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  INFORMATION:
  OUDSTHOORN | CALITZDORP | GAMKA MOUTAIN NATURE RESERVE | LITTLE KAROO

Province: Western Cape
Activity: 4X4 Routes

Zebra Crossing Trail
Grading: Easy to moderate
Nearest Town: Oudtshoorn - 33km south-west; Calitzdorp - 32km south-east
Region: Little Karoo 
Nature Reserve: Gamka Mountain 

Accommodation: There are two camps where visitors can stay overnight. The rustic and very basic Oukraal camp has a stone shelter, veld toilet and fire-place. Visitors can also pitch their own tents around a fireplace. No bedding facilities are provided, so bring your own mattresses or stretchers along. The eight-bedded Tierkloof bush camp has two safari-style tents and a main thatched hut with a gas fridge, gas stove, lamps, beds, ablution facilities and a perfect lapa with fire wood. Nowhere will your sense of seclusion and rustication be greater than here, where you can experience a touch of the bushveld right in the Little Karoo. The bushcamp is set between acacia trees and is constructed of thatch, wood and reed. The spacious and comfortable main hut has one double bed and two singles. Tent sites with two safari-style tents, that sleeps two in each tent, also equipped with beds and mattresses are also provided. Bed linen is available (R25). The bushcamp includes a cement dam in which visitors can swim. An interpretation centre on the reserve gives the visitor a chance to learn more of the reserve. 


ROUTE DESCRIPTION
This is a great overnighter in the Klein Karoo, and a must for nature-lovers. The route covers a large and rugged section of the reserve, taking you to and from spectacular viewpoints more than 1000m above the vast landscapes of the Little Karoo. 

The trail is made up of a network of tracks that traverse the Gamkaberg mountain for 60km, but it is also possible to take much shorter drives. The track, like the mountain, is a mixture of Table Mountain quartzite and shales and Bokkeveld sandstones, climbing from 300m to more than 1000m above sea level. 

The steepest sections, ie at the start of the route as you ascend onto the plato, have been strip-cemented. Generally, the more challenging sections are at the start of the route, with the gradient becoming more gradual once you have reached the plato. 

The route starts at the information centre. This thatched-roof building is well worth a visit to find out more about the region before you experience it first-hand on the trail. 

The route then sets off through acacia trees towards the Oukraal road that leads up the mountain. Once you have ascended, take a few minutes to walk the 300m from a signpost pointing to a vantage point. From there, you will have a magnificent view down the Tierkloof gorge with its spectacular mountain folds towards the Calitzdorp valley and Swartberg mountains. This is one of many vantage points signposted along the route. 

The route follows to the Oukraal overnight hut, which is set within rocks. You can either immediately unpack here, or only return to the overnight hut once you have followed a few other scenic drives. 

You have two choices how you'd like to finish off the route after a refreshing night's sleep - either return via the same route you came, or leave the reserve at the Paardebont gate to the south, where the trail can be extended by linking up with the Minwater 4x4 route (see bookings details) on the adjacent property. 

The 9428ha Gamkaberg Nature Reserve is in an isolated mountain range sandwiched between the Swartberg and the Outeniqua mountains, and was set up in 1974 as a refuge for a local population of Cape mountain zebra. 

There is an abundance of wildlife. The reserve is a refuge for a local population of the endangered Cape mountain zebra, but also home to honey badger, baboon, leopard, eland, red hartebeest, grysbok, grey rhebuck, klipspringer, duiker and steenbok. The vegetation ranges from mountain fynbos, arid fynbos to succulent karoo and riverine vegetation. A fynbos plant, the golden mimetes, was first discovered on this reserve. You will have ample time for bird watching, while hiking is also possible. 


Bookings:
The Reservations Office
Private Bag X6546
George
6530 
Tel: (044) 874-2160 
Fax: (044) 874-1567
george@cnc.org.za

Enquiries: tel/fax: (044) 213 3367
gamkanr@mweb.co.za

Group size: Three vehicles per day allowed


Prohibitions and hazards: Stay on the existing tracks; use biodegradable cleaning materials and take your refuse with you; only make fires at demarcated areas; prevent soil erosion by avoiding wheel spins

Trail Distance: 60km (5-7 hours)