN with the Drakensberg Grand Traverse and we take an in-depth look at the Salomon Skin Slab 12 Set in our product review.

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