Cathedral Peak Weekend, 11-12 May
Hikes leader: Luis Esteves Hikes Report: Luis Esteves
Rainbow Gorge hike
At 9.00am, under blue skies, eleven of us set out from Didima (Ezemvelo) resort to hike Rainbow Gorge. After the initial seven hundred metre climb in grassland terrain, the path levels out and before long we descended into the forested area of the Ndumeni River.
The path continued through the forest with the river on our left. As we continued, we were enthralled as the dappled sunlight shining through the trees cast rainbows in the fine spray of the many waterfalls coming down from the heights above. The river bed with its multitude of pebbles, boulders and pools was a kaleidoscope of colour. As we approached the end of the trail, the gorge rapidly narrowed and we criss-crossed the river a number of times. Eventually, after a fair amount of boulder-hopping we reached the end of the trail. The large chockstone dramatically wedged between the walls of the gorge is a fitting endpoint to the hike. Most of the hikers took off their hiking shoes and had great fun walking in the riverbed, exploring this last section of the gorge.
We returned the way we had come and were back at Didima at 3.00pm. All were agreed that the hike was most enjoyable: the sounds and sights were fabulous, and in addition it had been a super adventure.
Ribbon Falls hike
After a very pleasant overnight at the backpackers the eleven of us set out on Sunday morning for Ribbon Falls. The first part of this hike was a pleasant amble next to the Mhonhlo River. After we passed the turnoff to Doreen Falls the path began to climb and zigzag up the side of the ridge. The ascending path included a ladder and a couple of scrambles up some rocks. After this, we stopped to admire the view – we had ascended 300 metres and the view was spectacular. From this point the path levelled off somewhat and before long we entered the dense forest below Ribbon Falls. Here we paused a while to enjoy this magical spot.
We went back along the same path we had come, with a short detour to admire Doreen Falls, before finally getting back to our cars at the backpackers at 1.30pm.
All agreed that this had been a thoroughly enjoyable hike, and all the more, for being quite different from the Rainbow Gorge hike of the previous day – one in the Gorge, the other in the open spaces of the mountains!
