4X4 Community Forum GTG

[Grant]

WILL ANY BODY BE ATTENDING ????????????????4x4Community: 2013 National GTG!

After the great success with our 2012 GTG we have started early, and is now taking bookings for the 2013 National GTG, which will be held at Forever Resorts, Gariep Dam. We have booked out the entire camping area, and many chalets. The dates for the GTG is 26 April until 1 May 2013.

We have already filled 85 camp sites, there are only 20 sites left, please hurry with your booking! So are still some 4 and 6 sleeper chalets left as well. We are expecting to be well over 400 people at this GTG next year.

For more information on this event please visit: http://4x4community.co.za/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=249

[Zantus]

I'm one of the mods on 4x4community, so I'll be there.

[Grant]

Great,

See you there

[marakasmalan]

Hello Grant,

Should it not be "they" and "them"?

Tussen die Riviere reserve is just around the corner with excellent 4x4 trails and good camping facilities/lodges etc. Just a thought.

Regards

[marakasmalan]

Dirk, oh, realise it should be "jy" en "jou" :)

What I mean with Tussen die riviere being araound the corner is that anybody who do drive all the way down may just as well go and have a look at tussen die riviere. Not well known, very affordable and lots of game, though the game is not used to visitors so take along the binoculars...

[Overdrive]

What does GTG mean?

[Tinus lotz]

Get to gether

[Alex Roux]

Dirk, oh, realise it should be "jy" en "jou" :)

What I mean with Tussen die riviere being araound the corner is that anybody who do drive all the way down may just as well go and have a look at tussen die riviere. Not well known, very affordable and lots of game, though the game is not used to visitors so take along the binoculars...

Hi Marnus
I am still putting our iternerary together for our December drive down to the Southern Cape.
Have booked at Tussen die Riviere for two days on our way back.
Noow here is the funny part: They don't take deposits. We pay on arrival?
Can I trust this? Have you been there?
Have you driven the trail. What is it like?
Thanks

[marakasmalan]

Hello Alex,

Tussen die riviere is a real gem, you will love it. Unfortunately the game is a little wild (carefull of the buffalos, we had some mock-attacking us) and generally they leg it when they see a vehicle as they are not conditioned/used to vehicular traffic. There is an excellent campsite for those who prefer the more rustic accomodation. Camping is real cheap but I would advise to go for the hunter's shelters. Four walls with an opening on the one side (not a door, just wide open), a table, a nice braai facility and some log "chairs". Karoo weather, so no tent required. Take a broom and just roll your kampmatras and sleeping bag open. Winters is very cold. The chalets I've only seen from the outside, but that looked great and coupled to the management which seemed very good I would not expect a nasty surprise. As there are no potent predators (well, they are not aware of leopards but this one you can never rule out 100%, however fair to say a very safe calculated risk that you will not encounter one.) and consequently the campsite is only fenced off with a very thick cable for Asjas, their sole black Rhino. They sold off their white rhinos due to the poaching threat, but kept the Black Rhino as they are much more shy and very difficult to find. As the ranger said: "Good luck if a poacher can find one black Rhino in 25 000 ha of this hilly and vegetated area before we find him. If we find him, good luck to him. If he do find Asjas, also good luck to him..."

Regarding the payment: yes, you can completely trust this. Yhey are not a tourist hot-spot, mostly due to location and logistics , and they know it. Cleverly, they do not charge a lot for the accomodation, instead their main income is from the annual game auction and and from hunters. Yes, they allow some stage of the winter hunting in the reserve, so just check as the reserve will then be closed to ordinary tourists. The chief ranger is a very nice guy, well organized and of the old-school-hard-working type. He was in a very bad accident in his past, sustained bad burn wounds and is limping as a result - also his voice is very thin/high as a result and be careful, I "tannie"-ed him on the phone and felt very bad when I got there and met him.

He will also advise you, but the last time I was there their bridge was standing with the abutment in the river, following floods carving out the embankment and you have to enter via another entrance, on the Bethulie/Aliwal North route road if I recall correct. Might be that they fixed it, the last time I was there the interm solution was to make it a 4x4 only crossing...

See attached map, dont quote me, but if you can read the symbols as follows:

A entrance
B camp site
C location of the best route on this place, they do have a map with all the routes at the office and this one is really great

TDR map.jpg (262.39 KiB) Viewed 3127 times

TDR great route.jpg (709.08 KiB) Viewed 3127 times

[marakasmalan]

Oh, just to say you will see game. We saw Kudus up close, zebras, lots of Eland, swarms (yes, not herds) of wildebees, buffalos, and lots more. There are fabulous picnic site scattered across the reserve but keep an eye out for Asjas