Ride Plan.
Two riders : Stew and Pathfinder (Can-Am 800 Max and Yamaha Kodiak 400)
Saturday - Leave Richards Bay, Alton area, head for the River View area and drop down into the White Umfolozi River bed. Head up stream for +- 20km.
Plot an uncharted route from that point to Hluhluwe crossing the N2 north of Mtubatuba. Refuel at Morrisons – overnight at Hakuna Matata Lodge.
Sunday, Leave Hluhluwe area and follow the Eastern Shores of St Lucia area till reaching Monzi area. From Monzi, head up to River View. Lunch at ‘Bird Park’ and travel back to Richards Bay.
Logistics.
Range 150km to Hluhluwe including the river route and 150km return trip via Eastern Shores. This meant that we were to carry extra fuel and water. Overnight goodies & food were transported by car direct to the lodge.
This trip was our fifth trip to Hluhluwe, and this time our challenge was to navigate up the Umfolozi river and then cut a trail from that point to Hluhluwe. With only the two of us riding, the 55km ride from Richards Bay to River View was quicker than normal.
Short stop at the 20 km mark - note the Can-Am's new Bear Claw tires.Leaving the Bird Park area at Eteza, we traveled down the hill to the river and gained access to the river bed on the east side of the single lane bridge.
Once we dropped down into the river bed, the fun began. The bed is almost entirely flat and sandy with the occasional bolder that had washed down in heavy rains. There are straight sections stretching uninterrupted for almost 500 meters. This allowed Stewart to play with the Can-Am’s power. This quad is awesome, with plenty of sand spray from the ‘Bear Claw’ 27x12R12‘s. The water in the river bed was very low. The water course meanders down the river bed and crossing them was easy with water seldom covering the top of the tires. At one point, the water became too deep to cross and we had to navigate up the bank and around. Here we needed the 4x4 of the quads to climb the lose sand of the river bank. This section will become a problem for 2x4 quads and will require assistance to get through.
Wide open areas with no one else to be seen....
17km up the river we started checking the GPS for possible exits and soon found a road at the top of a hill.
To climb the hill we needed the 4x4 option again and here it became fairly technical until we reached the top, 150 meters above the river.
From here we could see Mtubatuba in the far distance and set a route to bring us out 10km north of Mtubatuba.
Traveling through the rural area we were greeted with the usual cordial waves from the locals. The GPS lead us to a bridge crossing the N2 and we found ourselves back in the familiar forest area heading towards Morrisons for fuel.
The fuel point is operated by friendly, smiling Nicolas of Nyalazi trading store. This point has become a regular stop on our route to Hluhluwe and is situated conveniently 24 km from Hluhluwe.
The return trip was via the eastern shores. The weather was not playing its part and we got soaked.We arrived at our usual Bird Park point where we enjoyed a toasted sandwich and for the first time a cup of hot coffee rather than the traditional beer.
The last leg of 55km home was uneventful as we continued to be drenched with more rain.
Overnight in Hluhluwe
The overnight stay at Hakuna Matata Lodage on Saturday night, was hosted by Marius. The usual warm welcome and a log fire and braai brought out all the days events. In the morning Marius was introduced to Stewarts Can-Am and we have just learnt that he is now the proud owner of one too. Well done Marius, see you on the next ride…Ride Summary
Umfolozi river route is certainly on the cards for the next ride. Easy going, but 4x4 is recommended to climb the banks out of the river. The distance over the two days = 300km. Extra fuel should be carried with a tow rope for recovery. Watch this space...
Regards Pathfinder
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