Bucket List Odyssey ; Kloofing

We had decided earlier in the week to go kloofing on Friday and nearly cancelled as the weather went south on Thursday with thick mist, rain and cold. On Friday morning it had cleared up and it turned out to be a really stunning day for an adventure. We passed over the Hartebeespoort dam and got some really great shots of the blues and greens nature had on offer.

Kloofing has always been a bit of a fantasy adventure for me and who else to tackle my first real kloofing experience but with my best mate Vanessa. When we started our Bucket List odyssey we did not know that it would inspire so many middle aged women to go out and well.... adventure. It has been such a great journey and this was one really great adventure.

We had wanted to do this for some time now and even though this was probably not the right time as I was about to leave for a 10 day desert walk to raise funds for the Red Cross Children's Hospital. However here I was!!!

Vanessa finding our entry point!!

We left a bit later than we should have but made the 2 hour trip to North West Province.

We had planned to tackle two gorges and took along 3 youngsters of 12 and 13 years of age. They had been too both places previously and would navigate for us, which turned out to be a slight challenge, even at this tender age the boys had decided not to ask for directions or read the map. This had me smiling the whole day, but this was a great opportunity for the boys to learn.

We turned off and headed in the direction the boys had instructed us to go and soon it became apparent that we were going nowhere slowly and after the "I am 100% sure its up here, I am 100% sure we turn left here, no right, okay, maybe not, but I am 100% sure we are in the right place" we decided that we would only have time to tackle one gorge, so we headed off for the really stunning private nature reserve Mountain Sanctuary park.

We spotted "the twins" - two huge pillar rocks hard too miss, and took a brief breather in some shade that the rocks had provided and we then did look at our map and worked out that another 900m to the left of "the twins" would bring us to the ridge over looking the gorge. We were bang on the money and managed to locate a safe but steep "path" down into the deep gorge. Once again we were swept away to another land this time it was Lord of the Rings. The sudden drop in temperature was very welcome after spending a long time in the sun. The "monkey ropes" hanging down waiting for us to grab them, the fragrant and damp smells filling your nose as you made your way down into the belly of the gorge!

Mountain Sanctuary park was opened to the public 37 years ago and is made up of 3 million year old majestic mountains, known as the Magaliesberg Mountain range. The reserve itself, houses incredible and unique rock formations with breathtaking gorges hiding crystal clear mountain rock pools that you can drink from and the views here are really fantastic and beautiful.

They have several animals like klipspringers, monkeys, jackal, warthog, blesbuck, red hartebeest, one of my favorite, the warthog, just to name a few as well as a stunning display of flora, bird, butterflies, bugs and spiders!. The reserve is popular with bird watches, botanists and hikers and it is very easy to see why.

The hikes range from an easy 15 minutes to the longer 8 hour hikes which are not restricted by guided hikes and set routes. You have the freedom to enjoy and explore over 1000 hectares of gorgeous land. There is an established 12 km mountain bike route in place, so you bikers are not left out!

They have a pool which is built from natural stone and the pool area has a deck where a shop and a large braai/picnic area is available. They even have a small little chapel on the mountain which boasts hand-graved and handcrafted open glass doors and high windows. Handmade chandeliers hang from the thatched roof and a wooden deck allows you to get real close to nature.

Vanessa doing her kung fu spider moves

There are several varied 3 star accommodation and ablution blocks, like the stone chalets, log cabins and Cosy huts, which are all fully equipped and self-catering, each with private braai facilities. Some have their own-indoor fireplaces. You also have the option of camping with either a tent or caravan.

So back to our walk. Once we had paid our entrance fees and picked up a map we headed off. Our first stop was through the incredible rock formation wonderland. It really took our breath away. You did not where to look, a feast for the eyes, each and every rock formation is so unique and interesting. We had been transported to another land, in fact another planet. The rock formations weathered by time and the elements stood proud on the landscape before us, their red colours contrasted against the blue clear skies created a breathtaking back drop to our adventure. Read more in my previous blog.

Vanessa has a heart to heart with Mr Spider

Well what is Kloofing? Kloofing is an adventure activity that typically involves the descent of a deep ravine or watercourse that may be dry or wet. The defining factor is usually that the ravine is several times deeper than it is wide. All manner of walking, scrambling, climbing, swimming, plunging, jumping, bum-slides or abseiling (rappelling) could be involved.

A kloofing trip usually combines hiking with the descent of a watercourse. Some of the more "interesting" kloofing involves long abseils or high jumps into pools from varying heights, up to as high as 20 or more metres (for example the popular 'Suicide Gorge' in South Africa).

Kloofing trips can take from as short as a few hours up to multi-day kloofing trips that would require a party to overnight in a ravine. Depending on the nature of a particular trail a "kloofer" might require specialised technical equipment such as a rope, belay device, wet-suit, rock climbing anchors, etc. Every year a number of kloofers get injured or need to be rescued and hence kloofers need to take great care and preferably be accompanied by an experienced kloofer. I of course did not tell my family any of this, they just knew where we had gone to and what time to expect us back by.

The recommended technique for jumping into water is the 'pin drop', which involves hitting the water with your body as straight as possible and your hands held firmly by your sides. Closing your mouth completely is a good idea (to avoid biting your tongue) and pointing your toes is optional. This sounds pretty straight forward but not as easy as it seems when you are standing on a huge boulder and need to jump into the water below you. Eventually you just need to take a leap of faith and scream the whole way down till your body hits that cold water. But once you get the hang of it is fun, well in an adrenaline rush way that is!!

Origin of the word Kloofing is derived from an Afrikaans word 'kloof', meaning 'gorge' or 'ravine'. It has been adopted by English-speaking people (mostly in southern Africa), to mean the activity described above.

The word is used in a similar sense to canyoning and canyoneering. The word (and activity) has been in use in South Africa since about 1920's and probably earlier.

The sound of the birds chirping and dappled sunlight through the tree tops poised us for hours of some fantastic kloofing and every corner and boulder exposed another breathtaking view. The high and narrow rock walls of the gorge closing in on us not allowing light in created a real fantasy world and kept the gorge cool and dark in some places.

The brilliant greens, reds, greys, yellows and browns of the rocks, trees and mosses created a kaleidoscope of colours The soon easy terrain gave way to a more challenging and slippery one. Big boulders and rocks had to be carefully negotiated. lots of bum-sliding and grabbing onto foot holds and fallen trees and roots became the order of the day.

Avoiding sliding into the deeper pools and onto rock below as we had to concentrate became both a little scary and exciting. The narrow ledges with tiny footholds with your face and hands pressed up against the slippery stone walls covered in wet mosses left no room for error. Slivering through small gaps and caves to pop out the other side was an adventure in itself!

Then it was into the pools, scrambling and negotiating over rocks covered in water, at times waist deep in cool mountain water. We stopped to swim for a short while and drank from the cool clear water, our bottled water just did not cut it, this natural water was just too good!. The sun was dropping and we did not know how far it was to the bottom of the gorge as the boys kept telling us it was "only 1 more hour then we will be out" that was some 5 hours later!.

the rocks appear to be floating!!!

Tackling this gorge in poor light and in the dark would be sheer madness. After hours of fantastic fun, spills and falls onto rocks and into rock pools we were out on the other end just before sunset. We then had to get all the river sand out of our shoes, put our dry socks and boots on and without a minute to spare before the sun set we were on our way back to where we had started. We walked quickly up to our car and watched a spectacular African sunset as we made our way home, tired but thoroughly fulfilled and hooked on Kloofing.

We were treated to the rising moon over the Hartebeespoort dam, bathed in an orange glow creating a magical end to an incredible day. This was an amazing bucket list adventure and we will be back as this deserves an entire day exploring this beautiful gorge and with ample time to swim in the pools. We will let you know when we go back so you can join us. Bear in mind you need to be a little fit, agile, not afraid of heights and be able to swim..