The Long (and not the Fastest) Road to Namibia

---

The Long (and not the Fastest) Road to Namibia
Rocklands, South Africa
February 2, 2009


After leaving Jeffrey’s Bay, we headed west with a plan to make our way along South Africa’s Route 62, an alternative to the well-traveled Garden Route. The road traverses the high plains desert of the Karoo and winds over passes and down into valleys.

But, to get to Route 62, we chose an even less-traveled road through the Baviaanskloof wilderness area. About a quarter of the Baviaanskloof can only be done with a four-by-four, so the Land Rover had its first shot at some off-roading. The driving was tough and a bit stressful. Some small boulders blocked parts of the road, but these were the lucky ones. Others had made their way off the road and down the cliffs into the valleys below. Erosion, rockfall and ruts marked just about every turn. But we were well rewarded by the solitude of having almost no other people on the road. Baboons, kudu and eagles were common sights. We were also fortunate enough to see a rhinoceros, rare in this part of the country. “You are very lucky,” a ranger told us as we left the park, almost happier than we were. Signs reading: “Leopard Friendly Farm” marked many of the ranch entry gates, with the owners promising not use inhumane traps and poison. Unfortunately, we weren’t lucky enough to get a glimpse of one of the elusive cats, but the Baviaanskloof gave us our first taste of wild Africa.

As we made our way west along Route 62, we were constantly reminded of what many Cape Tonians said to us, more than a month ago: “South Africa in the summer? It’s going to be hot if you’re not on the coast.” The temperatures hit the high 90s F (mid-30s C) every day, so what better way to enjoy the heat than to spend time outdoors involving ourselves in strenuous activities. A few days after leaving Jeffrey’s Bay we rolled into Montagu, famous for dried fruits, nuts, Dutch architecture -- and some of the country’s best sport climbing.

In Montagu, we climbed for more than a week, trying our luck at a dozen different crags. Montagu is a hidden gem in the South African climbing world. Most Europeans and Americans who visit the country go to Rocklands for its world-class bouldering and Waterfall Boven for sport climbing. But for us, and many of the others we met, Montagu has it all - from easy, short climbs, to difficult and massive multi-pitch routes. The climbing community there, albeit small, is friendly and helpful and more than willing to point you toward the right crag, with the right amount of shade. We were well pleased with many of our successes there (and still a bit upset about some of our failures). Sarah and I both climbed one of Montagu’s classic routes - Gospel Express. It’s just about one of the best routes I’ve ever climbed at its grade. Some nearby routes, with names including Quasimodo and Chocolate Speedway, were well worth our efforts.

When our joints and muscles began telling us they’d had enough, we decided to move on and take a few rest days. We continued west, visiting Ceres, South Africa’s self-proclaimed little Switzerland and the country’s juice-making capital. We explored some grottos in the Cederberg wilderness and viewed some San people rock painting that dated back more than 1,000 years. One of our “rest” days also included the six-hour hike to see the Wolfberg Cracks, possibly Cederberg’s most famous rock formations. After a few days off, we hit the crags again, climbing at Sandriff and Rocklands. We were pleased with what was offered up there and it’s understandable that Rocklands gets a lot of attention.

After a few days of climbing at Rocklands, it also became apparent why many South Africans warned us of the summer heat. Daily temperatures climbed above 100F. What better way to end our visit to the country, then to head north to Namibia, home to one of the oldest, driest and hottest deserts in the world.


For more photos, click here: Flickr Photo Page

---

Photos

Rocklands
Chalets, Camping, Bouldering....
Sort of says it all, well, at least the last two do....
For more photos, click here: [url=http://flickr.com/photos/alexarmitage/sets/] Flickr Photo Page [/url]

Bushmen Art
Bushmen Art in the Cederberg Wilderness, South Africa
For more photos, click here: [url=http://flickr.com/photos/alexarmitage/sets/] Flickr Photo Page [/url]

Fast Freddy
Life in the Baviaanskloof Wilderness moves at a slower pace
For more photos, click here: [url=http://flickr.com/photos/alexarmitage/sets/] Flickr Photo Page [/url]

Send!
Supersending in Montagu
(Photo credit: Sarah Taylor)
For more photos, click here: [url=http://flickr.com/photos/alexarmitage/sets/] Flickr Photo Page [/url]