Meiringspoort

KAROO NEWS - Driving along the N12 between De Rust and Prince Albert, you’ll enter Meiringspoort about 11km from De Rust.

As the Groot River gnawed its path through the enormous Swartberg Mountains, it created this breathtaking gorge, resulting in a remarkable natural gateway that links the Klein and Groot Karoo.

Apart from its colossal rock walls and spectacular scenery, Meiringspoort is probably best known for its 25 drifts.

Throughout the 25km drive, the road crisscrosses the river 25 times by means of these drifts, each individually named, with an interesting story behind every name.

Various stops along the Poort give visitors the opportunity to pull over and take some time to enjoy the magnificent scenic beauty, the sheer rock walls and their mind-bending formations.

This natural wonder started to take shape over 250 million years ago when immense forces in the earth’s crust gradually pushed up layers of rock. Millennia of geological activity resulted in the formation of the enormous Swartberg Mountains through which this magnificent ravine cuts its path while exposing the impressive variation of rock formations.

This variation in the geology is also the main reason for the region’s rich diversity of plant and animal life.

Rust- en Vrede Waterfall

Traveling towards the Cango Caves, the fall is situated off the scenic R328, on the beautiful Oudemuragie road, about 35km from Oudtshoorn. The distance from Oudtshoorn’s town centre to the waterfall’s entrance is approx. 31km.

From the entrance, you’ll drive another 3km to the parking area and from there a short hike leads to the waterfall (+/-800m there and back).

From the parking area to the waterfall, you’ll take a short hike along a mountain trail that runs alongside a rippling stream. The trail leads over various little bridges with lush undergrowth and beautiful wildflowers along the way.

At the end of the trail, hidden among the rocky heights, you’ll discover the waterfall - an isolated scene of beauty that seems almost carved into the heart of the Swartberg Mountains.