Eastern Cape

The Eastern Cape offers a variety of different rock with lots of potential for new route development. The climbing venues are scattered broadly over the entire Eastern Cape. There are more than 700 sport routes, hundreds of trad lines & a few bouldering areas. There are a few indoor bouldering venues. The largest is at Rhodes University. The climbing community is fairly small, but quite active & welcoming. Climbing days are mostly coordinated via various whatapp groups. For more information please contact info@easterncapeclimbing.co.za

Map of Climbing Areas in the Eastern Cape

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Area Name	Featured Image	Climbing Type	Description
Alicedale		Bouldering	More than 350 boulder problems.
Nguniland	image needed	?	Quartzite slabs outside Kareedow in the Langkloof. 9 sport routes & 26 trad lines. Updated guide
Buffalo River	image needed	Sport & Trad	30km from East London. Short routes on dolorite, set in thick bush, 10 sport & about 500 trad routes. Some potential for more routes. Contact Allen Luck 083 756-4290 for access. Updated guide
Cape St Francis	image needed	Bouldering	seaside bouldering
Cockscomb		Trad	A series of walls & kloofs (gorges) about an hour from Port Elizabeth. Mostly trad routes.
Coffee Bay	image needed	Trad	Seacliffs, excellent short trad routes. Contact the Coffeeshack backpacker's lodge.
Compassberg	image needed	Multi-pitch Trad	Multi-pitch trad routes near Nieu Bethesda. Contact the MCSA for details.
Crag-X Grahamstown	'The Celestial Omnibus', Crag-X, Grahamstown	Example	Small crag with a bit of bouldering not too far from Grahamstown.
Fort Fordyce	image needed	Sport	More than 70 sport routes & some trad.
Graaff-Reinet	image needed	Sport	Sport routes near the caravan park. There is no routes bolted only single anchors but the hangers are with Neil Keyser. Take care for loose rocks. Area needs to be cleared before climbing at the anchors. Contact Neil Keyser or Willem Avenant for the hangers.
Groot Rivier	image needed	Sport	There are 6 sport routes 25m long. From Plettenberg Bay head west along the N2 for about 32km. Some 8km past the R102 turn-off to Nature's Valley park at a gate just beyond the Groot Rivier Bridge. Go through the gate and walk left (east) on a forest road and then head north up the slope to the right of the fire break for about 5 minutes. A cairn of white stones is visible in the undergrowth to the left. Follow a vague trail for about 5minutes through the bush heading down to your left (south-west). Find bolted lower offs. The Groot River bridge is visible about 1km away. There are 4 routes of moderate grade (17 to 20) below the lower offs. The 2 routes visible to the right (when facing the crag) are harder the right one being about 21.
Grips	image needed	Sport & Trad	At the start of Baviaanskloof. Sport and trad routes. Updated Guide
Hogsback	Steven Reed on 'Starstruck', Hogsback, EC	Sport & Trad	Sport & trad routes near the beautiful town of Hogsback. Hogsback in the Amatola Region, Eastern Cape.
Howissen's Poort	image needed	Sport	42 overhanging sport routes close to Grahamstown. 1 minute walk-in.Updated Guide
Joubertina	image needed	Sport & Trad	Sport & Trad climbing in the Kouga mountains. Contact Steven Reed from the MCSA.
Keinrivier	image needed	?	description needed
Lady Slipper	Eric de Beer on After Dinner Mint Boulder at Lady Slipper, Eastern Cape	Bouldering	description needed
Morgan Bay	image needed	Trad	Sea cliffs with a subtropical feel, about 575 mostly short trad routes with 7 sport routes on dolerite. Up dated guide is http://www.easterncaperockclimbing.co.za/location/morgan-bay
NSA, East London	image needed	Predominantly sport climbing	In East London, smooth vertical mudstone or siltstone. More than 60 sport routes ranging from 16-32. Route guide http://www.easterncaperockclimbing.co.za/location/nsa
Pinnacle Gorge	image needed	?	You need to be a member of the Mountain Club of South Africa Eastern Cape Section to access this area.
The Grots	image needed	Bouldering	Tiny bouldering area near Grahamstown.
The Shire	image needed	?	description needed
Van Stadens	Hydrophilic, The Beach	Sport	More than 200 sport routes about 35km out of Port Elizabeth. http://www.easterncaperockclimbing.co.za/location/van-stadens-gorge
Waterkloof	Hydrophilic, Donovan Willis showing his guns on an unnamed 29 in Waterkloof, Eastern Cape	Sport	The kloof is a sport climbers dream. The area is pristine, the rock is excellent, the walk-in is short and in summer the kloof stays very cool.
Windmill Hole	image needed	Sport & Trad	In East London with some sport routes on sandstone ranging from 14-25 as well as 10 trad routes.

Eastern Cape Climbing Clubs

There is an Eastern Cape section of the MCSA and the Rhodes University Mountain club.