 |
|
|||||
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
KALK BAY - HIKE TO BOOMSLANG CAVE |
 |
|
Above the scenic, rustic, little fishing village called Kalk Bay you’ll find a network of caves in the mountains overlooking the bay. Park on Boyes Drive - from there it’s an easy enough hike steadily up the mountain. Along the way to the entrance of Boomslang Cave there are amazing enclaves of natural forest. Old Yellow woods and beautiful indigenous vegetation abound! The Parks Board has provided wooden walk-ways to help keep people on the official pathways. The whole area is a sensitive natural ecosystem and it all deserves protection and due care of those that venture into it.
We started our hike at about 9:15am and only got back to our cars after 1pm. So it’s a long hike. We did take many rests along the way and did not push the pace. It’s how I like to hike. I take the time to appreciate everything around me. Take plenty of water! There are some natural streams but I would advise NOT to drink from mountain streams unless you have a very strong gut, which I don’t. It’s great to have some water around to slash about in though. There is some shelter from the sun along the way but as with most mountain hikes, you are pretty exposed. A good hat and suntan lotion is essential.
The views back over Kalk Bay and the Indian Ocean is amazing. You look down over the fishing harbour and the higher up you go the more of False Bay you can see spread out below you. The path is well marked and easy to follow. The exact location of the entrances to the caves is not so well marked and you need to have a good map AND someone that knows the area. The caves should not be explored without a professional guide that knows the local cave system. Danny was our hike leader. He’s an old pro and handles everything with a nonchalant confidence that instills trust. He’ll laugh at you and call you a “rock hugger” when you nervously cling to the rocks as you climb up but when you need help he’s right there. He’s always well prepared and we had printed maps of the area and he has lead hikes in the hills and caves in this area many times before.
Boomslang cave cuts through a section of mountain. You enter through a rock crevice on the one side and exit from a hole in the ground on the other side of the mountain. COOL! It’s over a 100m long and inside there are a few passages that lead off from the main path. (main path takes you straight through) I’m confident Danny would not pull any such tricks with you but we’ve been on many hikes before. The @#$@###@ told me to crawl down one of these paths knowing full well that I would be squeezed into a tight tunnel ending in a dead end 10m or so in. Yeah! Everyone had a good laugh at my expense. This gave me the perfect excuse to hang back some while we crawled along some narrow rock passage ways. The rocks forming the cave walls are huge sandstone boulders. Quarts rock can also be seen shimmering in the torch light in some places. The color that you see in the pics is moss growing on the rocks.
We did our hike in summer and although I was told that the cave can be wet during winter months, it was mostly dry when we were there. There are some bats in the cave but it’s not thousands swarming around, rather the odd 1 or 2 fluttering high above your head. Danny lead us the rest of the way along the narrow rock tunnels till we eventually popped out a hole one the other side of the mountain. From there you join back up with the path you followed up the mountain and it’s an easy walk back down to Boyes Drive. The hike is a really nice experience. It’s got great views and indigenous vegetation on the way up, the cave walk through the mountain, then an easy walk back to the starting point.
BE WARNED THAT CAVING SHOULD NOT BE ATTEMPTED WITHOUT A PROFESSIONAL GUIDE. DANNY CAN BE CONTACTED ON 083 574 7225 Read about other walks in Cape Town - click here!
|
||||||||||||||
