Mnweni hikes - 4 days or longer

Hi Deon,

from the summit of Ntonjelana Pass, you stick to the escarpment for a bit, say 200m, but then you need to find your way through a prominent rock band and this will soon force you away from the edge a bit. At the crest of this ridge (its uphill from the pass) you will see a very distinctive bowl-shaped valley. This is best avoided by arcing around it (inland). After that the Saddle will come into view in the distance and you can drop into the next valley and pick up the escarpment edge again as much as you care too. The views from the buttress overlooking the South Saddle (which is actually free-standing) and from the edge of the Saddle itself are well worth it. Near Nguza Pass there is a lovely camp-spot at the river confluence with flat ground and pools. From there head up the summit of Nguza Pass and keep an upward angle as best you can (avoid walking along the main valley) - you get higher and higher and the valley drops away. Eventually you will see a minor yet distinctive summit along the ridge (not the main summit of the dome just North of Nguza) - aim for this and drop into small valley to the right (if you heading toward Rockeries Pass). This is also a nice, quiet little valley. From the slopes of this valley along the escarpment are also fantastic views and often many vultures circling around. Walk down the valley a bit and gradually flip over the last minor ridge separating you from Rockeries Pass.

Look for the Grand Traverse GPS tracks in the downloads section for GPS data since it covers this section.

Welcome to this forum, travissmcdonald.

That sounds like a more relaxed itinerary. Mbundini and Icidi are both beasts, but Icidi has some humour-stripping bush on the approach. Also the shear length of Icidi, and then intending to traverse across to Rat Hole can be quite a push. Even with Mbundini you will have plenty of action that day, but its way more attainable.