The Mt Aux Sources - Amphitheatre - Tugela thread

Hi Ralph,

Welcome to VE!

You have a few options available. You can try Crows nest cave (pretty much on the way to Ifidi cave), or Icidi cave, or then quite a bit further Fags cave. Icidi isn't very protected, so if a rainstorm blows in from the escarpment you might get wet - pack a bvvy bag or something if the weather looks like it might be wet.

Other than caves, there are lots of tenting spots you can go for. On the way towards Ifidi cave but more towards the escarpment side there are a spot where the mountain club has built a small walled enclosure. Not sure of it's exact location, maybe somebody else can help out with coordinates? There's plenty of flat spots all along the way to the cave, which is far enough from the Tugela falls to be out of sight. In the vicinity of Mount Oompie are nice areas, and then I've had lunch next to a small waterfall (it is indicated on the maps) near the Eastern Buttress which was also nice.

Most of the valley floors will do nicely, but I've also pitched a 3 man tent just below Icidi cave on a flat spot, about 80m or so down from the cave, as you walk down it is towards your right hand side.

As Riaang says, plenty of spots to camp with a tent.

Walking from Tugela, the first stream you cross is Bilanjil, amazing views back over the Tugela and Eastern Butress , tenting behind a rock wall and beautiful stream right there.  



Walking further south along the escarpment past Mount Amery, just to the north of iFidi pass, there is a nose called Thaba Ndanyazana which has an amazing view back over the Singathi Wall and Mount Amery.  Tenting, there will be water at the moment in that area, small pools and trickles.

In this view of Singathi Wall, there was a small trickle of water behind the tents from which we filled up for the two days that we stayed there.


Further south near Top of iCidi Pass tenting or a cave near the top of the pass and water in a waterfall (great for a cold power massage) about 200m sw of the pass.

 

Lots of amazing scenery in this stretch.  Hope this gives you some ideas and inspiration 

 

Who is responsible for the upkeep (or lack thereof) on the Amphitheatre mountain hut? I passed through the area over the weekend and noted that half of the roof is gone. Really sad and frustrating seeing the state of a hut with so much history.

On another note, the amount of hikers in the Tugela river catchment is going to lead (if not already) to some serious issues regarding water quality. We counted close to 30-40 tents in the catchment on Saturday night. A sustainable toilet solution is required from whoever owns the area.....

Certain areas of the berg is becoming a real "shit show" (for lack of better phrasing) due to high volumes of hikers. (Ledgers; Tugela; Rolands; Keiths Bush Camp) 

So sad to hear about the hut....

I am planning to hike up the Amphitheatre this weekend, what condition is the road between Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge and Sentinel Car Park? We will be in a Brezza for reference.

The road conditions are currently quite bad, so I wouldn’t recommend attempting it unless you’re in a 4x4. A better option is to take the shuttle from Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge (which can be booked online), or alternatively start your hike directly from Witsieshoek.

The road has been filled over the years with rubble and rocks making it very uneven in patches and easy for lower cars to get stuck, I assume this is why the lodge now has a sign advising 4 x 4 only.

Hope this helps

My feeling lately is that we shouldn't support hiking in this area for now. Last time we tried it, we had 'unofficial' people blocking our way asking for money to let us through. They have no system and no one is investing in the road or facilities. If you want to hike you can do it 'properly' by going via Royal Natal and hiking up or come up via Mweni side too.

The other aspect is that it's beautiful up there for sure but is by no means a wild mountain hiking experience due to the amount of traffic. If you want a more wild hiking experience there are plenty of exciting alternatives in the Berg. We often hike for 3 days without seeing other hikers..

So for my money, and certainly for now. I'lll choose to go for other options. Any thoughts?

I would agree, been avoiding it for  a number of years now.
 

They keep the road in that condition so they can milk visitors for their 4x4 shuttle service. Also, they charge a high daily fee, if I remember correctly it was just under R300pppd, with the SA side charging max R115pppd.

For my money I'd rather go to the SA side. As ASL mentioned, it's a bit of a zoo up there, I prefer to go to the areas in the Berg that is not swamped by (overseas) visitors.

When you say they charge a high daily fee, are you refering to the Mountain Lodge, or the parks department where you sign in?  Is the Mountin lodge responsable for the upkeep of the road?

When I phoned earlier this year, I spoke to somebody at Witsieshoek, and they advised me that they charge a PPPD fee, which they said was the daily mountain fee of something like R285. Then, to use the section of the road from Witsieshoek to Sentinel parking, that was another R100 pp, and then, if you used their 4x4 courier service, at was another R675 per person, per trip.