Oribi Gorge Hiking Trip in South Africa KZN

DAY 1

This is day 1 of our trip we took to Oribi Gorge where we did the well known Hoopoe Falls hiking trail. What started as a cool and cloudy morning ended up being a beautiful and bright sunny day, perfect for our hike.

The total distance from the entrance to the falls is 8.36 kilometers (5.19 miles) which equals to a round trip of 16.72 kilometers (10.39 miles). Needless to say, we packed more than enough water.

Some interesting facts about Oribi Gorge that we got off Wikipedia below:

Oribi Gorge is a canyon in southern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, 35 kilometers north-west of Port Shepstone, which itself is 120 km south of Durban. Oribi Gorge, cut by the Mzimkulwana River, is the eastern gorge of two gorges that cut through the Oribi Flats (flat sugarcane farmlands) of KwaZulu-Natal. The western gorge was formed by the Mzimkulu River. The gorge is approximately 400 meters (1,300 ft) deep, and almost 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) wide at its widest.

Erosion by these rivers have carved out nearly 30 kilometers (19 miles) of spectacular kloofs and crags, covered with subtropical vegetation. In the gorge, the dense forest on the sandstone slopes is home to various small mammals, while the large leguaans excavate their burrows along the riverbanks.

At the base of the cliffs of both gorges the basement rocks are part of the Namaqua-Natal Metamorphic Province, which is over 1000 million years old. The cliffs themselves are formed by Msikaba formation sandstones deposited by fluvial environment about 365 million years ago.[4] Downstream from the gorges, a large surface mine producing cement from a limestone deposit. The road through Oribi Gorge was built by Italian prisoners of war.

Oribi Gorge derives its name from the oribi, a small antelope that lives in the gorges.

Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve:

Oribi Gorge
Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve is a park located along the bottom of the Oribi Gorge at the confluence of the Mzimkulu River and Mximkulwana River, being approximately 27 kilometers (17 mi) long, and 1 kilometer (0.62 mi) wide at its widest point. It was proclaimed a protected state forest in 1950.

Location: https://www.google.co.za/maps/search/...

Ive made a video where the Mzimkulu River meets the ocean:
   • Port Shepstone sunrise at our local lighth...  

Stay tune for Day2 of another adventure in Oribi Gorge happening soon.
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