Ingogo Hiking Trail, Newcastle
The 2 day Ingogo Hiking Trail is located on the 3000 Ha Dunblane Trout and Golf Estate in the stunningly beautiful Northern Drakensberg at the foot of the 2000m high escarpment near Newcastle. The start is at the Dunblane Estate office and the first day will take you up Donkey’s Pass and Baboons’s Pass as you climb 2000m aided by a rope where necessary. You will then descend to the Ingogo River where you will overnight.
The accommodation consists of 3 stone cottages with electricity, hot water, flush toilets and kitchens stocked with crockery and cutlery.
Day 2 will take you along the valley and then up a steep climb to the top of the escarpment where you will walk along the edge for about 3Km passing a waterfall. The hike is characterized by verdant green grasslands and indigenous montane forests, criss-crossed by trout streams and all of this with the backdrop of the magnificent Drakensberg Escarpment.
Quick facts: Distance: 24Km | Duration: 2 days | Overnight accommodation available | Circular trail Difficulty: 800m ascent and descent. Reasonable degree of fitness required | Weather conditions can change rapidly – be prepared | Permit required
Directions:
To access the trail from Gauteng, one turns onto the R103-Vrede route, just before the Villiers tollgate on the N3 to Durban. Follow the R103 for ±64km and turn left to Vrede (notice our Dunblane billboard on the far left hand corner before you turn). Just before Vrede turn right to Memel (which is bypassed) to Newcastle. The Grey Goose Farm Lodge is on your right hand side (see the game fence) a few kilometres outside Newcastle.
The D96 to Dunblane Estate, starts at the beginning of the R34 just before it meets the main CBD road robot which travels through Newcastle. Just before this robot (almost opposite McDonalds) turn right onto the dirt D96, and follow this for 18km. Do not turn off the main road, it is well sign posted. The road is a reasonable dirt road but saloon cars will need to travel slowly as it is corrugated in places.
If you intend to arrive on the Saturday, then you will need to proceed directly to the Dunblane Site Office.
Hikers from Durban will take the N3 towards Gauteng and turn off through Ladysmith, to travel on the N11 to Newcastle. Enter the first entrance into Newcastle, drive through the CBD and over the Ncandu River Bridge, and turn left at the very next robot, which is the R34 to Memel. A McDonalds outlet is on the far left hand corner, before you turn. Go for 4km along the R34, notice the game fence on the left and turn into the Grey Goose Farm Lodge.
From the Durban side, the D96 turn off is to your left, soon after turning onto the R34 Memel road (almost opposite McDonalds).
Contact: Jacana Travel Marketing and Reservations. Tel: 0861 522 262 Ext 1152 OR 041 378 1439 Email
| More info on the area of Newcastle | More info on the Battlefields area |
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