Vergelegen is an area not often visited by hikers, mostly because it’s a bit off the beaten track and the road there is not the best. It lies between Sani and Lotheni and is a rugged part of the Berg with long walk ins to the bottom of the escarpment. We were last here a few years ago when we did a hike to Evrandah Arch with friends, and we thought it would be good to explore the area beyond The Hook and take a look at Shelter Cave which neither of us has seen. We took the Impendle road this time and found it to be a much better option than going by Lotheni as it’s a tar road for most of the way.
The reserve has been experiencing problems with the locals ( I think to do with land claims) so the gates are now kept permanently locked. We made arrangements for the game guard to meet us and he let us through. Not much has changed at the office and we noticed that the last hike in the register was in December 2022.
The Berg is looking very dry and dusty at this time of the year, and the path leading to the Mlahlangubo valley and the Hook was overgrown. We both brushed off many ticks that were lying in wait on the long grass and were relieved to reach an area that had been burnt a while ago with fresh green shoots starting to push through. This made for easier walking and……………no ticks! The climb up to the Hook which is on the eMahoshiya ridge was not too bad and we stopped for lunch at the top. The day was warming up with beautiful cloud formations. We then made our way towards the Hlatimba river valley and started the long walk up towards the cave. This was tough work as the grass was high and the undergrowth thick with a vague path that came and went. This river valley is long and never ending! We noticed a cave high up in the rock band but not sure whether its habitable, and then saw Runaway Cave which sleeps two and apparently not that good. We eventually came to Shelter Cave that is about 150 metres up from the river. We were both tired by then and the thought of climbing up to the cave was not an enticing one! The initial climb was not too bad, but when we reached the final section, we found it to be pretty hairy as it was almost vertical with not very good handholds in the grass. A fall here would end in injury for sure. The cave is situated on the edge of a waterfall which was dry at this time of year – sleepwalking here could be fatal! It can probably sleep about 6 people fairly comfortably and the floor was relatively flat. We then decided that it would just be too much to fetch water and return given that the approach was quite dangerous, so we headed down back to the river and put up our tent. It was by now 5 o clock and by the time we settled down with a hot drink, we were glad to call it a day. This was my first hike after my cracked rib injury of 7 weeks ago and I was happy with how I handled the walk. It was so lovely to drift off to sleep with the singing of the river close by!
We had a leisurely start to the day and left at 9.00am. There was a steep sustained climb ahead of us back to the top of the eMahoshiya ridge, about 300 metres. We found a gully close to the cave and made our way up – the slope was steep and the winter grass dry and slippery. Once we gained the top, the walking was easy and we headed back to The Hook, and from there, back to the office.
We both thoroughly enjoyed this hike and will be back soon!
Unknown Cave
Runaway Cave
Shelter Cave
