The Bulolo Waterfall
section of the trail starts at the end of the tarred road at Second
Beach. You can either go through the Bulolo Camp and along the old
overgrown road to the crumbling turn-of-tide bridge. Or you can cross
the river at the vehicle bridge and follow the road to Silaka until
it turns uphill. A road to the right takes you past some houses, a
farm, several bamboo clumps and to the turn-of-tide bridge.
On the left bank
a footpath takes you along the water pipeline up the river valley
through dense forest to the first dam. You have to cross the river
twice to get there. Just after the first crossing there is Drum Tree,
a Natal fig which grew around a large forest tree that has since died
and rotted away giving the drum sound when struck with a walking stick.
At the second
crossing, the water pipeline is suspended from a leaning tree.
Cross over the
thin dam wall, a favorite basking place for for Spotted Bush snakes
in summer. When the river is low you can skirt the dam. When it is
high, a narrow footpath must be taken. On the left bank of the dam
there are some small caves in which a leopard, an old toothless male
of about 25 years, sometimes lies. He is harmless and not aggressive.
Leave him enjoy his old age in these beautiful surroundings. The pipeline
is suspended from the cliffs, where it dips back to river level, re-cross
the river and follow the pipeline footpath. The first rock-bottomed
side stream is known as the Haemanthus Stream as its left bank is
a massive hanging garden of fleshy leaves and yellow white blooms
when the haemanthus albiflos bloom. This stream bed is an emergency
exit onto the ridge.
The waterfall
is reached about one kilometer further when the footpath turns up
into the forest. The pool below the falls is deep but check for rocks
and submerged logs before diving or jumping into it. In summer the
pool water is cool while the waterfall warier is several degrees warmer.
This is because the river spreads over a sun-warmed rock face above
the falls. Below the pool to the right there is a rock-bottomed side
stream which can be followed up a considerable distance to a waterfall
amphitheatre. This is Plectanthrus Alley where the miniature plectanthrus
reflexuswos first discovered in 1988. This a tricky but quick exit
to the old military camp (left bank) onto the road and track back
to Second Beach.
The waterfall
area is a great spot for a picnic, but please do not litter. Litter
is a death penalty for nature. The water is drinkable forest water
and it is an excellent place for bird-watching. The Nerina Trogon,
Knysna Loerie, Red-billed Wood Hoopoe, Trumpeter Hornbill and Long-tailed
Wagtail are common here. Samango and Vervet monkeys, Bushbuck, Duiker,
Cape Clawless Otter and other species require patience and silence
to see.
Reptile, crustacean
and insect life are abundant. Plant wealth includes several endemic
species such as the impatience flannagannii, milletia grandis.
heywoodii luscens, begonia pondoensis and the only cactus indigenous
to Africa. Do not eat fruit or plants unless you know them well. Several
contain poisons such as strychnine and arsenic.
This trail is
part of the oldest nature reserve in Africa, the Mount Thesiger Forest
and Nature Reserve, respect and enjoy it.
The Gap and Blowhole
section of this trail can be reached from Second Beach and is at its
best on a clear, windless day after a south west storm when the waves
are big and the tide is high.
From the northern
end of the beach a steep footpath, slippery when wet, curves through
the hills up to the end of the Mtumbane Village road. A small side
track branches off to the right, through a sneezewood gate and across
private land down to two small bays which are rocky in winter and
sandy in summer. At low tide one can clamber along the rocks across
a natural stone bridge to the cave. A steep footpath leads from the
ridge before the cave up to the main trail.
At the end of
the Mtumbane road there are several plaques commemorating fishermen
who were washed off the rocks by freak waves, so be careful and keep
a weather-eye on the sea.
The path follows
the ridge down to the Gap where it goes down an enclosed gully with
a cable to assist climbers. Be careful not to jam your hands between
the cable and the rocky steps. The cable ends at the ladder which
is best climbed facing the ladder, one at a time. Beware of strong
winds. A knife ridge leads to a short ladder up to the head.
From here the
path winds down to the right onto the rocks. The blowhole can be seen
and photographed best at this point. Immediately below, stainless
steel brackets have been fixed by Tony Gates who has landed several
world record sharks, and tagged and released countless fish from this
spot.
Only when the
weather and sea are calm can the blowhole can be approached. Cautiously.
Beware of slippery surfaces. The blowhole squirts with little warning
and great power.
If you have no head for heights and no sense of the power of the
sea, do not attempt this part of the trail.
