Gamtoos Valley, Eastern Cape:
The name Gamtoos catches in the back of the throat with a guttural stop so typical of the wonderfully descriptive Afrikaans language. The word probably originated from Dutch settlers, who called the Khoikhoi clan in the area ‘Gamtousch’, although others argue that it means ‘the roaring lion’ and refers to the sound of the Gamtoos in flood.Lying adjacent to the Garden route, just over an hour’s drive from Port Elizabeth, the Gamtoos Valley is home to the three little villages of Hankey, Loerie and Patensie, and is a vibrant mix of citrus, potato and tobacco farming that forms a collage of cultivated fields and orchards.
Regarded as the gateway to the Baviaanskloof Wilderness area, the valley is a treasure trove of beautiful scenery and interesting landmarks that stretch all the way up to Komdomo, where the Baviaanskloof route begins.The little town of Loerie hosts the Naartjie Festival in September and Hankey is not only the oldest town in the valley but also claims to have the largest Sun Dial in the southern hemisphere - 36.4 metres across. Here too lie the remains of Sarah ‘Saartjie’ Bartman, a Khoi-San woman, also known as the Hottentot Venus, who was ‘persuaded’ to leave the country for Europe where she was used as a circus attraction, dying finally in France. It was only in 2002 that her remains were finally returned to South Africa.
Loerie, Eastern Cape:
The little town of Loerie - probably named due to the prominence in the Baviaanskloof and surrounding area of the rather elusive Knysna Loerie that reveals itself only when absolutely necessary - is one of three towns in the Gamtoos River Valley that serves as something of a gateway to the Baviaanskloof. Loerie is probably best known for its annual Naartjie festival during September during which, obviously, naartjies are the main attraction, but visitors are also able to sample a variety of vegetables and food and there is a music stage and a naartjie-eating competition that makes for great excitement. It would be fair to describe Loerie as relatively small.
The village consists of little more than a railway station - used initially to transport limestone, it now serves as the finish of the annual Great Train relay between the friendly city and Loerie - a church, a fistful of houses and a local store. But Loerie forms the first port of call for many a traveller heading this way from Port Elizabeth, where it lies flanked by the foothills of the Elands and Groot Winterhoek Mountains. The relatively unknown Stinkhout Berg Nature Reserve lies wedged between Loerie and Hankey, the Cockscomb Mountain serving as a major landmark thereof; and the beautiful, fertile valley is an awesome blend of nature, agriculture, beauty and wilderness that makes it a special place to which to escape.
Patensie, Eastern Cape:
The little town of Patensie lies virtually at the mouth of the Baviaanskloof Wilderness area, hidden away in the south western corner of the Eastern Cape only an hour’s drive from Port Elizabeth - it’s the last stop before entering the wilderness. A largely citrus producing community, the name Patensie is something of a corruption of the Hottentot expression ‘lêplek van die beeste’ or ‘where the cattle lie’, and because of its easy access to Baviaanskloof and nearby game farms, the area is fast becoming a place of note. Patensie, from where one can easily see the Cockscomb Mountain - its five jagged crests resembling a rooster’s comb - is a thriving town with a modern citrus warehouse that plays a large role in the Gamtoos citrus industry that is well worth a visit.
Just 25 kilometres outside of Patensie lies the Kouga Dam - the lifeblood of the valley, which irrigates most of the farmland here. Initially called the Paul Sauer Dam, it also supplies Port Elizabeth with most of its water.Follow a visit to the dam and a viewing of Queen Victoria’s bust in the conglomerate cliffs along the Gamtoos River - you can only see it from the west, so you need to stop and look back - with a stop at the quaint little home industries tea room of Tolbos in Patensie, before setting off on one of many rambles through the area.
Hankey, Eastern Cape:
Hankey is one of three towns that make up the Gamtoos Valley - an exceptionally beautiful part of the world due mainly to its ability to remain largely undetected and thus unspoilt - that stretches up to Komdomo and the start of the Baviaanskloof wilderness, now a World Heritage Site. Of the towns in the valley, Hankey is the oldest and probably best known because of its claim to the largest sundial in Africa that stands 18 metres high and weighs in at a ton. Hankey’s other claim to fame is the burial place of Sarah Baartman - now an icon for human rights, her life story is one of abysmal treatment during which she was cajoled into leaving her place of birth to be exhibited as a ‘freak’ in the UK and Europe.
Years of negotiation with the French government finally culminated in her remains being returned to a burial place just outside Hankey, her final resting place - something of a victory for humanity and a symbol of freedom. The town of Hankey lies surrounded by beautiful hills and fertile farming land, en route from Port Elizabeth to the Baviaanskloof - a route that also winds through Humansdorp and Patensie. The Baviaanskloof is literally a kloof along which a road crosses a series of at least 100 low water crossings through a 192 000 hectare conservation area that is home to an incredible diversity of habitats and species.
Baviaanskloof, Eastern Cape:
There is a gorge that lies in the valley, stretching for over 100 kilometres, between the Baviaanskloof Mountains to the north and the Kouga mountains to the south. Recently awarded World Heritage Site status this 192 000 hectare u-shaped reserve lies about 120 kilometres west of Port Elizabeth and is named after the baboons that roam the area - a mix of the Dutch word ‘baviaan’ for baboon and the Afrikaans word ‘kloof’ for ravine.
Baviaanskloof, the area, includes the Karoo towns of Willowmore and Steytlerville as well as a number of small stock farms, and the little town of Patensie lies at the start of the gorge - the last stop, so to speak, before entering the wilderness of the Baviaanskloof. A single dirt road, which follows the dry river beds where it can, taking in some of the most breathtaking passes through mountains along the way, was built between 1880 and 1890 by Thomas Bain. It wends its way through the valley with no other access, in or out. With 42 river crossings, assisted only by causeways, all of which are liable to flood during heavy rainfall, your journey is bound to be both exciting and beautiful - an area awaiting discovery.