Gamtoos Valley

Read more about the article The magnificence of the Kouga Dam overflowing
Firefly the Travel Guy

The magnificence of the Kouga Dam overflowing

It's always a magnificent sight to see any dam overflow and even more so seeing the Kouga Dam overflowing after a prolonged period of severe drought. The Kouga Dam, is located in the Gamtoos Valley about 30km past Patensie en just before the gravel road into the Baviaanskloof. The dam was originally named the Paul Sauer Dam after Paul Oliver Sauer who was the Minister of Lands, Forestry and Water Affairs at the time and represented Humansdorp (a district that…

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09/08/2024
Read more about the article The on-site scale model of the Kouga Dam
Firefly the Travel Guy

The on-site scale model of the Kouga Dam

I have visited the Kouga Dam near Patensie in the Gamtoos Valley many times over the years. In fact, back when I was a tourist guide I went there every two weeks with British tourists. In all those years I never knew of the scale model of the dam that can be found close to the picnic areas. A couple of years ago the area around the scale model was cleared and signposted. I finally got the chance to see…

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06/08/2024
Read more about the article A Gamtoos Valley outing
Firefly the Travel Guy

A Gamtoos Valley outing

The Gamtoos Valley with it's citrus farms, beautiful scenery and interesting little corners is one of our favorite day excursions to just get out of the city for a bit. The advantage is that it is nice and close to Port Elizabeth, so you are in the valley after like only a 40 minute drive. We try to see and do something different every time we go which is probably two or three times a year. Our latest outing produced…

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13/08/2021
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We picked strawberries in Hankey

I am way behind on my blogging.  Like in "get Dr Strange in here with the Time Stone and send me back 6 months so I can try to start and catch up" behind.  Life is getting in the way and life is made up of work, family, kids, sport, etc, etc, etc...  That plus having a teenager in the house that occupies my laptop all evening, which have now conked out for the third time in a year. The laptop,…

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30/04/2018
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Up(s) and down(s) and into the water at the InniKloof Waterfall hike

Everybody has their travel bucket lists.  I'm no different but because I would still like to do a lot of travelling I have divided mine into International, African, South African and Eastern Cape.  One of the things that has been on my Eastern Cape travel bucket list for a while now is doing the Innikloof Waterfall hike.  Innikloof is situated near the Gamtoos Valley town of Hankey and the hike is done once a month as a guided hike as…

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08/05/2017
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The lonely house

I just loved this scene of a lonely house - close to being a ruin although at least it still has its roof - in the Gamtoos Valley.  It's located on a dirt track a few kilometers off the main road through the valley, so not something many people get to see but well worth the stop to photograph.

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25/11/2015
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The Kouga Dam overflowing in all it’s glory

This was my favorite photo from our visit to the Kouga Dam in the Gamtoos Valley to see it overflowing. I just slapped I with a bit of HDR to give it a bit of a more striking look. A dam like this overflowing is always a sight to behold.

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04/11/2015
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Checking the Kouga Dam overflowing

A week or two three ago we spent the weekend at Tia Ghee Tented Camp in the Gamtoos Valley and heard that the Kouga Dam was still overflowing after good late winter and spring rains.  We immediately decided to take a drive up to the dam for a look and we definitely weren't disappointed. From the tar road, very close to where it becomes dirt going into the Baviaanskloof, there is a dirt road turnoff to the left and about 7…

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03/11/2015
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Going on an Adventure Drive in the Gamtoos Valley

Beautiful scenery, rolling hills covered in fynbos, citrus orchids, farmlands, white frothing streams, mountains on the horizon, forested valleys, interesting back roads, friendly people and countryside hospitality.  These are all things you will find in the Gamtoos Valley.  The best way to explore and get to know the Gamtoos Valley is to spend a weekend and see for yourself what this valley on the eastern doorstep of the Baviaanskloof has to offer.  One of the quick fire ways to do this…

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05/10/2015
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Gamtoos River boats

The Gamtoos River is a very popular fishing destination in the Eastern Cape.  A quick trip down to the Gamtoos Mouth had me spending some time on the river banks taking pictures of a couple of boats lying at anchor there.  The owner of this one live right across the road and came out to chat to us.  Turns out he doesn't use this particular boat for fishing.  He uses it to take his boerboel dog across the river to…

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20/03/2015