This is one of the most special places in the entire Eastern Cape, with its mountains and forests forming the inspiration for Tolkien’s Hobbit stories. The area boasts some of the largest spreads of indigenous forest in South Africa, famous for yellowwood, white stinkwood, Cape chestnut and other indigenous trees.
In the west of the Amathole range, about 30km from Hogsback, is the area known as the Katberg. It is a beautiful, fertile area offering fresh mountain air, orchards of citrus, green fields and valleys, clean rivers and forested ravines. If you have a 4x4, make sure you climb the Katberg Pass – a rough, gravel road which takes you past incredible rocky slopes rich in forest with some of the most remarkable views in the area.
This area formed the border between the Xhosa and the English in the early 19th century and as a result there were major clashes over land and cattle that became known as the Frontier Wars. The forests of the Amatolas became the refuge of the Xhosa evading the British.
The countryside is perfect for hiking and outdoor pursuits like bird watching and horse riding. Hiking in this part of the world is a way of life and the Katberg forest is the scene of several day walks lasting from one to four hours around the forest station and the Katberg Hotel. The six-day Amathole hiking trail is one of the top hiking trails in South Africa.
For the golfer, there is the Katberg Eco Golf Estate
The nearby Thrift Dam is a must for fishing fanatics. It is the most easterly and largest of the trout fisheries in the area, and lies on the uppermost reaches of the Black-Kei River and is stocked with rainbow trout that average two kilograms apiece.
The Ferndale 4×4 Trail in Cathcart offers four trails that weave through the lush Henderson Heights mountain range.
