Nguza Pass

Hi guys,

Does anyone have a track for Nguza pass that you wont mind sharing with me? My wife and I are on a mission to start ticking off some of the passes in the Mwneni area while it remains the only area open for overnight hiking Plan on going up Ifidi and down Nguza over the "long weekend" in September.

Thanks!!!

Hi Supertramp,

PM me for a copy

I have provided Supertramp with both tracks I have of Nguza Pass, which were both all over the show in the bypass gully, grass ledge traverse and summit gully, with an explanation of this, and a request to take this into account when using the tracks, which I cleaned up with quite heavy editing.

Unfortunately because of this, I do not want to upload these tracks to VE, as they are not good quality, and I do not want them to be used in situations where they could potentially result in hikers having navigational problems on Nguza Pass if they are solely relying on the tracks for navigation.

In all probability most hikers will experience gps wanderings on these sections of Nguza Pass, which will also complicate them being able to follow a gps track with any accuracy.

Thanks for all the assistance Tony, Intrepid & Riaang, much appreciated!! Can't wait to have a crack at it!!!

Hi Supertramp

I descended Nguza pass on Saturday, I had a track on my watch, but didn't use it as it was a clear day and I know that it was a bit allover the place at the top of the side gully when I was getting it into a GPS format on Basecamp as Tony has already mentioned

So my two cents on the pass is if you are ascending there are a good number of reasonably sized cairns at the side gully if you stay on the left while bolder hopping up the river you shouldn't miss the gully. However you have mentioned that you are looking to descend, so if you have a clear day it is largely reasonable to navigate, as you descend the initial gully you can see the traverse that you need to exit the pass gully onto.

The traverse section has become very eroded, I had expected that traverse section under North Peak to be in better condition.

In terms of then the side gully which you want to descend, I didn't see any sign of cairns like at the bottom of the side gully, so not that easy to discern, I knew that I was at the correct side gully because of a picture that was posted on this thread of the gully and the distinct features, so have a look at the photo's on this thread and when you get there, if it is a clear day you will know when you reach the side gully to start descending.

As for the actual side gully, it felt like every rock and bolder moved under me, so it is definitely slow going, there are are few short grass sections while descending which I used.

Hope this helps and Enjoy, looking around when at the top of the side gully was a highlight for me.

Here is my photo of the side gully from the top

Thanks WarrenM, that is very valuable advice! I will be sure to take a mental snapshot of the correct gully and to mentally prepare our group for the loose section in that gully.

Barring terrible weather, with all the helpful info I will take on the pass with optimistic realism

After doing Nguza pass over the weekend I hereby wish to give an update on the "crux" traverse section below North Peak. I have a relatively high risk appetite but this traverse section truly tested the limits of what I deem as an acceptable risk. It appears that the section has deteriorated significantly over the last while. This can be clearly seen if one compares different photos taken at different points in time. Please take close notice of the comparisons made in the images below. It is evident that the section got burnt, that there is much less grass and that the erosion has gotten worse (as WarrenM has indicated).

Current (27 September 2020)



Previous (image courtesy of Riaang)



We took some time to scout the "best" line before crossing. The main issue is that there is a section of approximately 2 meters that no longer has any foot or hand holds, irrespective of whether one takes the higher or lower option.



The erosion just got worse after each of us completed the crossing





I fully respect the view that the dangers posed by these exposed sections are subjective to the observer. I do however feel obligated to just make everyone that plans on doing the pass in the near future aware of the current condition. It may be that after good rain and some "healing time" that it will become more manageable.

Perhaps it would be best for nobody to do this pass for a year and see how it heals. It is likely only a few hikers that would attempt this anyway, so not like you would be taking away a major route to the top from a lot of people. This would be a good example of the VE community protecting a route for the future and allowing rehab to take its course.