On a scorching Saturday, a sweaty group of nine members slogged up the steep hill to the West of Swellendam’s magnificent Meulkloof. Eventually reaching the river, we donned our wetsuits and abseiling gear, ready for the waterfalls that awaited. The five abseils, spanning in height from 15-55m, were carefully navigated, and replacement anchors put in place where needed. Warned about the lack of overnight accommodation, we battled to find camp, and eventually found the spot just before sunset. All were knackered from a long, hard day.
Sunday morning saw us set off in light rain, lubricating the boulders to treacherous levels of danger. Extreme focus and three points of contact slowed us down to a crawl, but eventually the rain lifted and we were treated to perfect kloofing conditions in a pristine environment. With no abseils on the second day, we hopped, swam and jumped our way down the rest of the kloof, exiting the kloof mid-afternoon, before the long drive back to Cape Town.
Photographs: Andrew Beetge
