Mnweni hikes - 3 days

Hasamatt as for your itinerary it all sounds doable and if you are all fit there should be no problem, the last day down rockeries might be a little long but i think you should be back at the cultural center by late afternoon.

Mponjwana cave is not to difficult to find.Once you have summited Mweni pass and you look slightly left(south) you should be able to see the mighty Mponjwana pinnacle head up the rock band towards the escapement to the pinnacle you should find a few Kern's marking the way,then when you are standing on the escarpment edge you have to drop down a few meters to a lower path which will lead you a little more south until you are right in front of Mponjwana.When you leave the cave heading for rockeries pass just take the path which heads south and you will land up right at the summit of rockeries.

Hasamatt

Agreed Anthony , if you have a bit of fitness it won't be a problem!
It really is an awesome route to go and do. Mponjwana cave is spectacular, but consider Ledgers cave as well if the weather is good, it provides some stunning views of the valley you just summited.
If you feeling up to it at the time make the extra push to Chi-chi camp. You will be sleeping slightly higher than the Sheppards cave area so you get a nice look out down the valley, having Pins and Mnweni passes looking down on you.
I didnt really take note of the space available for tenting at chi chi but if I can remember correctly there is space for 4-5 tents??
Enjoy!

Hi Anthony, Mike & Intrepid.
Many thanks for your advice - much appreciated! You have given me some valuable information. I will definitely consider Ledgers Cave as an alternative (Keeping options open is very important to me when undertaking a trek like this). Does anybody know or have access to the GPS co-ordinates for ChiChi bush camp? The Prospect of camping at junctions like the Mnweni and Rwanga rivers does leave me feeling somewhat exposed, and I would prefer to find a slightly more secluded spot that is off the well trodden local pathways.
I must say, that encountering smugglers of any kind does leave me slightly apprehensive, but we will just trust God for a safe hike.

On a side note, I would've joined this forum a long time ago had I known about it. Its so good to see folk who are also extremely passionate about the berg. I will be sure to let you all know how the hike goes.
Thanks again!

We hiked the same route in March over the long weekend and must point out that the walk into the Mwneni Valley was very wet and the rivers flowing strongly, requiring that we had to negotiate safe places to cross, even taking our boots off a number of times. At one crossing, the river was thigh deep and flowing very strongly. Having to take boots off does add time to your hike and needs to be factored in with your planning. We camped just before Shepherd's Cave, having checked out the cave and seen just how dirty it was. In the early evening and again the following morning, donkey trails walked in front of our campsite on the path, but they presented absolutely no problem to us and the "smugglers" were very friendly. They can't afford to cause trouble for themselves .. The following morning we headed up the pass, reaching the top before lunch, allowing plenty of time to get to Mponjwane cave if that is the goal. We camped up the valley close to the river in a lovely spot. We spent the following day on the escarpment visiting Ledgers and Mponjawane and enjoyed spectacular views of the vultures. On Day 4 we headed down Rockeries to the Cultural centre, but had arranged a lift from the shop/shebeen. We must have arrived there around 1.30 and that was after spending a good 45mins swimming in the river slightly higher up. Enjoy your hike.

Christine is right, one can always organise a lift from the cultural center to take you to where the path begins to go up the Mweni valley ,and also arrange a lift back from where the road starts coming down rockeries.Me personally i hate walking on the road.

Ja I agree - it's a pretty soul-destroying way to finish what is otherwise the perfect 3-day Berg hike!

Eeeish ... what's with this arranging lifts and road complaints ?
Parking and walk-ins before the Cultural Centre were from the Police Station .. that's an extra few kms ...

Ole George would be shaking his head in disbelief ...

Ha - you know the purist in me would never take a lift... slogged down that valley every time. Doesn't stop me from saying it's soul-destroying though.