Xeni Pass - North Fork

Hi Raat83,
I merged your post with the existing Xeni Pass thread to keep all the similar info in one place.

I think Xeni is fine for anyone with a sense of adventure. It's definitely more challenging than Cockade and Tseke.

You don't need climbing gear. The worm hole at the top is technically speaking technical , but its not hard and is actually fun and a highlight. If I had to guess you could grade it a 7 or an 8 and its not exposed since you really are in a tunnel.

The bottom of the pass does have bushes and obstacles you have to negotiate. And there are several waterfalls which require steep scrambling through bushes and grass to bypass and this is actually the harder part of the pass I think - not the wormhole. The throat of the pass before the wormhole is like Ifidi Pass - a narrow, steep gully full of boulders with small waterfalls.

Yes it would be possible to do the pass in the day...budget on a solid 10-12 of hiking (not including stops), assuming everything goes smoothly. The bushes and waterfalls are time consuming. That would be my guess, but I haven't done it in a day. People pull off some pretty amazing stuff in the Berg, so I guess the sky is the limit. It is not something I'd recommend by conservative standards however, so if you attempt that then make sure you enjoy that kind of hiking. You could always do the wormhole in the dark.