DE HOOP WHALE HIKING TRAIL

BACK

Ó Copyright: G du Preez
e-mail: dPreezG@NetActive.co.za
No photograph may be reproduced without permission of the owner.

De Hoop Nature Reserve between Witsand and Arniston in the Western Cape Province.

25 - 30 March 2002

The Du Preez's from Bloemfontein: Grobler, Marlene, Ignatius
The Robertsons from Paarl: Brian, Ruth, Julie, Dugald

We departed at 09:00 from Vleesbaai where we attended a wedding on the beach the previous Saturday. On with the N2 past Heidelberg and turned off onto the Witsand road. After a few km, we turned west onto the gravel road to Malagas (or Malgas as indicated on all the maps). At Malagas the road suddenly disappeared into the Breede River and the only hand drawn pontoon in South Africa appeared from the opposite side to take us across the river.

We arrived at Potberg hut at 14:30. No-one  in sight to check us in so we checked into the loft, as the main bedroom was already taken.

We ate lunch and drove the approximately 30 km to the main gate of the De Hoop Nature Reserve. Our hiking permit ensured free entry. We visited the De Hoop Vlei, Koppie Alleen and the rest camp before returning to Potberg. We were pleased to find that our companions were a family of four from Paarl, the Robertsons.

That night we ate 'braaivleis', sweet potatoes, mixed vegetables and rice thread.

The Potberg hut consists of two rooms, each with two stacked beds, a loft with 4 mattresses and a kitchen. Two toilets, two showers and two washing basins with mirrors are situated outside. Hot water is available in the showers and kitchen. Lighting by courtesy of solar charged batteries.

Rise at 06:00. Corn Flakes for Grobler and Ignatius. A Breakfast Bar for me. We checked the contents of the backpacks and returned all extra supplies to the car. We departed on the first leg of the hike at 07:45, half an hour after the Robertsons.

The trial starts with a short walk past Blue Gum trees and then continue with a never-ending climb up a valley and on through fynbos and protea veld to the highest point of the Potberg and the 5-day trail (611m above sea level). See '2' on the map. Look out for the rare species of King Protea that grow at this point. Several species of fynbos and protea grow only on the Potberg and nowhere else on earth. From this point you see:

To the North: the Breede River and Malagas (Malgas). On a clear day you should be able to see Swellendam and the Langeberg Mountains.

To the South-West: The end of the hike at Koppie Alleen (at the start of the white dunes) and the De Hoop Vlei. On a clear day you should be able to see Arniston (Waenhuiskrans) and Cape Agulhas, the southern-most tip of Africa.

A short distance from the highest point you will see a rock to the right of the trail aptly named Chameleon Rock. See '3' on the map. From here the trail continues on top of the mountain with a lot of ups and downs. Look out for the carnivorous sundew plant that grows on this part of the mountain.

After I 'bought' a piece of the Potberg mountain, I was renamed "super slips non grip" and Grobler commented that even with spikes on rubber I will slip.

We followed a a narrow ridge before starting with a never-ending descend to the Melkhout river. The first stream with water at the end of the descend is not the Melkhout river. Walk across the ridge behind the stream and you will arrive at the Melkhout river with it's swimming pool. We were exhausted and decided to rest and have lunch at the first stream. Biltong, biscuits and cheese, flattened koeksisters and coffee. We had to leave the left-over 'braaivleis' of the previous evening at the base hut because the ants got to it before we did.

From here we embarked on an uphill slog.  A sigh of relief when Cupido's Kraal hut appeared about 2 km in the distance and 200 m below us. We arrived at the hut at 16:30. The dam with it's clear water beckoned for a swim, but we didn't have enough energy left for the 1 km return trip.

Cupidos Kraal hut consists of two rooms, each with two stacked beds, a loft with 2 mattresses above each room and a kitchen in between. Two toilets, two showers and two washing basins with mirrors are situated outside. Hot water is available in the showers and kitchen. Lighting by courtesy of solar charged batteries. Unfortunately the lights didn't work that night. We had to revert to candles (available in each hut on the trial).

That night we ate bacon grilled directly on the red-hot coals, the usual sweet potatoes, mixed veggies and rice thread (the children can't even get away from vegetables on a hike). To save on weight, we usually carry dried sweet potatoes and vegetables as well as rice thread which is available at Chinese shops and looks very much like sphagetti when cooked. For dessert, Ignatius shared his marshmallows with the other kids and they roasted it in the fire. Grobler ate instant pudding topped with instant custard.

I would classify this day's walk as strenuous. 14.7 km, we took 8 hrs 45 min to complete the trail.

Day 2: Cupido's Kraal to Noetsie (2002/03/27)

Rise at 06:15. Again Corn Flakes for Grobler and Ignatius and a breakfast bar for me. Barely past the dam we had to take out the splash covers and rain suits. In a strong wind and low temperature we ascended the Potberg mountain. Again a never-ending climb. The moment you reach the visible top of the mountain, a new height appears in front of you. On top of the mountain it stopped raining and the sun came out. Shortly afterwards it started raining again. From then onwards we kept the splash covers on.

We had lunch next to the trail between the proteas and fynbos because the view points were not marked and we had to guess where we were. Biltong, coffee and biscuits with cheese. Jelly Tots for Ignatius. He comments: "Jelly Tots tastes much better here far away from modern technology. It doesn't taste the same in front of the TV!"

Shortly afterwards, the trail suddenly drops steeply in large zig-zags down the side of the mountain to a valley below. During the descend, the storm wind pushed us several times off the path. At the bottom of the descend, we crossed a road where a marker indicates that Noetsie is only 4 km away. Do not believe this marker. It is much further - at least 6 km. The comment book at Noetsie will confirm that everybody thinks the same.

From here we passed through a valley with a lot of alien vegetation. Uphill again on a 4x4 road and then left for several km through fynbos and protea veld on a row of hills parallel to the sea.  The sea is nowhere in sight. Then suddenly the protea veld ended and the Noetsie huts appeared across a small bay. A steep descend and a walk around the bay took us to the twin huts of Noetsie. We arrived in a storm wind and just as it started to rain again.

There are two a-framed huts at Noetsie. The one hut consists of two bedrooms, each with two stacked beds and a loft with 4 mattresses. We chose the loft.

The second hut consists of a kitchen with a resident mouse, and, at the back side of the hut, two bathrooms, each with a shower and toilet. Hot water is available in the showers and kitchen. Lighting again by courtesy of solar charged batteries. The braai area is situated on the rocks right next to the sea.

This was quite an exhausting day, but not as difficult as yesterday. At least 16 km and not 14 km as the map says. We took approximately 8 hours 15 minutes to complete the trail. No problem to fall asleep tonight.

Reluctantly rising at 06:00. Ignatius has to be shaken out of his sleeping bag. Down the ladder with sore legs. Not a good idea to sleep in the loft after a hard day's hike... After the usual breakfast it's back with yesterday's trail around the bay and up the cliff to the point where the third day's trail starts. It started raining again. A storm wind blew.

For the biggest part of the day, the trail kept on the cliffs, 30-50 m above the water. Luckily, the strong wind blew one away from the sheer drop. For some reason, Grobler's acrophobia didn't kick in. Maybe he is getting used to these situations...

Numerous caves are visible in the cliffs below. About one hundred meters from Stilgat, two tunnels are visible from above. Do not try and climb down to them. The path ends halfway down. The twin tunnels are accessible from Stilgat.

The descend to Stilgat is a must! Several ladders consisting of steel cable with wooden rungs take you down approximately 40m to a sheltered bay. The lower part of the ladders looked quite difficult to negotiate, so we left our backpacks on a ledge one quarter down the ladders and climbed down. It transpired that we were unnecessary worried.

Stilgat is the ideal place to have lunch and to do some snorkelling. Unfortunately, the sea was too rough for us to have a swim. Around the corner to the left, we discovered a huge, deep cave. We could not see the back of the cave. There is a wood construction inside the cave. We could not figure out whether it was used as sleeping quarters or store room. Grobler and Ignatius continued further around the corner towards the twin tunnels. Grobler reached the left hand tunnel via a narrow ledge, 2 m above the water. Although it was low tide, the right hand tunnel was not accessible.

Back on top of the ladders, we seeked a windless spot to have lunch. Just as the coffee water started to boil, the stove fell over and we had to start all over again.

A few km further we got a big shock! Walking on a 30 -40 m high cliff and suddenly seeing the white water of a wave eye to eye caused our lower jaws to hit our toes. The rough seas and the geography of the sea bed caused the waves to shoot straight up for 30-40 m! We left this spot with a new respect for the sea!

We continued and just when we figured that we should be near to the Hamerkop hut, we saw what looked like the hut, very far away. Not very motivating... It later transpired that what we saw was the Lekkerwater Lodge, 4 km past Hamerkop hut. A few hills further we got excited when we again saw a hut. The disappointment when the binoculars showed the ruins of an old house...   Shortly after we passed the ruins, we reached the memorial stone of Daniel Stephanus de Wet who was swept off the rocks by a wave in 1937.

From the memorial stone we followed the trail onto the beach and shortly afterwards the hut became visible a few hundred meters away. Suddenly Grobler and Ignatius started running, but I was too slow, with the result that I was standing 20cm deep in the sea water. Not wanting to risk getting more surprises, we took a shortcut to the hut.

This day's hike took us approximately 6 hours 15 minutes to complete.

The Hamerkop hut consists of a big kitchen with a built in braai, two showers, two toilets, two bedrooms and a loft The huge loft sleeps four and has it's own built in braai and a balcony looking out onto the sea. Hot water is available in the showers and kitchen. Lighting again by courtesy of solar charged batteries.

Dinner again was the usual sweet potatoes, mixed veggies and rice thread, but this time with 'biltongblare'.

The Du Preez's slept in the loft. For a change decent stairs and not a ladder...

Again rising at 06:00. After the usual breakfast, we reluctantly tackled the dunes with our sore muscles and ventured onto the soft sand of the beach. The Lekkerwater Lodge immediately became visible about 4 km away. The going was tough in the soft sand. We tried to keep on the wet sand, keeping a constant eye on the waves...

After approximately 6 km, the trail left the beach and continue through the coastal vegetation. In contrast to the rocky paths of the previous three days, the day's walk on the cliffs is on sand.

The detour to the Blowholes is indicated only with a red apple on a ceramic marker. This is the ideal spot for an early lunch.

While waiting for the coffee water to start cooking, Grobler went off looking for the blowholes and to look at all the interesting rock formations. After coffee, biltong and salt biscuits with cheese, we clambered over the rocks at the point where the trail enters the beach for a bird's eye view of the blowholes.

A short distance further we got all excited when we saw what we thought was the Vaalkrans hut. But the binoculars brought disappointment. Another ruin. After several km's and the ruins of many houses, we reached the magnificently placed hut. This day's hike took us approximately 7 hours 15 minutes to complete.

Vaalkrans hut is situated high on top of cliffs and bordering on two sides by the sea.

While walking behind the hut to look for a the best site to take pictures from, a loud roar sent us jumping into the air. Two blowholes, the one directly behind Vaalkrans hut and the other one 20m away at the start of the last day's route, create a noise similar to that of a jet engine when huge waves force air at a high pressure through the holes. First the hole behind the hut roars and a few seconds later the other hole. The holes blow only when the sea is rough. We called the Robertsons and Ruth's hat got blown off when she stood next to the blowhole.

This hut is truly magnificently situated. The pictures further down say it all... Huge waves running into the small bay about 20 m to the west of the hut crashes into the cliffs inland from the hut and comes back on the wind in the form of a spray. Several small blow holes against the cliffs across the bay are visible from the stoep of the hut. About 20 m to the south of the hut the stormy sea crashes into the cliffs and sprays the hut with flakes of foam..

The hut itself is L-shaped with a big kitchen with built-in braai in the one wing and two bedrooms and a loft in the other wing. The showers and toilets are in the part connecting the two wings. The solar powered lights were faulty, so we were back to candles (available at the hut). Hot water in the bathrooms, but the geyser in the kitchen did not work. After a few adjustments, Grobler got the geyser going.

We had lunch in the kitchen at the table overlooking the waves breaking in the small bay. We socialised around the fire outside the hut until dark before reluctantly going to bed. We wanted to make the most of the last night of the hike.

The Du Preez's again chose the loft. The reason is that, in all the huts except for Cupido's Kraal, the second bedroom has no privacy as it connects the first bedroom to the kitchen and bathrooms. The Du Preez's, as usual, were the last to arrive and had to be content with what was left. Not that we were unhappy with what is left. The loft adds to the experience. Such luxury you won't find on many hikes... Directly above the ladder to the loft is a padded beam with the words "prevent a dent" printed on it. That night we went to bed with a nearly full moon shining through the roof window.

Up at 06:00 for the usual breakfast. For a change the Du Preez's left the hut first. The blow hole at the start of the trail gave a faint roar to say goodbye.

The day's hike alternates between beach walking, walking through the coastal vegetation and exploring rock pools. There are many crystal clear pools along the way ideal for snorkelling.

We stopped at the pools 50m past the only wooden ladder on the days hike. While exploring some of the pools, the Robertsons passed us. Sea stars, anemones, striped fish and lots of other sea life were visible and we photographed them without an underwater camera.

We passed by the Hippo Pools without stopping because we did not know how far we still had to go only to find the board walk at Koppie Alleen over the next dune. There is no marker to tell that you arrived at Hippo Pools, but you cannot miss it. It consists of several huge pools ideal for snorkelling.

At the bottom of the board walk, two Air Force helicopters passed from the back. Grobler commented that they came to salute us on the successful completion of the hike.

At the Information Centre at Koppie Alleen, we jumped into our bathing suits and walked down to the pools below the board walk for a swim between the Zebra fish.

While waiting for the shuttle back to Potberg, a big school of dolphins passed from west to east, riding the waves like surfers.

The shuttle bus arrived at 12:00 and we arrived at our car about 35 minutes later. Keep your permit ready - the guard at the main gate of the De Hoop nature reserve will not let you exit the reserve without it. Grobler didn't have ours with him and had to dive into the trailer to get it out of his backpack.

From Potberg we returned via the pontoon at Malagas and after a pie at Riversdale, we continued on the N2 to George where we divulged in Kentucky Fried Chicken and slept at the Backpackers Inn. 06:00 the next morning we reluctantly started with the long drive back to Bloemfontein. This break was too short...

Conclusion...

The trial is full of surprises. Although we saw no whales (wrong season), it was a wonderful experience. All facilities are very luxurious compared to what one normally find on a hiking trail.