Walk in a Circle
The circular path less taken, is up the Mnweni River Valley to one of the caves near the base of Mnweni Pass (day one).
Climb Mnweni Pass and explore the summit area around Mponjwane tower (day two): sleep in either Mponjwane or Ledges Cave. Descend along Rockeries Pass back to the Mnweni Information Centre (day three) where you'll discover you could've hired a professional guide and porters.
The Community Guides
Guides are available for day and multi-day hikes as well as to show you the rock art sites of the area. The community guides, who can be contacted through the visitors' centre, form part of a long-term conservation and tourism initiative in the area, which was started in 1995 as a collaboration between the local community, Bergwatch and the Wildlife and Environment Society of Southern Africa (Wessa).
Donga reclamation, which hikers will come across, is also part of this programme. The Rand Water-Mnweni Trust operates independently and also employs people in donga rehabilitation.
Before You Set Off Hiking
Tip: As a final word before you set off hiking, with the exception of walks, all hikes in Mnweni are passes routes that go to the Escarpment. All will therefore take three days or more, and even those that do not go to the Escarpment will be at least two-day outings. So the duration given is conditional on what the rest of the hike entails and should not be seen as an isolated hike.
A warning: there are numerous river crossings in the Mnweni routes. This is a particularly well-watered area and in summer rains the rivers tumble furiously over steep ground. Lives have been lost in these rivers so, please, take extra care when crossing any flooded water course.
By David Bristow