Gamtoos Valley, South Africa | Gamtoos Valley Attractions and Places of Special Interest in the Gamtoos Valley, Eastern Cape

Gamtoos Valley, South Africa

Eastern Cape, South Africa

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Eastern Cape

GAMTOOS VALLEY - EASTERN CAPE

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Eastern Cape » Attractions » Baviaanskloof » Gamtoos Valley
Gamtoos Riverspacer.gif (43 bytes)Gamtoos Valley, Eastern Cape: The name Gamtoos catches in the back of the throat with a guttural stop so typical of the wonderfully descriptive Afrikaans language. The word probably originated from Dutch settlers, who called the Khoikhoi clan in the area ‘Gamtousch’, although others argue that it means ‘the roaring lion’ and refers to the sound of the Gamtoos in flood.

Lying adjacent to the Garden Route, just over an hour’s drive from Port Elizabeth, the Gamtoos Valley is home to the three little villages of Hankey, Loerie and Patensie, and is a vibrant mix of citrus, potato and tobacco farming that forms a collage of cultivated fields and orchards. Regarded as the gateway to the Baviaanskloof Wilderness area, the valley is a treasure trove of beautiful scenery and interesting landmarks that stretch all the way up to Komdomo, where the Baviaanskloof route begins.

The little town of Loerie hosts the Naartjie Festival in September and Hankey is not only the oldest town in the valley but also claims to have the largest Sun Dial in the southern hemisphere - 36.4 metres across. Here too lie the remains of Sarah ‘Saartjie’ Bartman, a Khoi-San woman, also known as the Hottentot Venus, who was ‘persuaded’ to leave the country for Europe where she was used as a circus attraction, dying finally in France. It was only in 2002 that her remains were finally returned to South Africa.
Overnight at Gamtoos Valley Accommodation or Baviaanskloof accommodation.
HANKEY
Hankey: Hankey is one of three towns that make up the Gamtoos Valley - an exceptionally beautiful part of the world due mainly to its ability to remain largely undetected and thus unspoilt - that stretches up to Komdomo and the start of the Baviaanskloof wilderness, now a World Heritage Site. Of the towns in ...more » Hankey
LOERIE
Loerie: The little town of Loerie - probably named such due to the prominence in the Baviaanskloof and surrounding area of the rather elusive Knysna Loerie that reveals itself only when absolutely necessary - is one of three towns in the Gamtoos River Valley that serves as something of a gateway to ...more » Loerie
Patensie: The little town of Patensie lies virtually at the mouth of the Baviaanskloof Wilderness area, hidden away in the south western corner of the Eastern Cape only an hour’s drive from Port Elizabeth - it’s the last stop before entering the wilderness. A largely citrus producing community, the name Patensie is ...more » Patensie Info
Baviaanskloof: There is a gorge that lies in the valley, stretching for over 100 kilometres, between the Baviaanskloof Mountains to the north and the Kouga mountains to the south. Recently awarded World Heritage Site status this 192 000 hectare u-shaped reserve lies about 120 kilometres west of ...more » Baviaanskloof Info

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