At the Matjiesvlei Holiday Farm in the Little Karoo you have to cross the Gamka River to reach the top of Bôjaankop. Johann Grobler was glad the Gamkapoort Dam’s sluices were closed the day he arrived.

You can see Die Hel (Gamkaskloof) from one of the guesthouses on the Matjiesvlei Holiday Farm near Calitzdorp. The Onderpoort footpath that the Klowers made in the foothills of the Swartberg back in those days to sell their dried fruit in the Kannaland town runs along the bank of the broad Gamka River and past the farm for 15km.

From Matjiesvlei the Klowers pedalled to town on bicycles they kept on the farm, says Bennie Nel, fifth-generation owner of the holiday farm. Bennie prides himself on having walked to the Matjiesvlei Primary School 5 km away from grade 1–7 - without being absent for a single day.

After a busy day in Calitzdorp the Klowers tackled the return trip to Die Hel laden with bags of sugar and salt on their backs. And not just any old how - they raced each other to the river bank on their bicycles.

Neck and neck the men barrelled along, bent over their handlebars. So fast did some of them hurtle down a hill near the river that they couldn’t brake in time and tumbled bags and all into the river.

How they explained the soaked shopping to their wives in Die Hel afterwards, they only know. What is known, as Bennie and his friends discovered years later, is that the bicycle races had something to do with them dropping in at the Calitzdorp bar ...

 

The same thirst for Dutch courage that made the Klowers lose the plot on their bicycles after market day, lead to the start of the Bôjaankop 4x4 Trail. With donkeys and sledges, Bennie’s predecessors and their bywoners dragged down loads full of wild plum wood from the surrounding foothills of the Swartberg in the 1800’s to keep their witblits stills boiling.

At the bottom of the mountain the wood was loaded onto ox wagons and donkey carts that transported it to the stills or the town where the bywoners sold it in winter.

Over the years, the donkeys and oxen opened up a road in the foothills. It is along this road that Bennie built the Bôjaankop Eco 4x4 Trail.

Meanwhile this ostrich-and-milk farmer has renovated a number of old farm buildings and converted them into guesthouses.

Right, off we go

From the R62 between Ladismith and Calitzdorp we turn off onto a narrow gravel road to the farm. This is a mountainous area - around every turn there’s a mountain peak ahead of you. From afar we see the Bôjaankop 4x4 Trail slithering like a python up the mountainous terrain to the top of Bôjaankop, the highest point in the Matjiesvlei Valley.

At the homestead, we fill out the indemnity form and receive a pamphlet describing the trail. The pamphlet also contains a numbered plant list with which visitors can identify plants.

Bennie will quiz you about your off-road abilities and tell you whether your vehicle will be up to the steep slopes.

You can do the trail clockwise or anticlockwise, but if you decide on the latter, you have your work cut out for you because of the extremely steep, twisting and stony Groot Bult.

Although the other slopes on the clockwise trail are much easier to do than the Groot Bult, you still have to cross the Gamka River twice, as the farmstead and Bôjaankop are on either side of the river.

Deciding to show the big obstacle who is boss, we drive a short distance back on the gravel road we entered on and turn left before we pass the first guesthouse. The road runs through some farm gates that you have to open - and close.

Close to the start you face your first obstacle - the Gamka River. The water level is usually quite low, but it’s a different story when the sluices of the Gamkapoort Dam are open, as is sometimes the case from December to March after it has rained well in this dry region.

Fortunately, the water level is nice and low today and we commit ourselves down the river bank and into the water. For about 50m we crawl across the level but stony riverbed before scaling the opposite bank.

After crossing the river, we pass the turnoff on the right to the campsite.

On the stretch of the trail that runs along the river, you still have a chance to look up at the mountains next to you and to look out over the farm, but only until you reach the bottom of the Groot Bult - then the road demands all your attention.

 

Ahead of you lies a tough stretch up the mountain... It’s not for nothing that the trail was named after the hill where baboons still scurry about - here and there you might have to keep the proverbial walking stick at hand to get along while you climb 120m within 400m.

You should first walk up the hill to explore it, but you need to be quite fit for that.

The Groot Bult shouldn’t be tackled in just any old vehicle. Your car should at least have low-range, good ground clearance and preferably also diff locks.

And you will have to match the experienced 4x4 guys to master this challenge. You could easily lose concentration for a moment, which is when the cross-axles will nail you, with consequent damage to your vehicle. However, if you are careful, your vehicle won’t be damaged.

The wear caused by many decades’ donkey power, sledges, inexperienced drivers and their equally inept vehicles, means you have to know your story over the big, loose stones.

I have frequently tackled this stretch without a problem. The secret is to approach the hill as slowly as possible and to carefully choose the lines for your vehicle’s front wheels. You need someone to show you where to drive and you need to maintain momentum throughout, otherwise you’re in for trouble. However, if you stay calm, concentrate throughout and keep the momentum going, you should reach the top in about three minutes.

When you reach Bôjaankop’s top with your heart beating in your throat, you can relax at a viewpoint with an unusual vista over seven mountain ranges - including the Swartberge in the north, Rooikoppe and Outeniqua Mountains (east), Huisrivier Mountains (south) and Sambok Mountains in the west. You can identify the mountain ranges with the pamphlet and a direction indicator of stone that Bennie has built here.

You are about halfway now, and it’s about an hour from the reception to this point.

Koedoeskos and konsertinabos

After we have had a good look at the view, we drive south, all along the crest of the hills. About halfway to the second river crossing, we stop at a second viewpoint, from where we look out onto the whole farm.

The trail slithers along through scattered spekboom and succulents such as vygies, noors, koedoeskos, konsertinabos, bobbejaanghaap and aloes that are typical of the Succulent Karoo plant region. In spring, the fields are covered in wildflowers of the noemnoembos (Carissa species), wild plumb, Chinese lantern (klapperbos), vaalkaroobos, buffalo horn (wildegranaat) and proteas. Bennie always says the Little Karoo is a grateful region - after good rains the veld is covered in beautiful minute flowers.

You could identify other interesting plants such as spekboom, guarri, elephant foot and butter tree by comparing the numbers of numerous plant species on the pamphlet with numbers on the trail.

At the last viewpoint we get out of the vehicle and walk a short distance to have a last look across the valley and river.

From here, the trail descends to the second river crossing, near the end of the trail. The crossing is shorter than the first one, but the water flows much stronger here. For about 10m we bump across the rocky riverbed.

From here it is a short distance back to the homestead along a farm road.

If you want to spend the night on the farm, the choice is between a shady campsite where the Gamka River dams up against a weir, or five restored historical guesthouses, some of which date from the 1800’s.

The campsite with its wilderness feeling has an ablution block with hot and cold water and space for up to 15 vehicles.

Hot water at the guesthouses are provided by a donkey and bedding and towels are provided.

What you should know

WHY SHOULD I GO?

The Groot Bult will challenge you, you can look out on a number of mountain ranges and in the campsite you will feel close to nature.

EN ROUTE

How long is the route? 12.3 km 

How long will I be driving? 2 hours

Maximum number of vehicles? 14 per group 

Will I receive a map? Yes. The trail is also on Tracks4Africa and Google Earth.

Will my car be scratched? Not if you stay on the trail

Should I take the running boards off? No

Should I take a compressor? Yes

Can I turn around halfway? Yes

Can we have a braai on the route? No, only at the campsite

 

THE SURROUNDS

Best time to go? All year round

Can I take my family along? Yes

Just for the day or the weekend? Both

Are there ablution facilities for day visitors? Yes

Can I see game? If you’re lucky, you could see Cape otters, but there are Verreaux’s eagles and fish eagles.

The nearest town? Calitzdorp (10 km)

The nearest fuel station? Calitzdorp (10 km)

How do I get there? Turn right at the Matjiesvlei signpost, 6 km from Calitzdorp en route to Ladismith on the R62. Continue for 4km, turn left at the signboard on a big, flat rock. The homestead is 2km further.

WHERE CAN I STAY?

Choose between camping, chalets accommodation or a selection of B&B’s in Calitzdorp

WHAT ELSE?

Should I pack anything specific? Bring binoculars, fishing gear, mountain bikes, hiking boots, a canoe or inflatable boat and swimming gear in summer.

What else can I do there? Swim, fish, canoeing, mountain biking

COSTS 

Trail: R150

Camping: R150 per vehicle per day

Chalets: Prices for chalets that sleep 2-6 people range from R350–R400 per house per two persons per night and R100 per extra person per night.

CONTACT 

Bennie or Selma Nel 073 1741 028, 044 213 3756; matjiesvlei@telkomsa.net, www.matjiesvlei.co.za, www.4x4ineden.co.za

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