By Tony Lourens
AfriCamps at Karoo 1, or Karbonaatjieskraal, as it is known in the climbing community, is a hidden rock climbing paradise in the Western Cape. This stunning location offers over 100-metre-high sandstone cliffs, ideal for trad climbing. With excellent conditions, especially in spring, autumn, and winter, this is a must-do on your climbing bucket list.
Tony Lourens is the editor of SA Mountain Magazine. He has climbed, trekked and guided extensively in many countries around the world for over 40 years. Tony has written and published a number of climbing guidebooks to many areas in the Western Cape, the Drakensberg and Namibia.
Climbing at Karbonaatjieskraal
Driving up the national highway, leaving the mighty Hex River mountains behind as you climb up the pass north of Worcester, you arrive at the beginning of the famous South African Karoo – a wonderful expanse of relatively flat, arid landscapes, dotted with rocky outcrops and unique and quirky towns and villages.
Heading past De Doorns, the terrain flattens out dramatically and you would be forgiven for not knowing that you are driving past one of the gems of rock climbing in the Western Cape. Only a few hundred metres to the left of the highway, tucked behind a high ridge sits a huge 100-metre-high amphitheatre of steep, hard orange sandstone. Along with a myriad of other smaller walls, ribs and crags . . . seemingly created for climbing.
Less than 20 kilometres from Touwsrivier, at the point where the R318 leaves the national road en route to magical Montagu, you will see Karoo 1 Hotel Village and AfriCamps on your left. Do yourself a favour, turn here and check in to this peaceful little resort to find yourself amongst comfortable chalets on the one side and a collection of welcoming and cosy AfriCamps glamping tents on the other, with restaurant facilities in between.
At this stage, it is still not clear where the climbing is, as it remains hidden from view. But a little walk, past the AfriCamps tents, will take you to a sunken canyon with impressive walls that are home to a number of excellent single-pitch routes, which can be accessed by a short scramble down on the right. But this is just a small sample of what is really awaiting you on the other side.
From the Karoo 1 chalets, you can pick up a path which leads up the hill to the edge of a small rocky escarpment and all of a sudden you will find yourself standing on the edge of the huge Karbonaatjieskraal Amphitheatre, looking down a tremendous void of fresh mountain air to the valley below. The amphitheatre is hugely overhanging near the top, thereby magnifying the exposure, making it feel much more than the 100 metres dropping beneath your feet.
To get to the bottom of the amphitheatre, just follow the crest of the ridge over the top and down a gully, past some other shorter and very inviting crags. Once down, continue around the huge left arm of the amphitheatre to get into the heart of the valley and be gobsmacked by an uninterrupted view of the breathtaking magnificence of the amphitheatre. The huge wall looks a tad intimidating with its high imposing and overhanging cliffs, most of the routes taking natural lines, three to four pitches long. Although it is a place for trad aficionados, there are some friendlier routes of more moderate grades on the periphery of the main amphitheatre and also routes breaking through the walls on either side, so something for most people.
But if the size and scale of the amphitheatre is too much for you, there are many other walls and crags of varying height and steepness. For shorter routes, the Princess Di Wall offers some really excellent climbs of mild to mid-range grades, as do the routes in Gaper Kloof.
The rock and the climbing
The rock is compact sandstone, and although there are obviously some loose and friable sections in certain areas, the rock on the whole is good and solid and the climbing is superb. Most of the routes follow crack systems, so gear is generally plentiful, but of course, you can always come across a section that may be a bit run out. Although this is predominantly a trad venue, there are a few bolted routes scattered around.
A standard rack of cams and nuts will suffice. Take some extra-long slings to alleviate rope drag. Double ropes are definitely recommended, as many of the pitches are long and most of the rappels are between 40 and 60 metres. Helmets are also strongly recommended.
Best time to go
Karbonaatjieskraal is in the Karoo, which generally means very hot summers and decidedly crispy winters. However, having said that, there are walls facing in most directions (except south), so shady (or sunny) crags can be found most of the day. The Main Amphitheatre and The Junction are facing north and get the sun almost all day, so definitely not recommended for mid-summer – you will fry! But perfect for winter climbing. Ideally, spring, autumn and winter would be the best times to visit, but you can definitely climb here in the summer if you pick the shady crags.
Other activities
For non-climbers in the group, there is mountain biking and some interesting walks. For a fun day out, I would highly recommend walking over the Eastern Spur and down the East Gully descent to gain the area at the bottom of the amphitheatre. From here you can watch all the climbing action and also find a good place for a picnic amongst the impressive scenery. Then, to find your way out, hike around the Western Spur and walk up the Princess Di approach scramble (many cairns), to gain the top of the Western Spur and the Amphitheatre, then hike back along the top and down to the resort area. If you are happy to climb/scramble at about B grade, then I would recommend taking the West Spur Ridge route to get back to the top of the West Spur.
Guidebook
There is a dedicated climbing guidebook to Karbonaatjieskraal, which is available in most climbing shops in Cape Town and Montagu and also at the reception Office at AfriCamps at Karoo 1.
If you haven’t already visited the climbing paradise that is Karbonaatjieskraal, and you are looking for something different and exciting, put it on your holiday planner for this year. You will be pleasantly surprised!
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