Prince Albert

Gamkaskloof

tel: +27 (0)23 5411 366 fax: +27 (0)23 5411 788 e-mail: princealberttourism@intekom.co.za

	Local books on Gamkaskloof
	Hiking in Gamkaskloof
	Why "the Hell?"
	Specialist tours and activities

Gamkaskloof, also known as "the Hell", is a fascinating valley near Prince Albert, where a small, proud community lived in isolation for more than 100 years. Access was on foot and horseback and harvests of dried fruit and wild honey were carried out by pack animals.

Legend has it that Gamkaskloof was discovered when trekboers lost their cattle and followed their spoor into the fertile valley. Petrus Swanepoel was the first to farm there and the valley supported the hard-working community until 1962 when a road was carved into the valley. A gradual exodus occured and the last farmer to leave was Piet Swanepoel in 1991.

Now one of the Gamkaskloofers, Annetjie Joubert, has returned to the valley and shares tales of the old days with her guests.

Access to Gamkaskloof is 15km from Prince Albert, near the summit of the Swartberg Pass. Visitors should allow almost a full day in a sturdy vehicle to travel the 57km to the end of the valley and back.

You can stay overnight but you MUST make a booking! Click here for details: Gamkaskloof accommodation

silence, solitude, a sense of history ... Gamkaskloof

click on the pictures to enlarge

The name "The Hell" is attributed to a local stock inspector, who had to make a monthly trek into Gamkaskloof to check stock for disease. The route he followed was down the steep track known as "die leer" - the ladder. On one occasion he said it was like "going to Hell and back" - and it stuck. The Gamkaskloofers DID NOT approve of the name at all.

When a Gamkaskloofer received a letter from the Receiver of Revenue addressed to "The Hell" he sent it back unopened with a note scrawled across the front: "They don't pay tax in Hell."

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Books about Gamkaskloof

	Gamkaskloof - Unique valley in the Swartberg Mountains by Helena Marincowitz, available at the Fransie Pienaar Museum and the Tourism Association Office
	Gamkaskloof Stories - Afrikaans verhale uit "Die Hel" by Helena Marincowitz, beskikbaar by die Prince Albert Toerismeburo en die Fransie Pienaar Museum
	Blits en ander Helse Rate van Hennie Hoed deur Hendrik Mostert en Dr Jan van Elfen - vertroude boererate uit Gamkaskloof, beskikbaar by die Prince Albert Toerismeburo en die Fransie Pienaar Museum

Hiking into Gamkaskloof

3 day hike into Gamkaskloof - "To Hell and Back" - contact Dick Billiet 023 5411 267

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