Cockade Pass
Trip reports:
www.vertical-endeavour.com/forum/drakenberg-trips-cathedral-peak/55297-cockade-pass-report.html
https://www.vertical-endeavour.com/forum/drakenberg-trips-cathedral-peak/55378-cockade-half-organ-pipes-day-walk.html
www.vertical-endeavour.com/forum/drakenberg-trips-cathedral-peak/55700-mlambonja-pass-elephant-gully-cockade-pass.html
Southern split:
www.vertical-endeavour.com/forum/drakenberg-passes-cathedral-peak/55385-the-upper-southern-split-in-cockade-pass.html
Halfway between the more popular routes of Mlambonja Pass and Organ Pipes Pass lies the Xeni Cutback, a steep river valley with dramatic cliffs towering in all directions. There are two passes which climb up to the escarpment via this cutback. Xeni Pass, however, looks pretty mean and unlike Cockade Pass, probably deserves its "rock" affix. Cockade Pass is one of the most direct routes to the escarpment in the Cathedral Peak area and with its spectacular views and enclosure, one wonders why so few hikers see this secluded part of the Berg.
in Bell Traverse thread Hermann wrote:
I've heard more than one reference to the flash flood that washed down Cockade Pass. Haven't been out there myself since then to see the extent of the damage. Does anyone have more specific info on exactly how much damage was done, where it is on the pass, and perhaps some pictures?Cockade pass was a killer because of the flash flood in February....we didn't know about that!!!!
This just reminds me again how treacherous the rock passes can be (and Cockade is definitely one of the easier of the rock passes!). Several times I've found myself in narrow gullies full of loose boulders, either in the middle of the rainy season or when there has been tricky ice, wondering to myself what on earth I was doing there!

Take nothing but litter, leave nothing but a cleaner Drakensberg.
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Apparently there's a nice campsite not far above the contour path, but there's talk of another one deeper into the pass, and I'm curious about the latter. Does anyone have info on it?
To keep on-topic - how were the campsites affected by the flood?

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I anticipate that the main site should mostly be fine from the flood. The upper one, hmmm, not sure.
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We really had a slog down from Cockade, left the top at 11 am and reached harry's bar 7pm!!! 3 of our party were lagging behind because of an injury...they got to the hikers parking 5 am the next day!!!!
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Just above the Xeni River as the contour path winds down towards the river the path was washed away - probably about a 3 metre section. It was easily negotiated. Once in the Xeni River you could see that a flash flood had been through there.
The biggest danger we found was that the boulders and rocks are not secure and settled as would be the case with and an old established river bed. The person behind must always watch out for this. Also, be very careful when walking over these unsetteled boulders as many moved and made walking within the river bed a bit tricky.The path has been washed away in many places and the river bed has been widend but we found the path and cairnes in sections. many of the trees in the river bed had been shredded.
As we got higher up the Xeni River, there was more evidence of land slides coming into the river from both the left and the right hand sides. None of these slides really blocked our way up.
Close to the Junction of Cockade Pass and the Xeni River, stay in the river bed. Do not head left.
Once in the actual Cockade Pass it is fairly staight forward with a fairly ovious path heading up. We added to the cairnes in the Xeni River and Cockade Pass.
It seems that the Xeni River was most affected by the flood, and also the lower section of Cockade Pass.
On the way up the Xeni River, have a look at Xeni Pass. It looks daunting and intimidating but one to look forward too
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Take nothing but litter, leave nothing but a cleaner Drakensberg.
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Halfway between the more popular routes of Mlambonja Pass and Organ Pipes Pass lies the Xeni Cutback, a steep river valley with dramatic cliffs towering in all directions. There are two passes which climb up to the escarpment via this cutback. Xeni Pass, however, looks pretty mean and unlike Cockade Pass, probably deserves its "rock" affix. Cockade Pass is one of the most direct routes to the escarpment in the Cathedral Peak area and with its spectacular views and enclosure, one wonders why so few hikers see this secluded part of the Berg.
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First off, lots of thanks for this site and the forums. It's fantastic reading about other people's adventures and I'm sure this site will prove to be an invaluable resource for any future hiking trips.
A bunch of friends and I are planning on visiting the Drakensberge early next month. We're thinking of doing a 3 day/2 night trip, leaving the cars at Cathedral Peak Hotel and spending the first night at the Cockade camping site. The next day we'd like to take Cockade pass to the top of the escarpment and Tseketseke pass down in order to spend the night at the Tseketseke camping site. The final day is reserved for the hike back to the hotel.
We've done Cockade pass before, in 2008 before the rock slide, and were wondering how feasible doing both it and Tseketseke in one day is? I believe there's a river on the top of the escarpment, will it be flowing this time of year? Finally, is there anything else we should take into consideration when doing this route (excluding "Fake Tseketseke" which we are aware of)?
Thank you!
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I haven't seen the extent of the flood damage on Cockade, but in principal I see no issue with your intended day 2, even if you are delayed a little more. Get a good start on the day. The summits of the two passes are not far from each other and Tseke should be fairly quick to descend. The bottom end tends to be overgrown.
I've never tried to collect water right there in late winter before. You'll have to descend into the valley in any case - the water is seldom right at the passes. The question is how far you'll have to descend before you hit water....it could be up to 1km, but it does grow into a decent sized river at some point. Let us know!
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Sounds good, the availibility of water was going to determine our lunch, but looks like it will be biscuits and crackers

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