Minwater 4x4 Trail

About Minwater 4x4 Trail

Just outside Oudtshoorn, in the heart of South Africa's Karoo, is the Minwater Private Game Reserve. This part of the Western Cape Province offers visitors something completely different from the urban cityscapes, or tourist hotspots of the country. Rather, the beauty here is a quiet, sometimes sparse one that stays put in the minds and hearts of those who visit.

The Minwater 4x4 Trails comprise three main trails (the Rooiberg, Steenbokrant and Sandberg trails) and two additional ones. The latter two (Kloof and Die Gat) have a grading of four to five, offering more challenging obstacles and terrain for the experienced drivers looking to combine adrenalin and a real test of their skills. Rooiberg is a seven kilometre route with a grading of two, which takes about two hours to complete and promises gorgeous views from the top of the Rooiberg Mountain.

Steenbokrant is grade three, 4.5 kilometres long, and a circular route that crosses a number of dry water courses. There are some great rocky ridges to tackle. Sandberg is 17 kilometres long with steep sections and rough areas as drivers climb and descend the Sandberg Mountain. The Appelfontein Kloof is a steep ravine that, while only 500 metres long, is extremely exciting, if not a little knuckle-whitening, to take on.

The Minwater 4x4 Trails are, as a whole, classified as being grade two to five, and the terrain includes dry riverbeds, rugged mountain rocks, rocky ridges and steep climbs and drops. While no formal guide is necessary for the Minwater Trails, one can be arranged if necessary. The routes are open all year round, but some of the grade five areas will need to be avoided after rains.

Thanks to the natural variety of the area, drivers and their passengers should keep an eye out for some of the many bird, plant and land-animal species around them. There are also hiking trails in the area for those wanting to explore the beauty at a less adrenalin-inducing pace.