page_title: Gamkaskloof
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Gamkaskloof / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Die Hel Gamkaskloof
context_page_description: The Gamkaskloof, also known as Die Hel, is a narrow, isolated valley about 20 kilometres long and a maximum of 600 metres wide. The valley is located in the Swartberg mountain range, which is part of the Garden Route District Municipality, Western Cape Province, South Africa.
context_section_description: Gamkaskloof is a hybrid name, combining Gamka (the Khoisan word for Lion), and Kloof (the Afrikaans word for valley).
  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. The residents used donkeys and travelled by foot across the Swartberg mountains to reach Prince Albert and Calitzdorp. Later, a school was established, with the teacher also leading the Sunday church. The settlers farmed grain, vegetables, fruits, tea and tobacco. They also distilled witblits, and brewed beer from wild honey.
  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 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 Western Cape Nature Conservation Board, with the last sale taking place in 1991.
  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.
caption: View towards Gamka river, from the bottom of the valley at Die Hel
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