SA18 The Wild Coast- Mbotyi, WaterFall Bluff, Cathedral Rock.
Tuesday, 10 May 2016 4:10 am
Finally the rain cleared today and we were able to go above Port St Johns to the now abandoned SA Air Force base and jungle training centre.
Great views over the town
Lusikisiki, is the commercial hub of this area.
Very interesting driving slow in the traffic jam to watch the sights as we do a loop around town.
A067: Mbotyi Camp
Cost: R 100/person
Altitude: 30 metres
S 31* 28.919 E 29* 43.817
Today: 130Km
Trip Total: 11,465 Km
Tuesday 110th May 2016
Hard to find and an 8km return walk to Waterfall Bluff.
One of only a very few waterfalls globally that drop directly into the ocean.
Rock.
Another 1.5kms further and Cathedral Rock
A big walk particularly for Lyn with a painful knee.
A068: Waterfall Bluff Camp
Cost: Nil
Altitude:11metres
S 31* 25.298 E 29* 61.146
Today: 45 Km
Trip Total: 11,510 Km
Kindly they shared a little known site of one of the biggest breading colonies of vultures.
Tucked into the the walls of this canyon there are over 200 pairs. The feeding cycle is anticlockwise over a number of days an extends as far away as Lesotho.
On the way out this young boy was starting a flower selling business which we supported.
Way far better than the hundreds of kids on the side of the road with their hands out screaming SWEEEET.
After a while it starts to annoy you.
On the way back to Durban
A069: Oribi Gorge Park
Cost: R120 for 2
Altitude: 446 metres
S 30* 43.924 E 30* 16.409
Today: 307 Km
Trip Total: 11,87 Km
A070: Durban Queensburgh C.Park
Cost: R250 for 2
Altitude: 209 metres
S 29* 51.632 E 30* 54.287
Today: 196 Km
Trip Total: 12,013 Km
The next 3 nights we are at our good friends house near Hillcrest. This has given us a very thankful chance to clean the vehicle, do a bit of service,
and importantly sort out an issue we have now resolved.
The front cab tilts on these pivots and the left hand side has collapsed. Oil within the bush is leaking. Hopefully this will also eliminate the slight knocking up the steering column.
HOWEVER for this to happen the cab must be removed !
I now have the parts from Fuso SA ( Left and Right side + seals etc A$200). Fuso SA do not have provision to remove a cab and have not done it, but highly recommended is a Fuso/Freightliner Truck Repair company - Hermans.
All booked in for the second day we return in July.
I have now stripped ‘most’ of the non OEM wiring to allow this to happen.
We loved Sth Africa, the variety of animals, the indigenous peoples who return a wave and a big toothy smile, and the friendship of the whites we have met along the way.
We do fear for the whites in what is now a reverse apartheid society that is being encouraged by the corrupt ANC government. All to many we have met are considering leaving SA for good.
In the last 90 days, 89 white farmers have been murdered, many whites we have met have lost immediate family members recently. If you have a successful farm your choice now is wait for the blacks to walk in and take over, sell on a low Rand market with minimal buyers, or give 50% to the local community and the other 50% is in trust to the government. BUT you can run and pay the locals, that is if they work !
Hard call guys and we feel your pain.
Beautiful country being F’ked up
Just so other travels do not get the wrong idea, all the time we felt very safe, but took the local advice and did not free camp.
We return here on the 4th July for 2 months Botswana and 1 month Namibia...can’t wait !
Kym n Lyn
p.s.
Charles and Moya, many thanks for your exceptional hospitality, you have made us feel this is our second home in Durban.
For those wishing to drive SA here is a link to the DIY section on Sth Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland, including our tracks and campsite: Overlanding South Africa