We first came across this little marvel a few years ago when hiking at Mkhomazi. It is situated on the high plateau above Mckenzies Cave and the Kumalungana river runs through it. At the time we were amazed at the bends and twists of the river far below and promised ourselves that we would return one day to explore it more fully.
After climbing up the ridge towards McKenzies Cave ( some 780 metres so good exercise!) we paused for a while to admire the view looking towards Lotheni. This is a high point here at 2300 metres and there was a beautiful cloud inversion below us. We then turned north and made our way down towards the canyon over the grasslands. The canyon has several ‘arms’ and we by passed these until we reached the far end where it exits into the valley below. We had lunch here before deciding on our next move. The aim was to find a tenting spot near water, and if possible, get into the canyon itself. The northern rim has very steep sides and we thought we would have a better chance of success if we kept to the south rim. To avoid taking the long route by walking around the side arms, we found a route down a side gully and then contoured and climbed on to the ridge where the main canyon was. We saw a large overhang which looked promising but it was too steep to get down, so we continued on. Where the river makes a horseshoe bend, we found a ridge descending to the bottom and were able to get all the way down. We had found our tenting spot for the night! It felt quite surreal to be in this spot and surrounded by the high walls of the canyon – it really felt like an area that no one has ever visited. After putting up the tent we explored upstream - the river meanders along a flat river bed which made the going fairly easy as the sides are steep and the water was low. We found an overhang which could sleep 4 at a squeeze – we named this ‘Canyon Cave’ The mist was starting to roll in so we made our way back to the tent, and after a quick wash put the kettle on and relaxed with a hot drink. By late afternoon it was an absolute whiteout with drizzle falling as darkness fell. We fell asleep to the gentle sound of the water flowing over the rocks and a chorus of frogs.
It was still misty when we woke and we made a leisurely start to the day. By the time we packed up and headed up the ridge to the top, the sun was making an appearance and we made our way to the edge of the plateau and from there descended back to the office.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable hike and is highly recommended - It is a small canyon in terms of area, but very beautiful – and it's always rewarding to discover new ground!
Canyon Cave
