Baberton and surrounding area - Trip advice please

[janbisschoff]

Hi fellow community members,

I'm planning a trip to Baberton and was hoping to get some insights from people with knowledge of the Baberton area.

Are there any routes, landmarks, exciting stops (4x4 low range ofcourse) preferably off the beaten track that anyone can share.

Any pointers would be appreciated

[Fearl3SS]

You can visit eureka City,
There is a consession holder that can guide you.. I have however forgotten thw consession holders name / company.

We drove there without the consession holder, as it was shown and from info I could find about a year ago that it is an absolute self drive.. It is not. And can be very dangerous with zamzama's in the area. We ran into the consession holder on top of the mountain. and they where not pleased with us.. as there is 2. very publicly accessible ways to get to Eureka city and the National park.. But DO NOT use that. as you can get stuck with no rescue.. We where just lucky.

Consession holder details can be found at the Diggers retreat hotel. as well as the Info office of the area in town. (This I only found out later.)


There is also a old oxwagon trade route that is now a 4x4 route. that has been shared on the forums..

[MonkeyPeeler]

Not off road related

Day trip on the Geotrail and Msauli, very interesting, for some maybe not.
https://geotrail.co.za/
https://5dsurvey.co.za/project/msaul...-south-africa/
https://barberton.co.za/things-to-do/

[The Condor]

Not low range but I do enjoy this road.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/-25....b1!2b1!3b1!3e0

Sometimes we even go down to the old Bulembu Mine for lunch.

[LandyLove]

You can visit eureka City,
There is a consession holder that can guide you.. I have however forgotten thw consession holders name / company.

We drove there without the consession holder, as it was shown and from info I could find about a year ago that it is an absolute self drive.. It is not. And can be very dangerous with zamzama's in the area. We ran into the consession holder on top of the mountain. and they where not pleased with us.. as there is 2. very publicly accessible ways to get to Eureka city and the National park.. But DO NOT use that. as you can get stuck with no rescue.. We where just lucky.

Consession holder details can be found at the Diggers retreat hotel. as well as the Info office of the area in town. (This I only found out later.)


There is also a old oxwagon trade route that is now a 4x4 route. that has been shared on the forums..

You are referring to Wynand from Dusty Tracks.

Ossewa is quite a rough trail. Make sure you are willing to take your vehicle down there. I wouldn't, I would have in one of my 12 or 20 year old landys but not now.

[RoelfleRoux]

Hi fellow community members,

I'm planning a trip to Baberton and was hoping to get some insights from people with knowledge of the Baberton area.

Are there any routes, landmarks, exciting stops (4x4 low range ofcourse) preferably off the beaten track that anyone can share.

Any pointers would be appreciated

Contact Wynand at Dusty Tracks: 072 668 4063

And/or

Andrea at Barberton Adventures: 079 180 1488

You are welcome to PM me if you need additional assistance

[RoelfleRoux]

Here is the start of the Ossewa track. My 3.8 V6 Pajero pushed the traction control into the "red", and I won't do it again
25°41'25.8"S 31°17'37.5"E
Nkomazi Local Municipality
https://goo.gl/maps/iAD7YX8WN2VkagRn7

[Daniek]

Ossewa is a great trail that I have done with my standard Ranger. I would say that a "bit" of experience will help a lot and not advisable to be done alone.

I have a number of videos on the route. The 1st one is at this link: https://youtu.be/neNA5VNXOeo

[Bassfisher]

Like DanieK said, Ossewa is possible with a standard vehicle with decent ground clearance. Done it with him couple of times. Just be responsible and you will be fine. Diff locks recommended (although my vehicle has no diff locks and no smart electronics and I managed to go up). Would also not do it alone.

Then there is Piet se Pad. Same area as Ossewa. More difficult than Ossewa. Also done this with Danie.

Danie and I contacted dusty tracks on seperate occasions regarding Eureka City. Last year sometime and we are still awaiting feedback on how many vehicles, costs etc.

There is that eco trail as well. Scenic but not very challenging. Ebutsini 4x4 trail.

Enjoy,
J

[Bassfisher]

How is the trip planning coming along Jan?

[RoelfleRoux]

I'm afraid the OP hasn't responded after his initial post.
Here we are setting up camp at Eureka City

[janbisschoff]

Hi Everyone,

Trip planning underway, given the new lock-down restraints we thought it fit to move the trip to early December. This far the idea would be to include the services of the one of the concession holders for the initial part, say 2-3 days, followed by a detour to Ebutsini 4x4 trail for a day or two, furter investigation underway to determine if worth the time. Will provide feedback on the prospective route and booking experiences once planning is completed. Thank you to everyone for taking the time to comment and give advice.

[Bassfisher]

I'm afraid the OP hasn't responded after his initial post.
Here we are setting up camp at Eureka City

Did you go on your own or with Dusty Tracks?

[RoelfleRoux]

Did you go on your own or with Dusty Tracks?

There isn't a concise answer to this one
1) I've literally been exploring these mountains for the last 30 years and know the tracks and routes very well.
2) In 2014 it was declared a nature reserve and two years ago a world heritage site.
3) The mining company that I worked for (retired 3 weeks before lock down) still has a mining right over a large portion of what is now a nature reserve.
4) I'm still in good standing with that company (have been taken on as a geology consultant) and with the manager of the nature reserve.
5) I'm not a registered tour guide.
6) I don't want to take bread off either Dusty Tracks' or Barberton Adventures/Tours' table.
7) I started hosting the Pajero Owners of SA for a trip over the mountain some 10-odd years ago.
8) That became an annual event and continued even after I was no longer a Pajero owner, including sleeping over on the mountain
9) I started the same with the Isuzu owners, then Godrich 4x4 and later the Ford guys contacted me and I hosted them as well.
10) I don't charge a cent, but insist on financial support for local charities or needs.
11) When I host a group I try and engage some services from both operators named above and refuse to take on any new groups. Again, because I don't want to take bread off their tables.

To answer your question: I wasn't with Wynand from dusty tracks but hosting one of my regular groups.

[SJC]

7) I started hosting the Pajero Owners of SA for a trip over the mountain some 10-odd years ago.
8) That became an annual event and continued even after I was no longer a Pajero owner, including sleeping over on the mountain
9) I started the same with the Isuzu owners, then Godrich 4x4 and later the Ford guys contacted me and I hosted them as well.

Would love to join you on one of these trips...