The Baviaanskloof, a word consisting of a mixture of Old Dutch and Afrikaans, meaning 'ravine of the baboons', is a "kloof' that stretches more than 100 km between the Kouga Mountains (in the South) and Baviaanskloof Mountains (in the North).

The Baviaanskloof can be discovered along a dusty road that was built between 1880 and 1890 by South Africa's most famous road engineer, Thomas Bain.

The Baviaanskloof lies roughly 120 km west of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. The gorge with dozens of smaller valleys leading into it, can be explored by traveling along an untarred road that cuts its way down through the Winterhoek Mountains in the North to the Gamtoos Valley in the South. This Wilderness area, a U-shaped reserve currently occupying 180 000 hectares, is named after the baboons commonly found in the area, with baviaan being the Dutch word for baboon.

The almost 1 800m summit of Cockscomb Mountain is easily visible. The mountain's name stems from the five jagged crests resembling a rooster's comb. It's one of many famous landmarks in the area.

So plentiful were the baboons in the region years ago that the first settlers started using the skins from the baboons they shot. The remains of a factory building bearing witness to this macabre leather trade, is to be found in the area near Zandvlakte. The factory was built by Pieter Strijdom, father of JG Strijdom, prime minister of South Africa from 1954 to 1958. Today the baboons in the area are protected under the National Parks Board legislation.

The Baviaanskloof area encompasses the Baviaanskloof and the Karoo towns of Willowmore and Steytlerville in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Traveling along the dirt track one meets up with baboons, but as soon as the sentinels spot you, they angrily give a short bark and head off into the shrubbery with the pack in tow. This wilderness allows travelers to explore an area that has steered clear of development and modernization. It's an area waiting to be discovered.

The Baviaanskloof is known within South Africa for its small stock farming and for its richness of endemic plant species. It has an interesting cultural heritage and an abundance of bird and animal life.

Development has taken place at a slow rate but the area is tagged to become South Africa's third largest national park after the Kruger and Kalahari Gemsbok Parks. A large variety of wild life can be found. The Cape buffalo and Mountain Zebra have been re-introduced and the rare Cape Leopard is also seen from time to time. Numerous encounters with baboons are, of course, certain.

It's nearly unimaginable that a soon to be 300 000ha of land of basically raw wilderness lies just two hours from the Garden Route and an hour from Port Elizabeth, waiting to be explored. It's rugged passes, towering gorges and numerous river crossings makes for a spectacular and never-to-be-forgotten drive. The area offers picturesque veldt scenes, indigenous forests with crystal clear mountain streams, sheer cliffs and small waterfalls to lull the soul.

Starting in the east at the Grootrivier Poort the road leads one through spectacular narrow gorges with red coloured sandstone cliffs and winds its way through some of the most wonderful mountain scenery in Southern Africa.

Earlier inhabitants to the area include the Khoi and San Bushmen families. A Khoi San mummy, believed to be some 200 years old, was recently found in a cave the Joubetina area along with Bushman artifacts. Some caves in the Baviaanskloof have well-preserved rock paintings. There are hiking trails to most of these caves.




Discovering the Baviaanskloof promises to be a unique experience. As Piet & Griet from Zandvlakte, a farm in the Baviaanskloof, claim on their website the Baviaanskloof stimulates the adventurer, the inquiring spirit, the perpetual traveler who constantly yearns for the unusual and the unique. It also offers an opportunity to reflect on the quality of life and values amidst the peace and quiet. Unquestionably, it is an opportunity for the re-evaluation of human Nature and the sincerity of spirit.



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