Oribi Gorge is about 30Km inland from Port Shepstone. We had been there before but only for a day visit and were looking forward to spending a bit more time in the area. It was an enjoyable drive with Roger reminiscing about happy childhood holidays spent at the various towns and resorts along the route.
Access to the campsite was rather tricky in terms of low branches and awkward angles, but hey, as I said before with an expert driver behind the wheel most things are possible! After some reversing and manoeuvring we in!
After setting up camp we hopped into Suzi for a reccie and spotted two new birds for our list.
The reserve is absolutely stunning and is untouched in terms of farming and fire due its location and topography. We were also lucky enough to see a troop of the shy Samango monkeys on a number of occasions. 16 Oribi were re-introduced to the reserve in 1985 and they now number well over 100 but we were not fortunate enough to see any. Oribi numbers were decreased due to loss of habitat to make way for sugar cane plantations.
The campsite is small, with only 5 stands and us as the only occupants for the first night. No camp lights or traffic noise to disturb us, plus an overcast sky made for a late wake-up on day one. Roger decided to get onto the roof and try to find the problem with the leaking hatch. On close inspection he did find a problem: the corners of the cut-out in the roof protrude slightly past the rounded corners of the hatch! He covered the areas with sealant so now we wait for the next rains and see what happens…
Next we went to the Leopard Rock restaurant for lunch (www.leopardrockc.co.za). The food was delicious and the views breath-taking.
Of course no visit to Leopard Rock would be complete without a picture taken from the ‘hanging rock’!
A hike was on the cards for the next morning so we were up reasonably early and set off on the Mziki trail. It is a 9Km circle route which covers forest, grassland and river crossings, with the last stretch along the tarred road. Again, we were in awe at the beauty of the surrounds. The trail is well laid out and maintained and the veld was covered with wild flowers and butterflies galore. The only negative comment is about an irritating sound we heard throughout the hike. It was like an explosion going off every minute or so. Back in camp we enquired at the office and according to Jenny it is a device deployed by the neighbouring farmer, intended to scare off baboons from raiding his sugar cane!
Besides getting a rather large blister on my big toe the walk was most enjoyable.
During an afternoon drive we came across a snake crossing the road. Roger got out of the car to get a picture and ensured it crossed safely into the bush before being run over by a vehicle. It did not co-operate and slithered off into the grass on the verge too quickly for a decent pic. Suspect it was a forest cobra.
The next day we visited the Lake Eland Game Reserve (www.lakeeland.co.za). After lunch at their restaurant we walked over the suspension bridge and onto a ‘viewing platform’ which is built on a steel girder protruding over the edge of the gorge, much like the prow of a ship.
Next we went to see the caves, accessible via 383 steps. Again, the views were breath-taking. A small display depicting San life with information about their culture is also found in the “cave”.
We have previously experienced zip-line adventures in the Tsitsikamma and in the Magaliesberg, but this one promises an adrenaline rush of note! However, the wind was howling at around 30 knots, channelled by the gorge, so we decided to give the zip-line a miss.
One section of the Lake Eland Reserve is set aside as an Oribi sanctuary but we unfortunately did not get to see any. Maybe next time!
We did however see two Large Grey Mongoose. They are about the size of otters with long shaggy grey fur and long furry tails. They did not show themselves long enough for a photo, so we included a pic from the field guide instead!
After 4 nights at this most enjoyable place it is again time to move on. We decided not to go to the Drakensburg but to spend some time along the South Coast before moving on to the Wild Coast.
Wow The Oribi Gorge sounds facinating – about 50 years since I was last there!!