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Maluti Cave Trail
Phuthaditjaba, Free State
Mountains and in
particular, the Drakensberg have always had a fascination for hikers. The
mountain range that extends down the eastern side of South Africa from the
Soutpansberg in the north to the Eastern Cape in the south attracts many
thousands of hikers to explore on foot the many paths that dissect the mountain
range. The Maluti Cave Trail has been laid out with the intention of introducing
a new marked hiking trail experience to an area that almost exclusively consists
of wilderness trails. Well constructed and appointed accommodation has been
provided at three locations and this provides the hiker with the luxury of
reaching the high berg without having to use a tent. The trail was laid out by
Prof. Leon Hugo who is well known for developing high quality trails.
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The
basecamp for the trail is at Tseki, a suburb of Phuthaditjaba (Witsieshoek).
A permanent guard is on duty to look after vehicles.
Other huts are
situated at Mkhondo and Matsieng. These are not accessible by road. Each
of the huts sleep eight people. At Mkhondo there are two huts there bye
sleeping a total of sixteen people.
There are two
three and four day options for trailists. |
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Solar power
provides hot water at each of the huts. A septic tank provides
drainage. There is also a two plate gas stove with cooking pots and
a few plates and some cutlery. No lighting is provided. At the time
of writing, no braai facilities are available but these are planned. |
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Day 1 Tseki - Mkhondo
The route from Tseki to Mkhondo
is 9km long. However the route can be regarded as quite difficult and at
least 5 hours should be allowed.
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Along the route
one passes a number of impressive caves including the Wetsi cave
which must rank as one of the largest in the Free State. Many of the
caves have San rock art in them. Several of the caves are used by
local people for religious purposes and it is important to respect
these.
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Take time to enjoy the
beautiful water features along the way. |
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Day 2 (optional)
The second day of the trail
is optional and can be done with a day pack. One can either choose
to follow the marked trail to the top of the berg and then retrace
ones steps which makes the distance just over 10km or follow a
guided circular route of 15km. This route is definately not for
those with a fear of heights as there are some narrow ledges with
shear drops. |
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The ascent to Dagga Nek is about 800m.
Provision should be made for sudden change of weather. Warm clothing should
always be carried. Sun block is also highly recommended. At least
2 litres of water should also accompany you on the route. |
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After reaching the top it is
a short walk to the top of the Tsehlanyane gorge with its
magnificent waterfall it is time to take a rest and some lunch. |
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We were fortunate that there
was very little wind while we were on the top but that is not always
the case and it is important to make allowances for weather
conditions. |
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After peering down on the
source of the Caledon River and braving some rather precarious
mountain paths we began our descent back to the Mkhondo hut.
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From Mkhondo Hut the hiker
has the option of either returning via the river route to Tseki Hut
or follow the route to Matsieng Hut which completes the four day
trail. |
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The river route is 10km long
and will take about 5hrs to accomplish, more if you spend time
swimming in the many pools along the way. Along the Matsieng route
one passes caves with beautiful rock art. At Matsieng the is
Thabana-Tshowana Dam with its many bird species. |
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| Click for
large version |
Map to be updated Thabaputswa hut now Mkhondo Hut
Other Maluti pages on
this site
Flowers
of the Maluti Cave Trail
Rockart
of the Maluti Cave Trail
Conclusion
The Maluti
Cave trail is really an incredible route. As with most hikes in the Drakensberg
it is not easy and is subject to adverse weather conditions.
'In a Nutshell'
| Distance from nearest
town |
Close to Phuthaditjaba
about 50km from Harrismith |
| Access road status |
About 500m of dirt
road |
| Trail type |
Overnight backpack
trail. 2, 3 or 4 days duration |
| Difficulty |
Moderate to difficult |
| Marking |
When evaluated the
trail was well marked. From Dagga's Nek on the
second day the trail is unmarked and a guide is
essential |
| GPS Co-ordinates |
Tseki Hut
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S28 35.881 E28 46.108
Mkhondo Hut -
S28 37.012 E28 43.427
Top of Dagga Nek -
S28 39.279 E28
42.543 |
| Cell phone reception |
No |
| Facilities |
Excellent facilities |
Bookings
Jacana Marketing
and Reservations
Telephone
0861Jacana (0861 522262)
Direct phone:
Port Elizabeth 041 378 1439
Pretoria: 012
803 9109
Direct fax: PE
041 378 2548
Pretoria: 012
803 4144
PE
e-mail bookings@jacanacollection.co.za
Pretoria
e-mail:
rosa@jacanacollection.co.za
Thanks to Marie Rowntree for her permissions to use her
photographs in the creation of this page
Footprint Hiking Club
To view other pages of
this website please click on a hyperlink below
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