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Description of the Route: from Durban, take the N3 Motorway northwest towards Johannesburg. 80km from Durban, the motorway passes the city of Pietermaritzburg. Continue on another 19km. Come off the N3 motorway at the “Howick (South)/Underberg” turn off (Exit 99). Turn left on to the R617 road. After 36km, the road reaches the tiny village of Boston, a further 38km reaches the town of Bulwer and another 37km will bring you to our nearest town, Underberg. In the middle of Underberg, turn right at the Shell Garage on the road to Himeville. 5km will bring you to the village of Himeville, go straight through and carry on another 4km until you reach a four way junction where the tar road ends. Turn left here on to the Sani Pass road. (The signpost says “Sani Pass”.) This is a good quality dirt road. We are 10.5km along the Sani Pass road on the left hand side. If you reach Sani Pass Hotel, you have missed us – we are 1km before the hotel.
Places of interest along the way:
PIETERMARITZBURG:
Backpackers’ Hostels:
HOWICK:
Howick Falls: is a waterfall which is approximately 95 meters in height (311 feet) and lies on the Umgeni River. The Zulu people called the falls KwaNogqaza, which means "Place of the Tall One". It is in the middle of the town of Howick and has a viewing platform allowing good views of the fall. It is only a few kilometers off the route.
Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve:
Reserve description: The greater part of the nature reserve lies in the spectacular gorge below the Howick Falls, while the upper part is the fringe of a rolling plateau which has an average altitude of about 1 000m. The reserve is home to giraffe, zebra and a variety of antelope. There is an indigenous tree trail surrounding the main Education Centre and self-guided walks mingling with the game animals in the beautiful Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve. A bird watchers paradise, with over 270 bird species. A road travels along the plateau above the valley, giving great views of the gorge carved out by the Umgeni river as well as an opportunity for game viewing and bird watching. There are 11 numbered markers dotted along the road, each point has a corresponding number in an Auto Trail booklet which will offer some interpretation / information about that particular point. The drive is about 6 km each way. The Reserve can be found 2km out of Howick on the road to Karkloof which is well signposted from the main road of Howick. See www.wessa.org.za/index.php/KZN/KZN-Umgeni-Valley.html
BOSTON:
Tea Garden: Boston T Party www.bostontparty.co.za . In the tiny village of Boston, this lovely location on a small dam is a great place to stop off for a cup of tea, snacks or a light meal. They also have backpacker’s accommodation. Fishing and canoeing on the dam are other options!
BULWER:
Indigenous Forest Boardwalk: Marutswa Forest Boardwalk www.treeroutes.co.za/marutswa.htm .Well signposted from the R617 in Bulwer town, this patch of indigenous forest is well worth a visit. There is a 2.5km circuit route through the forest with points of interest along the way. The lower section features a number of walkways which leave you high in the canopy, a perfect place for seeing birds. The speciality of the forest is the rare and endangered Cape Parrot. There are also secluded picnic spots in the forest. Support the local community by hiring a local guide for your walk through the forest.
Paragliding: Wild Sky Paragliding 039 8320224 or www.wildsky.co.za . If jumping off a perfectly sound mountain is your thing, Hans and Ria are the experts and located in one of the best paragliding spots in the country. They do tandem flights as well as courses.
UNDERBERG:
This is our nearest town and a good place to stock up if you need to. Underberg Spar is about 100m further along the main road from the Himeville turn off and is open daily from 7am to 7pm. Since we DO NOT have credit card facilities, Underberg is the last place to draw cash out from ATM’s which can be found at the First National and Standard Banks.
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