Mlambonja Pass - Organ Pipes Pass link-up & escarpment traverse

Wow that is a funky profile!

Hmmm...looks like the options are Short and Steep with long downs or long gradual climbs and steep ones.

15km with 2 climbs, I think we may just split that with stop over.

Well I would like to thank everyone for their info it has realy shed some light on the subject.

Beers all round!!

hi guys

wonderful site!!!! really helps to get sum good info before hand. me and a mate are going to do this hike on saturday (but from organ pipes to mlambonja) and the info u gave really helps. (its my first time going to the drakensberg)

thanks for the info will post sum photos if we make it back alive...

Hi All,

Just a qick not to say we are back and had a blast will post a full report soon!

bergbees

Hey Hey!!
All 3 of us are back and had a fantastic time in the berg!!

We went UP Organs via Camel and DOWN Mlambonja, we are so glad we went down Mlambonja, that pass is long it feels like it will never end.

(I hope this is not to long.)

Weather was great we had clear sky everyday but a strong wind from Lesotho everyday.

There where 3 of us hiking all off us first time traversing the berg. Together our high berg experience to date was 1 night at Amphitheater and we had done Organs in a day hike via Mikes Pass. We have plenty of hiking in other forms and areas.

Day 1) 24/09 13H00 to 15H30 Easy walk from Car park to Ribbon falls, slept in caves brilliant clear evening watching the stars and eating pasta Alfredo!

Day 2) 25/09 08H30 to 15H30 From Ribbon Falls to Windy Gap via the Camel Ridge. Clear sky and windy brilliant views from the ridge, path is good till you need to go around Castle buttress, path still washed away in 2 or 3 places but there has not been rain for a bit so we managed fine, but would not want to do it in the wet. Steep scramble up the gully into the main Windy Gap gully. My opinion is that this is a UP pass I would not want to come down it. Topped out and found that there is not much water we had to camp low into the valley past the junction with the stream that runs off Cleft Peak. Wind died down and we where blessed with a crisp clear night counting shooting stars and satellites! Dinner was pasta with salami, olives, and sundried tomato pesto! Who said you don’t eat well on hikes!

Day 3) 26/09 09H00 to 1600 Stiff climb up to Cleft summit. Clear sky but very strong wind. Pushed up to the summit in just over 1h20 min. Brilliant views of the area, could see all they way up to Devils Tooth and down to the snow covered peaks in the south, (not sure but could have been Giants Castle?). Dropped down and headed past Tsetseki pass, on to Cockade had lunch at 13H00 in the valley by the river about a kilometer or so from the Cockade Pass head. Hiked up to the Cockade and Elephant cutback, man what a majestic site! We decided to give the big hill a skip, and choose to drop down the cutback and push up the steep slope next to the Elephant with the path running next to the cliff face of the big hill this was surprisingly quick and we where up the other side in 30min. We had a great view of the cutback. We pushed on past Xeni and into the valley on the other side next to Mlambonja buttress. We made camp next to the river about 2km from Mlambonja Pass. Dinner was FreezDry Chicken Tikka and Mexican Chilli Chicken not too bad.

Day 4) 27/09 09H00 to 17H45 Along valley to Mlambonja pass and down to hotel. Clear sky but clouds pushing up over the edge, mist in the pass until we dropped below the clouds. Mlambonja pass is long as everyone said it would be and it is steep in places. I have a bad knee and it stared giving issues so by the time we reached the Contour path at around 13H30, I needed some pain killers.

The valley is stunning though and we found the camp site that is marked on the new maps. But the area had been burnt down so this did not help morale. We stuck to the right hand ridge and dropped down the little berg close to Neptune’s pools. Then that last stretch to the hotel.

Got a lift from a family back to the car park and they where our heros, they even had cold beer!! What a way to end!! So with our spirits lifted we had a great time and brilliant experience in the berg.

This must be one of the best hikes in the berg because of the diversity and views; I would recommend it to anyone who would like to get a good taste of the berg.

Thank you fatshark for the route because it works so well and also to intrepid and domsmooth for the added information and providing such a fine platform to share this. It really made it a great trip and it had a direct impact on the success and enjoyment of our experience.

bergbees

hey bergbees, wow sounds like you had a great time and ate like kings! glad it all went off ok.

p.s. camel is not so bad coming down. would rather come down camel than mlambonja. its a LOT quicker so you save the knees an extra hour or so pounding.

Hi Guys

Had no idea there would be such an informative site on the Drakensberg, great job!!!

I see no recent news on the Mlambonja pass to Organ Pipes pass, regarding security on the escarpment along this route. I spoke to Tulani a local guide from Didima, and he recommended a three day hike from Cathedral's boom gate (car park), up Mlambonja pass, overnighting in twin caves, day two up cleft peak and over night obove organ pipes pass, then on day three head down to the car park.

1. Is this enough time
2. if so should we do organ pipes first?
3. if not is there a shorter & just as easy (no ropes or hair raising sections) route. I'm a photographer, so am looking for the most spectacular sections.

there should be a group of +/- 10 just guys 17 - 30 (a few first time hikers.)

I chose this route cause as a kid i've been up cleft peak via organ pipes and know that this is probably one of the most spectacular areas of the berg.
I do see the walk from the top of Mlambonja to the top of Cleft peak is no push over.

We will be climbing the 1st -3rd of May 2009
Your input would be much appreciated

thanks guys

Hey eugenepant!

On our last day we met 2 guys that had come up Mlambonja the day before, they had started at 06H00 at the CP hotel and got to twins at 18H00. From Twins there is still a bit to do before you top out.

They way you describe it would mean that on day 2 you move from Twins, over Cleft to Organs. That is a streach, and if you are stopping to take photos, it could prove to be a long day but not un-do-able.

You may want to consider breaking the traverse by camping around the elephant/cocade area. There are some stunning photo ops there and I would loved to have stopped there for longer.

The Camel route is shorter than the Mikes Pass option from Organs, but the path washed away at 2 spots and can be tricky. (We went up Camel and down Mlambo.).

I have some photos of the Camel I will see if I can post them sometime.

Hope this helps a bit,

bergbees