#4x4 #4x4offroad #offroad #jeeplife #jeepwrangler #adventuretime #explore #travel #travelvlog #camping #southafrica #limpopo #taaibos #waterberg #mountains #africa #sub #subscribers #4k #exploresouthafrica #trails
Location: goo.gl/maps/3KwGnkGdScowQRQr6
Website: www.taaibosfarm.co.za/
Email: info@cp-taaibos.co.za
Tel.: +27 (0) 82 6700792
It’s absolutely idyllic here!
We find ourselves within the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve nestled in the Waterberg Mountain Range along the banks of the Taaibos River.
Join us on our Taaibos Adventure!
We had a front row view to the cliff edge and rock formations of the Waterberg Mountains and water lilies gently drifting on the Taaibos River. We were reluctant to leave this view and embark on the 4x4 trail.
Taaibos is situated in Vaalwater, between Modimolle and Lephalale in the Limpopo Province. It’s a 3 hour drive from Johannesburg approximately 280km away.
The 4x4 trail is 6km in length which seems very short but it is extremely technical. We would grade it overall at a level 4 trail with plenty of level 5 sections to navigate. In our Taaibos adventure series, we will reveal everything this trail and location has to offer!
Barely half an hour into the trail, is a stunning viewpoint. This trail combines the scenery of an eco trail with the technicalities of a pure 4x4 trail.
It’s a cloudless day and we have uninterrupted views of the Waterberg Mountains and a dam built in the 1940s by prisoners of war (more on this later in our series). No doubt it will be quite some drive descending very deep into a valley where we hope to meet the Taaibos river once again.
Trails with elevation gains are incredible. There are mountainous panoramic views throughout the first part of the Taaibos 4x4 trail.
As we surge ahead, the terrain becomes even more rocky.
Extremely high levels of concentration are required for the Taaibos 4x4 trail. There are high rock ledges on the left and loose large boulders on the right The Jeep barely fits in this narrow track and the only thing preventing the Jeep from sliding off the cliff are the large boulders.
In the summer months, vegetation conceals rocks making the trail unpredictable at times.
With a cliff towering over us and a steep drop between the two mountains, we knew it is time to cross the Taaibos River. Recent summer rains meant that the water levels were up.
A narrow steep descent takes us to the river bank beneath a canopy of trees. Extremely large rocks cover the riverbed making it a slippery affair. This also means that one has to crawl across the river with little momentum and placing wheels on the rocks at the same time.
The Jeep slid off the rocks deep into the water. The front of the frame was also hung up on a rock even with the impressive approach angles of Jeep. It was an exhilarating exercise to get out this situation.
After crossing the Taaibos River not once, but twice, we found the most picturesque setting to relax, have a bite and soak in the serenity of the surroundings. This is what overlanding and off-roading is about. Reaching locations with the natural exclusivity that comes with being in a remote setting.
This is the Italian Dam built in the early 1940s by Prisoners of War. It is the ideal resting spot along the Taaibos 4x4 trail. It’s slow going to this point taking us 2-3 hours to cover 2kms of the trail.
With the second half of the trail left, we assumed that the most difficult sections were behind us.
The idea was to find a way to drive down to the Taaibos riverbed and cut across to our campsite saving us several hours of technical driving.
As we moved on, the rocks became larger and the terrain more challenging. At some point we realised that we had strayed onto the hiking trail. Thereafter we drove for 45 minutes without finding a route back to the campsite.
Daylight would be disappearing soon and there was only one way back. This was to retrace our steps and crawl back the same way we came which would take several hours. The trail was even more technical driving back. Level 3 sections became level 4 and level 4 sections were level 5. The angles were even more hair raising and we had to remove equipment off the roof rack just to fit in some narrow spaces.
The Taaibos 4x4 trail is definitely worthy of a challenging adventure during the summer months!
Негізгі бет TAAIBOS 4X4 OUTRAGEOUS TRAIL (this is why Limpopo should be explored)
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