Eastern Cape

Eastern Cape climbing offers a variety of different rock types. There are many small crags with good potential for new route development. There is an Eastern Cape section of the MCSA and the Rhodes University Mountain club.

PDF Topo Downloads for Climbing Areas in the Eastern Cape

http://www.climbing.co.za/topo/south-africa/eastern-cape/

Map of Climbing Areas in the Eastern Cape

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Area Name	Featured Image	Climbing Type	Description
Alicedale		Bouldering	Small bouldering area near Grahamstown, access still being negotiated.
Bobbejaankop & African Rennaissance	image needed	?	description needed
Buffalo River	image needed	Sport & Trad	Close to East London with short routes on dolorite, set in thick bush, 7 sport routes and over 100 trad routes. Good potential for more routes here. Contact Allen Luck 083 756-4290 for access.
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.
Coombs	image needed	Sport	Short sport routes near Grahamstown, access permanently closed due to climbers not following access requirements. Please check access carefully at crags before just rocking
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	A few sport routes can be found here visit Climbing the Amatoles for more information.
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.
Grootrivierpoort	image needed	Sport & Trad	At the start of Baviaanskloof, a.k.a "Grips". Sport and trad routes. Contact Steven Reed from the MCSA.
Hellspoort	image needed	Sport	Crag near Grahamstown closed due to climbers littering!
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/Scoops	image needed	Sport	Short sport routes close to Grahamstown.
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
Lalapanzi	image needed	Trad	A dolerite crag some 80km from East London (on the way to Morgan Bay). Only 7 trad routes have been opened so far.
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.
Pompies Pillar	image needed	Trad	A short dolerite crag in East London with 1 sport route and a couple of trad lines, limited potential.
The Grots	image needed	Bouldering	Tiny bouldering area near Grahamstown.
The Shire	image needed	?	description needed
Van Stadens Gorge	image needed	?	description needed
Van Stadens River Dam	Hydrophilic, The Beach	Sport	About 10 sport routes close to Lady's Slipper. Contact Steven Reed from the MCSA.
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.
Yellow Sands	image needed	Sport	About 25km from East London, an amazing short dolerite crag. Access is sensitive please first contact Derek Marshall on 083 681-8713. There are 3 bolted lines graded 20-24 and a few trad lines with some development potential.

Eastern Cape Climbing Clubs

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