Mnweni hikes - 4 days or longer

I hear that fangs is also a good cave,better than mbundini cave?i just thought of rat hole because iv been there and its guaranteed to be dry and warm in winter.ive been up fangs pass,is mbundini much harder? also, ive never been to cultural centre before(havent been to mweni in years).do you have to book before arriving if we want to camp or can we just rock up?is the car safe there for 5days?

travissmcdonald wrote: I hear that fangs is also a good cave,better than mbundini cave?i

yes, most would agree that Fangs is better than Mbundini. Its a bit further though as you have to summit Mbundini and then cross along and down to Fangs Cave. As you'll be passing within 50m of Mbundini Cave its worth having a look.

travissmcdonald wrote: just thought of rat hole because iv been there and its guaranteed to be dry and warm in winter.ive been up fangs pass,is mbundini much harder? also, ive never been to cultural centre before(havent been to mweni in years).do you have to book before arriving if we want to camp or can we just rock up?is the car safe there for 5days?

I suggested Mbundini as an extra option if the going up Mbundin was slower than expected for whatever reason or if the weather turned. Always good to have options. Rat hole is an excellent shelter from the weather.

Much debate about whether Mbundini is easier than Fangs. I've been up both and down Mnundini several times. I'm in a minority for thinking Mbundini is easier than Fangs. At the end of the day they are both pathless Mnweni passes and at the end of one of them, you know you've done an honest day's work!

Just rock up to the MCC. Car is fine there. Actually I have left cars at Kraals in Mnweni for years and never had the slightest problem. I've usually taken a bag of maize meal as the rent. But once you make someone responsible for the car, they rise to the occasion. MCC is safer than the kraals I would have thought.

Have a good trip.

What fantastic thread. Such an invaluable resource in planning our upcoming trip this Oct, 2013. Thanks again.

Hi all -

We are planning a hike in Mweni area over the upcoming long weekend (22 - 25 Sep) for a party of 6. I have been through the previous threads on the site for the area which have been hugely helpful.

Our plan is to leave cars at the Mweni Cultural Centre and summit via Fangs pass and descend via either Mweni pass or Rockeries pass.

Would appreciate any updates on:
- the current state of the caves in the region and whether they are worthwhile staying in
- whether there should be water in the rivers / streams en route after the winter
- general security in Mweni
- which is the preferred descending pass - Mweni or Rockeries?
- I saw that wef 1 Jan 17 permits are required for hiking in the Royal Natal park - where can we get these?

Also I have the downloads for the passes, but does anyone have GPS tracks to get to the base of Fangs pass and then back from base of Rockeries and Mweni to the road to MCC?

Thanks
Rolf

This is our trip report we did in July.

www.vertical-endeavour.com/forum/drakensberg-trips/56321-fangs-rockeries-trip-report.html#71902

You are in for a treat!!!!

- the current state of the caves in the region and whether they are worthwhile staying in

We didn't sleep in any caves but there is quite a variety to choose from.

- whether there should be water in the rivers / streams en route after the winter

You'll have water up to about 50% up Fangs pass, there is a health river if you decent into the valley behind Fangs pass. If I recall correctly your first water after that will be in the Mnweni Cutback which is a hike of about 12 km

- general security in Mweni

From the base of Fangs I would push to get to the cutback, in 2016 there was incident in the Fangs valley.

- which is the preferred descending pass - Mweni or Rockeries?

If you do Mnweni you will have to double back on your route to get out of the mountain, we did Rockeries and I would suggest that.

- I saw that wef 1 Jan 17 permits are required for hiking in the Royal Natal park - where can we get these?

No permit required for Mnweni Area as far as I know, if that is what you are revering to.

PM me if you would like our GPS Track.

Regards

Henk

Hi.
I hiked in Mnweni previous weekend.
5 Star cave was taken over by the shepherds. Shepherds Cave was unoccupied but had some litter around. There's some good camping area before Shepherds Cave. I would suggest you walk further up the Mnbundini valley and camp by the waterfall at the split of the passes.

Rockeries Pass is extremely worn out, frustrating hiking down with all the loose rock. Higher up keep a look out for a 'straight' descent on the grassy left hand slope. A local was using this line on his ascent as I slid my way down the zigzags.
Lower down it has the best view from the valley of all Passes...views of the Rockeries, Needles and Saddle.
There is a side stream high up. The next being the stream at Nguza crossing.
You will also have to contend with the long walk out on the dirt road.

With Mnweni Pass the path is much more comfortable to hike. Stunning views higher up. It also involves a walk out on dirt road.
I would recommend you descend via Mnweni Pass.

I also would suggest going down Mnweni rather than Rockeries. Rockeries is quite far down my preference list of passes - but it is definitely easier than the other passes in the area (well, I can't comment on Ntonjelana yet, but there are two large ridges between the two, so definitely not easier when paired with Mnweni Pass). As Magan says, it is like walking on marbles.

Mnweni is a nice pass, scenically on par with greats like Mashai and Giants Pass, although not nearly as spectacular as the likes of Thlanyako and Cockade (@Mnweni fans: please put those pitchforks away, I am entitled to my own opinion ).

Currently the plan is Fangs --> Rockeries
⅘ days: I like to have day 3-4 as two days as an option so we can rest more if we feel the need
Day 1 : 5 Star Cave
Day 2 : up Fangs Pass to Fangs Cave
Day 3 : to Pins Cave (Day 3-4 can be one)
Day 4 : Mponj / Ledgers cave
Day 5 : Down Rockeries Pass
Which was suggested in a previous post
I will be doing this with a friend as a duo (we aren't the fittest people in the world but earlier this year I did the Cathedral peak day circuit).
1.)Should I be worried?

2.)Does anyone know the drone laws in the area?
and should I be worried about getting lost and what precautions can we take to avoid that.
Currently have essentials planned food, date and gear.
We plan on hiking from 5-9th of October.
3.)Should I be worried about finding water this early in spring ?

Welcome to VE

If you are concerned about fitness levels - Fangs might not be the best pass to go with. You have given yourself the full day, though, which does help. I quite enjoyed Fangs, mostly because it is on my strongest terrain (boulder hopping and steep grass), but it isn't the easiest pass around. Ntonjelana Pass, for example, is a much easier route, and one of the most spectacular passes in the Berg - more scenic than Fangs anyway (if you aren't looking at the over-eroded trail that you are walking on). That being said, if you can do Cathedral Peak in a day, you are probably fine.

I'm not very clued up on drone laws, but as far as I know, there is a restriction on flying drones above a certain altitude nationally (well below the top of the Berg), something to do with flight laws in general. There are quite a few laws that most people seem to ignore with regards to drones, such as needing written permission to fly within a certain distance of people, or licensing of both the device and the pilot. Mnweni isn't in the WHS, so the laws against base jumping, paragliding etc presumably don't apply. But I know a lot of hikers (i.e. not just me) can't stand it when we go to the middle of nowhere and suddenly there is the noise of a drone buzzing by.

Precautions against getting lost? Difficult one to answer. Mnweni is full of trails that lead all over the place - I still occasionally end up on the wrong trail even after numerous visits to the area. A GPS track helps, and obviously also have a good map, study the route etc.

Re water: the river behind Rwanqa should be fine, as should the Senqu on top. But the Senqu was dry on Spring Mnweni last weekend, so if we don't have significant rain between now and then, you might have some issues. That being said - with a lot of snow forecast for tomorrow, you will probably be fine. You are going to end up having to carry a fair amount of water, though - as 5 Star Cave is the only overnight spot on your list that is close to water. Pins Cave is 200m down Pins Pass,and is exceptionally far from water. You will have to carry water from the river behind Rwanqa.

Thank you so much for your reply

I think we'll be fine doing fang my friend isn't quite as fit as I am but he has an insane amount of drive.
I couldn't find very much info on Ntonjelana Pass.
and I love Madonna and her worshipers as well as the pinnacles which we'll be passing.
I'm probably a bit of a thrill/achievement seeker. If there's a hard way I'll take it to prove I can do it.
I see people struggle a lot to find caves is sleeping on top of the escarpment an issue in this time of spring.

and I don't plan on disturbing people with my drone I'll only be flying short flights and my drone is relatively silent.