Die Hel (otherwise known as Gamka's Kloof) is a valley locayed in the Swartberg Mountains in the Western Cape (South Africa). Nobody is sure where the 'Die Hel' name came from. One popular story is that a Piet Botha (an animal inspector) visited the valley in the 1940s and used a particularly difficult route known as the 'die leer' into the valley. He described the experience as "hell". The residents have never liked the name and prefer to referrer to themselves as 'Kloovers'.
Die Hel is an isolated valley in the Swartberg Mountains between Oudtshoorn and Prince Albert. Although the valley officially falls in the Fynbos vegetation biome, one could be forgiven for thinking they were in moist savannah when in the valley. This is due to the fact that, although the valley itself receives a rather-arid 200ml of rain a year, the surrounding mountains collect more than 1600ml of rain annually - all of which flows down into the valley. Accessible via only one (rather dangerous) 4x4-only road, the valley is very isolated, and is cut-off during the rainy season when the Gamka River comes down in flood. Once a remote farming community, the valley is now mostly owned by CapeNature and is a nature reserve.
The Gamka’s Kloof can be accessed from Oudtshoorn or Prince Albert. From Cape Town it is 430km to Oudtshoorn (410km from PE). It's around 50km from Oudtshoorn on the R328 to the Gamkaskloof turn-off and an additional 45km along a gravel road (of variable condition), until you reach the settlement. This last section of road takes around 1.5-hours to drive. The drive from Prince Albert to Gamkaskloof is 69km and takes about 2-hours to drive.
Die Hel has previously served as a training ground for cadet officers of the South African National Defense Force. The officers-in-training had to march up and over the Swartberg Pass to the road the leads to Die Hel, 37km along this road (which is a series of mountain passes in itself), down into the valley, across the valley floor to what is now the Boplaas Guest Farm, up a steep and dangerous goat-path called "Die Engel se Leer" (The Angel's Ladder), over the tops of the mountains, down into Seweweekspoort (a kloof perpendicular to Die Hel) and out. A total distance of 135km done in 5 days with full military kit weighing as much as 50kg including rifle and ammunition.
This beautiful, secluded valley, roughly 20km long and less than 1 km wide, lies hidden in the heart of the Swartberg Mountains. It was inaccessible by road until 1963. Its many streams and fertile soil once supported a community who lived there for more than 100 years in isolation. Also known as "Die Hel" it is shrouded in romantic notions of mythical communities lost in hidden mountain valleys. Relic farms and several restored cottages remain to stimulate the romance.
Access was only on foot and harvestings of dried fruit and honey were carried out by pack donkey - along seemingly impassable routes, for barter with the outside world.
Today, travellers can drive into Gamkaskloof along Eland's Pass - an unforgettable journey of breathtaking zigzags, dropping dramatically to the valley 1000 meters below. The turnoff to Gamkaskloof is 25 km from Prince Albert, on the Swartberg Pass ascent. Visitors should allow at least 6 hours for the return trip. Lovingly restored self catering accommodation and camping facilities are available in the valley, allowing the imagination to wander through the web of stories, both mythical and true, of what life must have been like in this hidden valley.
Related articles: http://www.dangerousroads.org/news/932-to-hell-and-back.html
