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| From Noep in the west to the Qora Mouth in the east, discover the hidden beauties of this stretch of land as we navigate 4x4 tracks, cross over mountain passes, dangle from bungee cords and finally take a walk on the wild side – with porters lugging your baggage from one friendly hotel to the next on a trail unlike any other! |
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You won't find Noep on many maps. And you can't just pop in either – getting there requires a little preparation, including a security check by the police! Noep is slap bang in the De Beers diamond mining area along the West Coast that's now been opened up to 4x4 drivers in the form of the Diamond Coast Shipwreck Trail. Suitable for soft-roaders and serious 4x4s, the trail winds along the stormy Atlantic between Kleinzee and Koingnaas, stopping at a number of ships that have come to grief on this rocky shore. Noep is one of the overnight stops, where you stay in quaint little cottages on the beach, built and decorated by diamond divers using whatever washed up on their doorstep. The equally beautiful Strandveld Trail runs through inland dunes nearby.
TO BOOK: 027 807 2999 |
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Precipitous tracks that cling to hillsides dotted with mountaineering cows, soaring passes (including Naudé's Nek, South Africa's highest road pass), and road signs warning you of ‘slippery sheep s**t' – that's what you'll find on the various roads to Rhodes – which is a heck of a long way from anywhere. But once you get there, you're seduced by the pace of a place where sheep and horses have right of way and you'd better hope your guesthouse actually has electricity. In fact, one road was so seldom used they turned it into a field. Rhodes is probably most famous for fly-fishing, but it's also the gateway to the skiing and snowboarding mecca of Tiffindell on Lesotho's border, up on the slopes of Ben Macdhui, the Cape's highest mountain.
TO GET THERE: Various routes, the easiest being on the R396 via Barkley East.
Highlands Info: 045 974 9290. |
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Not many people have seen the bottom of Bloukrans Gorge up close, but of those who have, most have been upside down. Because the most direct route to the bottom is at the end of a bungee cord. If you're ready to face your fears, Bloukrans offers the world's highest commercial bungee jump, a jaw-dropping 216 metres above ground (the Bloukrans Bridge is the world's largest single span concrete arch bridge, and the third highest bridge in world, which makes it the highest in Africa). When you leave the safety of the bridge, you'll have five heart-stopping seconds to wonder whether you're actually attached to anything. The first fall is 180 metres before your rebound, the second drop is 111 metres (higher than the Victoria Falls bungee), and the third is longer than the Gouritz bungee at 65 metres. Are you up for it?
TO GET THERE:Look down from Bloukrans Bridge on the N2 between Plettenberg Bay and Storms River Mouth.
TO BOOK: Face Adrenaline 042 281 1458
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This really is taking a walk on the wild side. With no road running directly along the coast, the sole way to make this journey is on foot. And the only other living beings you'll encounter on the beach are likely to be lone fishermen or the odd cow paddling in the shallows (it's a sight city slickers are unlikely to forget, apparently they come down for the salt). This five-day hike is accompanied by guides and best of all by porters who lug your baggage from one friendly hotel to the next along the route. And the good part is, it's bringing much-needed tourism money to remote communities who have little other income.
TO BOOK: Wild Coast Meander, 043 743 6181. www.wildcoastholidays.co.za |
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