I engaged Tony Lourens of Blue Mountain Adventures for two rock-climbing outings in the Cape Town area in Sept / Oct of 2018. It was a great experience. Tony is... read more highly knowledgeable - he is, after all the author of leading guidebooks for a a number of major climbing areas in South Africa. He is also a skilled leader of both "trad" (traditional) and sport climbs, and a patient and understanding climbing leader.

For anyone who doesn't know, South Africa in general, and the Western Cape in particular, are blessed with incredible potential as a climbing destination. There are vast numbers of quality routes of all grades of difficulty, and ranging from single pitch routes to complex routes multiple pitches - in certain cases as many as a dozen or more pitches. Climbing is available on granite, quartzite, limestone and on the distinctive hard quartzitic sandstone that is abundant across the southern part of the country.

I really don't think you can go wrong engaging Tony as your guide. .

Michael Barkusky, from Vancouver BC Canada - [and a resident of Cape Town in the first part of my life (1954 - 1980) ]

  My husband and I we had a trad course with Tony on the lion's head.It was great fun. We learned a lot of Tips from Tony's expert guidance. He is... read more very responsible and professional at top of his game. We liked his sense of humour. It made our climbing with a relax mood. Fortunately, we were in Sunday hiking group which had the privilege of being lead by Tony on many Sundays hikes in the past two years, which resulted in Tony's recently published guide book entitled " Southern Peninsula Classics" many adventure routes were under taken which were very rewarding . It's a fantastic opportunity to see so much of the wonderful peninsula.
vicky

  As an addict of adventure in far-flung and obscure places, the Covid-19 pandemic has seriously clipped my wings. Unable to travel abroad, I decided instead to look local and use... read more the opportunity to explore my own country. In my search for interesting trips to cool places, I was lucky enough to find Tony Lourens of Blue Mountain Adventures to provide what I was looking for.

I have now done three wonderful trips with Tony: a bespoke weekend of hiking and climbing in his charming home town of Montagu, a five-day hiking, camping and climbing trip to the very special Cederberg and a three-day trip to climb Towerkop, a very distinctive cleft rock tower with an interesting history near Ladismith, all in different corners of the Western Cape.

Each of these adventures was organised with meticulous care and with special attention to safety, particularly in relation to the rock climbing aspects. While we brought along our own breakfasts, lunches and snacks, Tony’s dinners were outstanding. Notwithstanding the mixed abilities and experience of his client groups, he managed to ensure that everyone achieved their objectives while having a thoroughly enjoyable time.

While Tony is a seasoned guide and rock climbing expert, it is his passion for the outdoors and his extensive knowledge of South Africa’s mountain ranges and climbing hubs that sets him apart. I look forward to many more adventures with him.

  We went on an excellent 3 full days guided sport climb and hike in the Cederberg. The first day was the guided sport climb. We followed with an overnight "Five... read more Peak hike". The first day we hiked up to a range with a scramble/some ropes to get to the top of two peaks. We camped on top of the range underneath the stars. The second day we scrambled/some ropes three additional peaks and hiked down. We ended the hike with beer and a great dinner at Kromrivier brewery. It was challenging, but a lot of fun. We were able to go places that were "off the beaten path" but with little stress in terms of planning. We felt safe the entire time and the company was excellent - fun, kind, thoughtful, and welcoming group. We were able to rent gear/camping equipment. Tony is incredibly well-organized and thorough in planning and prep, which made everything run smoothly. I will definitely call and try to arrange another trip the next time I am in the area.

  We had an amazing time cloning with Tony! I’m quite beginner and managed to clim a pretty cool wall, felt really safe and the whole experience was lots of fun.... read more Tony also have us lots of travelling tips, and we had great conversations. Would definitely recommend!

  An amazing time spent at Tranquilitas with Tony, Patsy & Willy to work on our new Mountaineering skills like abseiling, jumaring, and general rope skills for our BIG mountain challenge... read more next year.
Thank you.