Most people associate the scenic Tsitsikamma with indigenous forests, river gorges and a rugged coastline. It also has the beautiful Tsitsikamma Mountains running parallel to the coast and on the eastern side big green open fields used for diary farming. And that's just the scenery.....
Early morning mist on the Outeniqua Mountains. The first thing I saw when I came out of my log cabin at Eight Bells Mountain Inn outside Mossel Bay.
The Cockscomb mountain is situated north of the Gamtoos Valley and visible from not just in the valley but also from the Baviaanskloof, Uitenhage and Addo areas. The reason its visible from all over is that it's the second highest mountain in the Eastern Cape. It gets its name from its resemblance to a rooster's comb. The Cockscomb is part of the Groot Winterhoek mountain range with the higest peak being 1 768 m above sea level. This picture was taken from Vergaderingskop (the burial place…
Dusk in the Gamtoos Valley with the Cockscomb Mountains in the background photographed from the stoep at Nikalandershoek Guest Cottage just outside Patensie. PURE BLISS
Somewhere in primary school all South African kids learn about the Cape Fold Mountains but one never really understands it until actually seeing it in person. The Cape Fold Mountains are found along South Africa's south coast from Cape Town to the Port Elizabeth area. The actual folds are seen in many places where you find valley and gorges through the mountains, usually while driving a pass somewhere. About 450 million years ago the rocks found in the Cape Fold Mountains were laid down as…
Addo Elephant National Park offers horse riding in two locations within the Greater Addo park. The first is down by the Main Rest Camp where the ride takes place either within the game viewing area or outside the fence if there are predators close by while the second is up on the Zuurberg Mountains. The drive up the Zuurberg Pass is an experience on it's own with beautiful views and a visible change in vegetation as you get higher. Once…
We are slap bang in the middle of a warm hot sweltering summer spell. Days are hot and the crows are yawning, every bit of shade gets used by big and small and people, specially the farmers, are keeping their eyes skyward in the hope of a shower to cool things down a bit. When the sun rises in the east and the hills are covered in early morning fog, like this Gamtoos Valley scene close to Patensie, its a sign…
Just after sunset the mountains of the Baviaanskloof west of Patensie turn into silhouettes against the colour changing sky. Shortly after they turn transparent in the fading light before disappearing into the night.
One of the well known landmarks in the Gamtoos River Valley in the Eastern Cape is the Queen Victoria Profile on the road between Patensie and the Baviaanskloof. The profile is the result of erosion of the sheer cliff and can be seen when driving towards Patensie. About 140 million years ago the Cape Mountains were roughly three times higher than today. A period of high rainfall then eroded them and the Enon Conglomerate, of which much of the Gamtoos…
Earth Day gets celebrated annually on this day, 22 April, to demonstrate support for environmental protection and is celebrated in more than 192 countries every year. The name and concept of Earth Day was pioneered at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco by John McConnell in 1969 . He proposed 21 March 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere., for the celebration of this special day. A month later a separate Earth Day was founded by United…