I recently climbed at Bronkies (Bronkhorstspruit) for the first time with the MCSA Johannesburg section. The directions to Bronkies from Johannesburg courtesy of Climb ZA are:
- Either take the N1 north and then the N4 east (Witbank). Take the Bronkhorstspruit off ramp (R25). Turn right to go south towards the R25. At the T-junction turn left onto the R25 towards Bronkhorstspruit. Then shortly thereafter, at the R42 junction to Delmas, turn right. After 3,8km at the crest of a hill the gate to the farm will be on the right (sign for Department of water affairs and forestry – this is +- 500m further than where it used to be in the past). Turn right onto the dirt road. Due to the road works there are more than one parking area in use.
- Or take the N12 east (Witbank). Turn off at the Delmas, Bronkhorstspruit off ramp (R42). Turn left and continue on for about 25Km passing the Bronkhorstspruit dam on the left. Before the crest of a hill the gate to the farm will be on the left (sign for Department of water affairs and forestry – this is +- 500m before the old turnoff). Turn left onto the dirt road. Due to the road works there are more than one parking area in use.
We got lost trying to find the dirt road.
The exact GPS co-ordinate for the dirt-road turn-off when driving on the R42 is: 25°52’56.5″S 28°44’37.9″E (or 25.882361, 28.743851 )
Read more about the access rules, arrangements and the route guide on the Climb ZA Bronkies article.
I really enjoyed climbing at this location. There is a short (less than 10 minutes) walk-in from the upper parking lot to the crags.
You have a great view of the Bronkhorspruit dam throughout the day.
And you can hear the water flowing on the Bronkhorspruit river as you climb.
We started climbing around 10:30am after a brief orientation talk for the new climbers. It was a bit of a late start as a few of us arrived late after getting lost that morning.
The entire climbing wall is in the shade the entire morning until the sun shines onto the rock face around 2pm. This is great for summer climbing but I heard comments from some climbers stating that it can get pretty cold during winter.
I climbed a few pitches although I really battled to get anywhere on one of the 17’s (could be the Venus Fly Trap). Note: there are a few spiders on the rock. My friend made considerable progress on it.
It was cool to watch other climbers attempt some of the more challenging routes.
By 3pm we were on our way out as it was getting quite hot. I’d like to visit Bronkies again soon, and I’m looking forward to the next climb with MCSA Johannesburg
