Duration:about 6 hours
Start / Finish: Old Police Station (any time)
Equipment: shoes, hat, minimum 3 litre of water, snacks/fruits
The trail is marked with yellow arrows, spots and numbers. |
| A. The circular route for the Quivertree Gorge begins at the old police station. |
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| B. You come past a Zebra sandbath which Mountain Zebras use to rid
themselves of parasites and excess hair. Go straight on there through a small dip. On the
lefthand side directly behind it, the marked trail begins. |
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| C. Further on you pass a rocky ridge on top of which grow trees
with golden bark. Continue past a interesting slate formation. |
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| D. On the righthand side several steps lead up the hill. |
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| E. The trail leads through a field of small dried teabushes. |
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| F. Further up you have a beautiful view into the Quivertree Gorge,
where you will walk back later on. |
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| G. On your left in the distance you can see a radio antenna on the
top of a high peak. |
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| H. Further along on the slope on the left you see a sign
"Horse Trail". The trail forks here, take the right fork, which is a shortcut to the top of
the ridge. |
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| I. On the top you walk along on the left of a cliff. Here you might
see some Rock Dassie, resembling a tail-less beaver. |
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| J. On the left hand side two Shepherd trees form an arch. Go
quietly and you might see some Mountain Zebras. |
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| K. Continue on the path which leads you up another the ridge. |
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| L. The ridge opens up onto a plateau (alt. 1820m) You follow the
path along some rocks which have interesting striata. |
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| M. Zebras often take siesta on this plateau, which soon narrows to
another ridge. |
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| N. The trail leads down into a small gully past some Zebra bath and
then climbs up the other side. |
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| O. At the top (alt. 1800m) you will find the 4x4 track. Turn right
onto it and in 300m you will be at the "Drop-off-point", for those who come by jeep. |
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| 1. "Drop-off-Point". Your hike into the "Quivertree Gorge" starts
here. The old Farmroad you are walking on, guides you down into the gorge. Next to it you can
see different plants of the Euphorbia family. |
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| 2. You are in the dry riverbed. Follow the yellow arrows towards
right. You should already see a rugged mountain in the middle of the riverbed. On the top of
it you can see a "Hamerkop" (Scopus umbretta) nest. Pass the mound on the right side. |
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| 3. Now that you are in the gorge, you should see the first pools
and small streams. A very special and interesting vegetation opens up. The animal kingdom is
diverse: different birdspecies, Rock dassie, Klipspringer antelope, baboons, insects like big
hornets or dragonflys and if you are lucky you can also meet "Amanda" the gorge's spitting
cobra. In the pools you can see some waterbugs, toads, frogs and their tadpoles. Tip: don't
walk on grass or other plants if there is rocky ground underneath. It can be very slippery. |
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| 4. You pass a big rock. Behind this rock a big wild fig tree gives
shade. Here is a good opportunity to take a break, to cool your feet or to swim in the
pool next to the tree. |
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| 5. You passed some wild olive trees and big reeds. Now the path
diverges. Either you go up to the left (secured by banister, easy) or you go right through
the gorge (climbing along the rock face, difficult). |
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| 6. If you take the right diversion, you come across a little cave
which is on your left hand side. Another big wild figtree grows next to a pool in front of
you. If you missed the first opportunity to cool your feet or to go for a swim, here is the
next wonderful chance to do it. |
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| 7. After a climbing passage the trails meet again. You should see
some quivertrees here. |
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| 8. Next to the river you should see some reeds. You can follow the
mark L for left or R for right. After a few meters (ca 150m) the trails come together
again. |
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| 9. Coming to an ascent secured by a chain you have a nice view onto
a small waterfall. |
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| 10. Back in the valley you have the possibility to go back to the
"Rietloch" (one should calculate10 minutes to go there, 10 minutes to come back + some time
to stay at "Rietloch") |
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| 11.You can also follow the P (10) which guides you to the pick up point. |
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