Mnweni hikes - 4 days or longer

27 Mar 2012 06:38 #53309 by elinda
Our group - (7 of us) will be leaving Mnweni Cultural Centre around 8.30ish on Good Friday morning - some of us are coming up from Durban and the others from Joburg and Bergville. We will be doing the same route as mykitchen and it looks like Fangs Pass it is over Mbundini. Be sure to flatten the grass and open the path for the bit between the bottom of Fangs ( waterfall) and 5 Star Cave for us! Enjoy - perhaps we can both relate our respective stories of the trip on the forum once we are back.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
27 Mar 2012 11:36 #53313 by Geordie
OK, confession time.
We have taken a lift from the cultural centre before when doing Mnweni pass. They drop you off when the large tree on a slope to the left of the road comes into sight. This saves about an hour or more on Mnweni walk.
The road does carry on from there!!! So, is it possible to catch a lift a little further down the road if doing Ifidi pass, and get a little closer to Cycad cave/ flat rocks.

Another question, can tents be put up on the flat rock / ledge camp. We will be doing this at the end of April as art of a 4 passes hike and will need a place for 6 tents as high up the pass as possible, but still being safe and comfortable,,, OK, Berg comfortable.
Do we have a waypoint for this camp?
Any comments on the lifts / camp spot welcomed.

G

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
27 Mar 2012 11:42 - 27 Mar 2012 11:43 #53314 by intrepid
One day when they build the bridge across the Mnweni, close to the junction with the Ifidi, which is apparently in the pipeline, it will be possible to drive all the way to the school. Even the track on the other side of the Mnweni had been upgraded into a very rough vehicle track last time I went along there. Vehicles can cross the river and drive there in the dry season.

Take nothing but litter, leave nothing but a cleaner Drakensberg.
Last edit: 27 Mar 2012 11:43 by intrepid.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
27 Mar 2012 12:51 #53317 by tiska

Geordie wrote: Another question, can tents be put up on the flat rock. We will be doing this at the end of April as art of a 4 passes hike and will need a place for 6 tents as high up the pass as possible, but still being safe and comfortable,,, OK, Berg comfortable.
Do we have a waypoint for this camp?
Any comments on the lifts / camp spot welcomed.

G


No waypoint for the flat rocks upstream of Cycad - except that they were in and surrounding the river and a few kms further on from Cycad. We slept out - so no tents and were scattered around over several meters - where ever there was a sufficiently flat enough spot for one person to be comfortable. It is not possible to pitch a tent here. Out on the river terrace it may be 'possible' - but it will be rough, uneven and vegetated. Therein lies the advantage of sleeping out - great flexibility but you'd need to watch the forecast v.carefully and not everyone likes doing it.

The next day, on the way up Ifidi, I kept an eye out for what would have been the next best place to have stopped and I didn't see one.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
27 Mar 2012 13:07 #53318 by Stijn

intrepid wrote: One day when they build the bridge across the Mnweni, close to the junction with the Ifidi, which is apparently in the pipeline, it will be possible to drive all the way to the school.


Not just "in the pipeline" anymore. The bridge over the Mnweni was under construction during our hike in December 2011 so should be complete by now?

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
27 Mar 2012 14:15 #53319 by Geordie
Thanks for the info so far!

So no tenting past Cycad and Cycad looks dodgy, how about camping in the river bed just before the pull up to Cycad??

How big is Cycad and how bad is Cycad. We could carry a broom from the centre to sweep it out, or am I dreaming??

This is my Northern most adventure after Mnweni Pass so please confirm the route to Cycad!. From the cultural centre, it looks as if you stay next to the river past the new bridge and then cross the Mnweni close to the confluence and then start bending left up the Ifidi valley. Am I correct?
Also I take it that there is a major path which, in berg fashion, will reveal itself as we go along?

We will start just after lunch and I don’t want to get lost before we even get to Cycad cave. Has anyone got this on a GPS track or am I worrying about what is actually a simple to follow road/path??
Regards
G

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
27 Mar 2012 14:31 - 27 Mar 2012 14:32 #53320 by tiska
I don't think you'll have a problem with the route finding. We only looked at the map occasionally and that only for interest really. The Ifidi is very much its own valley - you branch off from the Mnweni pretty early on and don't share much of the walk with Fangs or Icidi approaches. The veiws to the south during the walk in over the Mnweni are great.

There was a path to cycad and many paths leading to the last Kraal prior to cycad which was abandoned. The kraals had fruit trees next to them - possibly peach.

After cycad the path was vague and when we spotted a local on the morning of day 2 while we were still at the 'flat rocks' and asked where the path was, the guy helpfully pointed at the river and said that is the highway. I wouldn't camp prior to cycad - still too much activity and it leaves more for the next day.

Cycad was lived in when we passed through - dope growers mainly. In most berg caves there is something of a distinction between the loo and the sleeping area. In cycad at that time there wasn't....
Last edit: 27 Mar 2012 14:32 by tiska.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
28 Mar 2012 10:23 #53340 by mykitchin
Ok sounds like its going to be a good route! Every time we go to Mnweni the roads have pushed ever further into the berg foothills. Does anyone know where the proposed Ezemvelo conservation boundary will start?

Anyway thanks for all the info, I'll post a write up and some pics when we get back.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
02 Apr 2012 12:29 #53397 by intrepid
@Geordie: If you really want, I have tracks to Cycad Cave, but I don't think it will be a major issue for you. You pass through some kraal areas where the options in trails are numerous and after that the locals head out to that cave anyway, so there is a trail.

Just before Cycad is a forest so no camping really. Cycad could sleep about 6 people or so, probably more depending on how creative you are. You will quite probably need to clean it up before moving in. I did mark a camping area about 280m on from the cave, can't remember details, but there are flattish areas around and have look under the patches of trees there too. There is a small campsite at the base of the pass where the gully starts in earnest but I think your group might be too big for it. There is also a very small bivy cave halfway up the gully, but nothing you will want to aim for.

Take nothing but litter, leave nothing but a cleaner Drakensberg.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
10 Apr 2012 13:57 - 11 Apr 2012 06:34 #53479 by elinda
We are back from a successful hike despite feeling like a truck has run over me today………I can only think that in my less than ideal state of fitness , ascending a monster pass and descending an equally daunting pass in two days with the accompanying hours and hours of boulder hopping, contributed greatly to my soreness! Day one to Cycad Cave was an easy one – we left the Mnweni Cultural Centre just after 10.00am and arrived at the cave about 3ish. We found the cave to be in a bit of a mess (cow do’s and burnt firewood and ash) but cleaned it up a bit and made it a bit more presentable . 6 of us were able to fit in fairly comfortably and space could be made for one or two more. We left at 7.00am the following morning for our groot trek up Ifidi. What a pass! It consists of boulders………and millions more boulders – increasing in size and trickiness the higher we ascended. It was easy enough to negotiate and it was only really within the last 400 metres or so where it becomes steep and there were 4 places where packs had to come off and the stronger men were able to haul the ladies and our packs up – not without a few scary moments! We found water most of the way up – it disappeared about 400 metres from the top, and then reappeared again a little higher before disappearing and then amazingly enough a small trickle right at the top. Obviously this will dry up as Winter approaches. We topped out at 2.30pm. We decided to go over the ridge and camp near water in the next valley (between Ifidi and Icidi) but before doing so went along and had a look at the ‘true’ Ifidi Cave. This is about a km or so along the escarpment edge – one of our party had been there before so knew where to find it. A lovely large cave with a beautiful outlook although water would be a problem – I believe there was water coming over the cave in December (dried up now though). We set up camp at 4.30pm – we thought that the Police appear to be patrolling the Amphitheatre area? – they flew over and around us to say hello and we also saw the same helicopter the following day. The wind came up fiercely overnight and we awoke to gusty wet conditions. We packed up tents in the rain and cold and set off for Fangs Pass at 7.30am – the rain came and went but eventually disappeared by the time we got to Madonna. We got to Fangs at 11.00am and decided to push for 5 Star Cave. It was an extremely long day – Fangs is never ending and tiring and the concentration required for the endless boulder hopping immense – I have heard of others climbing out on to the left ridge ( between Fangs and Mbundini) which may be a bit easier, but we elected to stay in the river bed. At 3.30pm we came out at the waterfall (where Fangs and Mbundini meet) and easily found the path which starts right at the waterfall on the right hand side (as you are looking down the pass). From here it’s about an hour and the path goes directly to 5 Star (although it is a bit difficult when it goes through the river bed now and again – but we were able to find it without too much trouble.) We were very happy to reach the cave and were all utterly exhausted. An easy walk out the following day and we were back at the Mweni Cultural Centre by 12.00. We had really beautiful weather, apart from the wind and rain on the one morning. An unforgettable hike!

Please login or register to view the image attached to this post.

Last edit: 11 Apr 2012 06:34 by intrepid. Reason: embedded image
The following user(s) said Thank You: Geordie, brio, hasamatt, Smurfatefrog, tonymarshall

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
Powered by Kunena Forum