Escape the N2 highway rat race by tripping into the agricultural patchwork landscape shaping the scenic Gamtoos River Valley in the Eastern Cape.
A meandering tarmac strip will transport you through cultivated fields and orchards towards Hankey, a laid-back citrus town basking beneath the craggy outlines of the Cockscomb Mountains. These rugged rock points loom high above the bottle-green citrus orchards and a mountainous tangle of afro-montane forest bristling within the dense valleys leading up to the Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area.
Hankey is one of the three towns that make up Gamtoos Valley, which developed around the mission station established on the Wagendrift farm, bought in 1822 by Dr John Philip. The latter was the Superintendent of the London Missionary Society (LMS).
Gamtoos Valley stretches in a southeasterly direction from the confluence of the Groot and Kouga rivers. The Khoikhoi named the valley Xami - and 'roaring lion' - but it is possible that it was named after a Khoikhoi chief. With its abundance of water and fertile alluvial soil, the valley is a major producer of citrus fruit, while vegetables, lucerne, tobacco and potatoes are grown under irrigation.
Hankey attractions worth visiting include the largest sundial in Africa (with a diameter of 36.4m) - the gnomon is 18m high and weighs one ton. The toposcope in Hankey offers commanding views of the Gamtoos Valley. Play a game of golf on the 9-hole Hankey golf course. Also worth a visit is the burial site of Sarah Baartman, which has stunning views of the surrounding valley.
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