Experience the Valley


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Gamtoos Valley

The Gamtoos Valley, in particular Hankey and Patensie, is the eastern gateway to the Baviaanskloof.

Take the scenic R102 coming from Port Elizabeth, or the secondary R332 from Humansdorp to make the most of your journey. Day Visitors can purchase a day pass at Komdomo.

Enjoy the Kloof via Grootrivier se Poort, Poortjies, Combrink’s Berg Pass, Holgat Pass, Doodsklip, Rooihoek, Smits Kraal, Apies Kloof, Grasnek Pass, Gruisdraai and Geelhoutbos.

The 89km to Geelhoutbos will take you up to 4 hours and you can make a picnic at Smitskraal, where you can also swim in the river.

 

The southern access into the Kloof links Doornkloof and Kareedouw, the ultimate 4×4 experience. A road levy is payable to the farmer at Doornkloof.

The road goes through the Formosa Nature Reserve. The view over the Kouga Mountains is breathtaking, and the change between biomes clearly visible – from spekboom, aloes, cycads, and proteas and other fynbos to succulents. The 79km stretch can take anything from 4 to 6 hours to complete.

From Doornkloof you can proceed to Willowmore or Uniondale, which will take you another 2 hours – the Kloof itself is a total of 197km.

Numerous campsites, lodges, caves or a tented camp invite visitors to stay longer and enjoy hiking, mountainbiking, paddling and more 4×4 trails.

The northern access, 4×4 only, lies between Steytlerville and Patensie via the picturesque Groot River Pass, a 120 km, 3½ hour drive. The lovely farm, Hadley, lies along the road and has a number of hiking trails. The road winds along the northern slopes of the Baviaanskloof Mountains, through the farms Rietfontein, Sapkamma, Doornbosch, and Verekraal.