The Gamtoos Valley Route includes the towns of Loerie, Hankey and Patensie, and stretches up to Komdomo, where the Baviaanskloof Heritage Route begins. The word Gamtoos comes from the Khoi language and means ‘the roaring lion’, referring to the sound of the river when it comes down in flood.

The Gamtoos River Valley, a patchwork of cultivated fields and orchards, has an interesting blend of natural, agricultural and cultural attractions. Citrus farming is the main form of agriculture in the region, and all along the route the striking green citrus trees can be seen.  Other crops in the area include potatoes, vegetables, tobacco and avocados.       

Hankey is the oldest town in the valley, and has a number of interesting attractions and facts:

• The largest sundial in Africa (with a diameter of 36.4m) is in Hankey.  The gnomon is 18m high and weighs one ton;
• The area was home to South Africa’s first inhabitants, the Khoi and Mfengu people;
• The toposcope in Hankey offers commanding views of the Gamtoos Valley floodplain;
• There is a well-kept 9-hole Hankey golf course;
• The Hankey community in the western location has embraced tourism and tourists have the opportunity to visit local shebeens and get invited into people’s homes to experience the modern-day life of community members in Hankey; and
• Sarah Baartman, who has become an icon for human rights, was born in Hankey and her remains were also finally returned to Hankey in 2002.  Her burial place overlooks Hankey, with stunning views of the surrounding valley.  According to Khoisan tradition, each person who attends a burial places a stone on the grave as a mark of his or her presence. 

Sarah (Saartjie) Baartman was a Khoekhoe woman who was born along the Gamtoos River in about 1789. While still young she moved to Cape Town, and from there she was taken to the United Kingdom and put on public display to show off her abnormal body parts. She was later taken to Paris where she was again exhibited as a freak. She died in Paris at the age of 26, alone. Scientists in Paris had examined her whilst she was still alive, and after her death her complete skeleton was mounted as a cultural exhibition.  After many years of negotiations with the French government, her remains were finally brought back to Hankey, her final resting place. Her return was a victory for humanity against sexism, racism and colonialism, and symbolises a return to a land of freedom. Her burial site, which was recently declared a national heritage site, is a pilgrimage for all South Africans peoples of and world.       

Patensie means 'the place where the cattle lie down or sleep'. It is the last town before entering the Baviaanskloof Heritage Route.

Interesting facts about Patensie:

• The Cockscomb Mountains surround the town; and there are interesting and unique rock formations, the most well known being the profile of Queen Victoria;
• The Kouga Dam is nearby. Built in 1967, it is the first double-arched dam engineered in South Africa; and
• The citrus industry is the main activity in town. However tourism is also a major industry and there are numerous B&Bs and guesthouses in town as well as farm stays and nature reserves just outside of Patensie.

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