High up in the hills of Wilderness, along the famed Garden Route, you will find the naturally formed Map of Africa, a spectacular viewpoint offering a unique sight. It is a lush piece of land surrounded by the Kaaimans River and quite literally shows an outline of Africa where over the time the Kaaimans River has carved the gorge deeper and deeper. On the Garden Route you will find many gorges -some unexpectedly opening up and becoming visible over high bridges as you drive. All the gorges look more or less alike, and although their depth varies, it is generally around 230 metres.
The small village of Wilderness is situated approximately 15 km from George, driving on the N2 highway towards Knysna; it attracts adventure travellers from around the globe. The combination of lush foliage, white, sweeping beaches and the warm Indian Ocean makes this seaside village an ideal base for lovers of the great outdoors. A small information board shows the direction to the Map of Africa. The last stretch to the view point is gravel road, but is very well maintained and easily negotiated by sedan.
The Wilderness area is known for it’s vast numbers of rivers, lagoons and natural lakes, and standing at the Map of Africa viewpoint one can get a clear view of the Kaaimans River Valley. Opposite the viewpoint there is a grassy hill with a view of the town, the Touw River and the beach. Paragliders like to launch from here to fly down to the beach next to the N2 . The steep heights makes it a great spot for take-off and offers spectacular views of the beaches of Wilderness.
On the way back to The Seven Passes Road, we happened on a recently opened coffee spot and had to stop to get our coffee and tea fix. Apart from great coffee, Hallo Coffee has amazing views and have some succulents for sale too. As it was late in the day and we were heading towards Oudtshoorn, the only regret was that we wished we could have stayed longer to enjoy the vistas.
Directions to The Map of Africa Viewpoint:
Follow Hoogte Road from town, turn left into Whites Road and left into Remskoen Street to get to the Map of Africa viewpoint where you can look out over a bend in the Kaaimans River shaped like the coastline of Southern Africa.
GPS Coordinates: S33.99290 E22.56080
Kaaimans River
Easily traversed in a few minutes on the modern N2 highway, the Kaaimans river pass was once a major obstacle.
The name Kaaiman’s, and the numerous variations such as Kayman’s, Caymmans, Quaiman’s and Kujman’s, derived from the Dutch/Afrikaans word for Cayman, a member of the crocodile family. As there were certainly none of these in southern latitudes, some traveller probably mistook a large water monitor lizard, which inhabited the river earlier for a crocodile, hence the name.
The Kaaimans River is a great spot to cool down on a hot day. There is a picnic site on the riverbank - turn off the N2 just before the bridge. At low tide you can go underneath the railway bridge and walk to the estuary. You can also kayak or paddle board and paddle up the gorge to a hidden waterfall.
How the Gorges on the Garden Route were made:
For a very long time, more than 50 million years, the local shoreline was at the foot of the Tsitsikamma Mountains. During this time, surf erosion formed a wide, submerged wave-cut platform. From time to time sea level dropped for a while, exposing the platform to the erosive action of the rivers.
When sea levels drop, the natural response of the rejuvenated river is to deepen the valley. Valley deepening takes place at a much faster rate than widening of the valley sides. In the very hard Table Mountain quartzite, the valley sides remain nearly vertical. The repeated process of sea level drop and rise helped the rivers to cut the gorges to their present depth. The process continues at present, and valley deepening is still more prevalent than widening.
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