Maalgat

My first ever visit to this pool was on a Standard 5 school trip to the Cederberg when we actually stayed at Sanddrif. I have always pronounced this Malgat (“crazy hole”), though the correct spelling and pronunciation appears to be Maalgat (“grind hole”). Technically you need to be staying at Sanddrif to be able to go to the pools as you are obviously on private property.

Getting there: drive through the Sanddrif camping area and head down the gravel road to the parking lot under the pine trees
Permits: R30 (adult), R15 (under 14) from Sanddrif
GPS Co-ordinates: S 32°29.453′, E 019°16.315′
Distance: 2km
Difficulty: easy walk along a clear path

Simply follow the path which heads downstream along the riverbank of the Dwars River: it’s an easy 15 to 20-minute walk in a downstream direction with the river never more than 50m away on your right. After 120m you will see a stone wall on your left — the path passing through it leads to the pool along a path that runs slightly higher up the bank.

The pool itself [S 32°29.674′, E 019°16.797′] is massive and extremely deep (I don’t know of anyone who has reached the bottom), and possibly the main attraction is the opportunity to jump off the cliffs into the water. It gets pretty hot in the Cederberg, and there is no shade at the pool.