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The
Gamkaskloof was discovered in the early 19th century by farmers, but the first permanent resident was Peter Swanepoel, who settled in the valley in the 1830s. Some time later, the Marais, Cordier and Joubert Nel Mostert families settled in the valley, growing to a community of around 160 people.
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For many years, the residents petitioned the South
African government to build a road into the valley. In 1962, the requested road was completed. Ironically, this led to the depopulation of the community, with the local children attending high schools in the nearby villages and most of them refusing
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to return to a life of subsistence farming in the valley. The elderly residents retired to retirement villages outside the valley, with the number of permanent residents diminishing. Eventually, all homes except one were sold to the
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The
Gamkaskloof valley was declared a national monument in 1997, and was subsequently included into the Swartberg Nature Reserve. The cottages in the valley have been renovated, and equipped with solar power and bathrooms.
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The only formal road by which the
Gamkaskloof can be accessed drops very steeply for almost 579 metres (633 yards) before reaching the valley settlement. It is believed that the name
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and explanations have evolved. One popular story is that an animal inspector named Piet Botha visited the valley in the 1940s, using a particularly difficult route known as
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Gamkaskloof's isolation makes it popular among sports enthusiasts. Hiking is a popular activity. The valley also hosts a mountain bike race named
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on
Kleinberg, and subsequently described the experience as "hell". The residents of Gamkaskloof are averse to the name
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The residents used donkeys and travelled by foot across the
Swartberg mountains to reach
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View towards Gamka river, from the bottom of the valley at Die Hel
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The crossroad to
Gamkaskloof at the Swartberg Pass in 2008
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MadScientists' Midnight Hell Run was cancelled in 2011
277:. Information Service of South Africa. November 1974.
231:View of the road where it passes the Gamka river
138:Buildings in the original settlement in Die Hel.
130:Wagon and farm equipment at Die Hel settlement
274:South African Panorama 1974-11: Vol 19 Iss 11
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289:"Dictionary of Southern African Place Names"
219:(the Afrikaans word for 'Canyon dwellers').
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323:Website of the To Hell & Back MTB race
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301:Gamkaskloof by Cape Nature Conservation
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169:Western Cape Nature Conservation Board
76:mountain range, which is part of the
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195:was derived from the Afrikaans word
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146:Restaurant from renovated building
78:Garden Route District Municipality
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249:MadScientists' Midnight Hell Run
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348:Landforms of the Western Cape
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315:Originally Published in the
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343:Valleys of South Africa
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65:[χamkaskluəf]
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34:33.3415°S 21.8768°E
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253:Moonlight Hell Run
245:To Hell & Back
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337:Categories
317:Cape Times
259:References
223:Activities
157:Calitzdorp
25:21°52′36″E
22:33°20′29″S
119:word for
117:Afrikaans
107:word for
74:Swartberg
209:Die Leer
205:toponyms
161:witblits
217:Klowers
213:Die Hel
197:helling
193:Die Hel
187:Die Hel
111:), and
105:Khoisan
88:History
70:Die Hel
121:valley
97:hybrid
115:(the
113:Kloof
103:(the
101:Gamka
95:is a
155:and
109:Lion
56:The
313:IOL
201:hel
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