Waterval Boven

Part III of III After leaving Chimanimani, our next spot to visit was Waterval Boven in South Africa. But before we could climb in South Africa, we had to leave Zimbabwe over the Beitbridge border – the same border crossing that had cost us a lot of time and nerves a few weeks ago …...

Part III of III

After leaving Chimanimani, our next spot to visit was Waterval Boven in South Africa. But before we could climb in South Africa, we had to leave Zimbabwe over the Beitbridge border – the same border crossing that had cost us a lot of time and nerves a few weeks ago …

Border crossing

We arrived at the Beitbridge border posts in the morning and our plan was to cross the border till the evening and sleep somewhere near the border in South Africa. This time the border posts seemed more structured and the buildings in better condition. It seemed to be a different border except the same unorganized officers.

We realized that the warehouses and border posts of our border crossing a few weeks ago were just a few hundred meters away. But the derelict buildings, the nightly scene, and the soldiers made this a terrifying experience.

Projection: Cylindrical (1) FOV: 113 x 94 Ev: 12,09

This time, we already knew which border officer would need what form and stamps and we had Dan who gave us good advice. Nevertheless,  we run into trouble when we wanted to leave Zimbabwe but had not the TIP form for importing the rental car. Luckily, this could be clarified after a short discussion and we could leave Zimbabwe with our rental car.

Waterval Boven

Waterval Boven comprises an impressive red cliff with hundreds of long climbing routes. The view on top of the cliff is stunning and a nice campground is located there. You can easily walk to the routes within 10min. There are also more sectors around the town which you can reach by car.

The routes are superb and the long endurance climbing was a pleasure after three weeks of a bouldering. None of us was really prepared for 40m endurance climbing, but we had a fantastic time there. Everyone tried his best, and this often ended in spectacular falls after skipping several quickdraws …

The guidebook describes nearly every route as the best one and king line of South Africa – may the author was a lyric poet. Not every route there is it worth to be climbed, but there are some exceptional routes in Boven.

Sending vibes

Marcel, David and I had three days in Boven. And it was the perfect ending of this Africa trip. On the first day, we climbed ‚Lotter’s Desire‘ (7b+) – an amazing line through the vertical cliff. It looks perfect and climbs so.

On the second day, I climbed ‚Godzilla‘ (8b) in four tries – a 35m long line with a ten move boulder in the middle. Skipping the quickdraws in the boulder part, I got super afraid and did my best to catch the jug at the end of the boulder sequence to avoid a super long fall. The next day, I flashed ‚Jack of all trades‘ (8a)  – a 35m long and hard route, cause you have to hold small crimps all the time with sparsely rest in around. Thanks a lot for the superb beta Marcel …

Climbing with our DAV rock climbing team is always a good time, but also a lot of pressure because you must show what you can to assert your place in the around. Everyone who climbs with me regularly knows I can not constantly provide a superb level of climbing and also have days struggling with basic things. So I am thrilled I could show in Chimanimani as well as in Boven a good performance …

The Barn Climbing Gym 

After three days in Waterval Boven, we drove to Pretoria to spent our last night there before the flight back to Europe. Luckily, we could spend the night in the house of Paul, the owner of a local climbing gym in Pretoria called ‚the Barn‘. It was cool, to see a well-built climbing gym in these regions …

We did not see much of Pretoria which is the city in South Africa with the highest crime rate. The quarter with the climbing gym is surrounded by massive fences and gates. The property and the house are secured by fences each. It was surreal because these massive fences were built from humans to keep other humans outside – like in a Zombie film with a deadly environment outside …

On the next day, we drove back to the airport and returned our rental cars. After another 19h flight, we returned safely to Europe. Thanks to everyone, who made this trip an amazing and unforgettable journey.

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