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JK Trail Run - Karee Krans

Karee Krans is a Grade 3-4 trail two hours from Johannesburg. During the wet season some of the obstacles can become Grade 5. It is an extremely scenic trail that can easily keep you busy for an entire weekend.

Before you head out to Karee Krans it is very important that you have the correct information. There is a format error in the coordinates that are published in local magazines and trail guides. The correct coordinates to get to Karee Krans are S25 34' 726", E26 53' 381". We used the published coordinates and ended up about 35 miles away from Karee Krans. This cost us over an hour to get to where we were supposed to be in the first place. Eventually we got to Karee Krans. Not that we mind. It was a very scenic drive in the end. Another thing that is published incorrectly is the trail fee. It is published as R120. The actual price is R200 per vehicle.

Due to time constraints we were only able to do the main track. There are three tracks at Karee Krans. Track A is the main track. Track B is a short technical track. Track C is a scenic route. If you don't stop and rush through, all three tracks will take you roughly 4 hours. We stopped quite often and track A took us a few hours to complete. As I said before, if you're not in a hurry, Karee Krans can easily keep you busy for an entire weekend.

Track A starts at the camp site. It quickly leads you up the mountain via a series rocky passages, rock steps that have to be negotiated carefully and some steep tracks with loose pebbles. It's more smoke and mirrors than real challenge at this point. No need for lockers just yet. Slow careful driving with a good spotter will get a stock JK through without a scratch.

Once you get to the top of the mountain you drive around for a bit without any obstacles. There are a few viewpoints where you can stop and take in the scenery. It's a good idea to take a break here as it gets interesting after this. Up to now it's been a gradual climb up the mountain. Now it's time to drop down into the valley. You get down via a very steep slope, with very loose rocks, big rock steps and decent cross axle situations. As this was my first proper trip offroad in our new 2011 JKs I really wanted to try out the new hill decent control that the JKs have now. In the manual it says it limits the JK to 1.5mph (2.4kmh) if you are in low range 1st gear. Well, that is exactly what it does. This is single handedly one of the most impressive additions Jeep has made to the JK. I really wanted to put it to the test and so I sat with my feet on the seat the whole way down to stop myself from hitting the breaks. The Jeep simply crawled down the mountain at a snail's pace without any input from me. Every time gravity tried to push its luck the ABS just grabbed the Jeep and kept it at 1.5mph. Not once did the Jeep 'run away' down the slope. I was most impressed. I feel every time Jeep pulls a new trick out their sleeve it leaves people speechless. As was the case when they first introduced Quadra-Drive with the Grand Cherokees back in the day.

Once you get to the valley you make your way through a few obstacles that would be tricky if they were wet but really aren't too bad in the dry. However, they still need to be negotiated carefully and always inspected before driving. There was a particular obstacle that has a very big step that you need to drop your rear wheel into very carefully to avoid damage. The ground here was very brittle after recent rains. This resulted in the step giving way under the weight of my Jeep and result in me knocking a few decent scratches into my rear fender.

You then get to the river where a few water obstacles wait for you. You make your way down the stream. It's not very deep and grip is good at the bottom.  At the end you need to make a tricky exit. Your wheels are soaked after the water and a very steep and muddy bank waits for you. It took multiple attempts for the first JK to get through without using lockers. This left the bank very wet and churned up for the second JK. He had no choice but to use the lockers to get up.

 The track ends with a few water-filled ruts that are great fun and got the Jeeps nice and dirty. Here we just cast all proper offroad driving technique aside and dug ourselves into the mud in an attempt to get at least one JK stuck for the day. However, even with slick all-terrain tyres the JK just powered on and climbed out. Again proving what an awesome vehicle the Wrangler JK is. It was great fun and the Jeeps got decorated nicely with a coat of mud.

This is where the trip ended for us. We were absolutely delighted with Karee Krans. It is a fantastic trail. It's well maintained and will provide a challenge and excitement for drivers of skill levels. I would highly recommend Karee Krans to anyone looking for a day out of the city or a weekend trip with the family.

If you would like to visit Karee Krans you can make a booking with owner Rob at 073 158 1545.

We look forward to the next JK Trail Run!

Cradle Of Mankind - Sterkfontein Caves

Take a quick trip out of Johannesburg and soon you will be in a 180 square mile World Heritage Site known as the Cradle Of Humankind. This is where a roughly 3 million year old world famous fossil was found. There is the choice of visiting the Maropeng Museum or exploring the Sterkfontein Caves where the significant discoveries were made.

When you get to the Sterkfontein Caves, you walk into the main building where there is a shop and restaurant. This is where you'll get your ticket for a guided tour through the caves. Tickets are R120 ($15) for adults. There is a tour every half hour.

Before you start the tour, you can spend some time at the waiting area exhibit. This is exhibit very interesting and highly informative. A good appetizer for what is yet to come!

A tour guide fetches you from the exhibition and the tour starts. You follow a long path to the cave entrance, along which you stop now and then, and the guide explains information about the history of the site.

You then reach the cave entrance. As you start walking down the stairs into the cave you become very aware of the drastic change in temperature and humidity.

The caves very quickly, become very cold, very dark and very humid.

The guide takes you through a myriad of tunnels and rooms that boast a number of interesting rock formations such as this one known as Elephant Rock. 

The guide frequently stop at places of significance where old excavations and fossils can be viewed.

At some points, the cave gets very narrow and dark. It is even required at some points to crawl through narrow spaces to carry on. All part of the fun I guess.

After spending some time 180ft underground you eventually surface at an opening again. Statues have been put up here in memory of the archeologists that made the discoveries as far back as 1947.

I highly recommend that everyone visits the Sterkfontein Caves. It really is worth your while. It is truly a World Heritage Site that deserves its title.

Mark's Farm - Runway 29/11

To the north of Bathurst, is a pineapple farm named Perseverance. To the training pilots of the nearby air school, it is more commonly known as Mark's Farm. This farm houses a short grass runway. Student pilots fly here for low level training. They practice procedures and aircraft handling for precautionary and forced landings here. The area is far from any high ground that might pose as a threat to the aircraft operating as low as 300ft above ground.

Occasionally, regional aerobatic teams come here to practice their routines before appearing at major airports nearby. This runway is also home to a Yak-52. The Yak-52 is an aerobatic training aircraft that was primarily used to train Soviet pilots during the Cold War.

Sandbar - The Floating Restaurant

While turning off the R72 in Kenton to stop and get some snacks at a coffee shop, we see a sign advertising Sandbar - The Floating Restaurant. This seemed interesting and we decided to go check it out after we stocked  up on iced tea and cookies.

What we found was, well, interesting. Not the interesting we expected though. After treading through the muddy (nearly in the Kariega River) parking lot, we found was a rather 'Deliverance' looking floating deck with plastic furniture and noisy diesel generator. 

Maybe it's more appealing during high tide?

Rufanes River Mouth

3km outside Port Aflred, Eastern Cape, a small dirt road turns off the R72. This road probably goes unnoticed to the many vehicles that commute between Port Elizabeth and East London everyday. Should you take the time to turn off and explore, you might actually find more than you expect.

The road follows the river all the way to the beach. It starts out as a gravel road, but quickly turns into a sand track as you approach the sea. Low range and deflated tires are not needed, but during the wet seasons the ground gets saturated and becomes very muddy. Deep puddles form and numerous vehicles have gotten stuck in the loose, wet sand.

The road takes you all the way to the beach. It is possible to access the beach from here with your vehicle. However, driving on beaches is illegal, so park well clear of the beach. There is a grass patch with braai facilities. There are no waste bins, so what you take in, you take out.

The great thing about the beach at Rufanes is that not everyone can get there. So you seldom share the beach with other people. So if you want to go to the beach, but don't want the noise and activity that is associated with public beaches, then Rufanes is the place to be!