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!
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