Fill your cup at the source
“Untarred” is a euphemism. The stretch of road from the eastern gate of the Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area at Komdomo Campsite, through the Grootrivierpoort, was still relatively tame, with scenic drifts and hardpack dirt. But now I’m bouncing over loose stone and corrugations on Combrink’s Pass, and I’m very grateful I’m behind the wheel of a Mahindra Pik Up.
Visitors usually travel “downhill” through the Baviaanskloof, from Willowmore to Patensie, but I started at the eastern end this morning, hoping that the wildest section of the kloof would clear my city head quicker.
Combrink’s Pass is narrow and full of blind corners, with a chasm on one side. Yes, a chasm. I wish I hadn’t noticed that… If another car were to approach, I don’t even want to think about having to reverse to a place where we’d be able to pass each other.
But the landscape is incredibly scenic. I can’t believe I’ve never been here before. The inspiration for this trip came from a woman called Pikkie Daniel from Paternoster, who couriered me a book called Baviaanskloof – A culture-historical view: Nuwekloof to Kruisrivier by Colijn Scheltema and Naomi Haupt from the University of the Free State. Pikkie had inscribed my copy: “Dis ’n Godsmooie wêreld – geniet hom”. It was all I needed to plan a trip to this “heavenly place”.
Aloes, cycads and spekboom decorate the mountain slopes. The Mahindra is handling the terrain well. I’m using the Slingsby map of the Baviaanskloof and it suggests I should switch to low range, but the bakkie is still climbing with ease. A sedan would never get you this far – Thomas Bain barely tamed the landscape with his road.
On the Bergplaas plateau, I pull over to stretch my legs and work up the courage for the next hurdle: Holgat Pass. Combrink was just a warm-up – Holgat is 5km long and features the narrowest stretch on the R332. Many of its bends are so sharp that I have to do a three-point turn to get around. There’s a cement track to help with traction, but it’s crumbling from use and I crawl down in first gear to where trees and shrubs form a dense tunnel over the road. I make eye contact with vervet monkeys in the thickets, and then I see the Smitskraal picnic site. Thank goodness! I need a breather before I tackle Grasnek Pass.
Grasnek turns out to be a little easier to traverse. The cliffs have made way for a valley with kudus, vervet monkeys and the first Baviaans baboons I’ve seen. I pull over at a drift, take off my velskoens and wade into the cool water. Something makes me look up. There
