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Rachel se Kop : “Rachel’s hill” [Afr]; a 990m hill north of Eselbank, on the path to Kleinvlei
Ramskop : “ram’s hill” [Afr]; a 234m hillock south of the Algeria turn-off from the N7, not to be confused with a similar hillock at Clanwilliam
Ravine Trail : a trail at the Bushmans Kloof reserve that meanders down into the Boontjieskloof ravine, at the head of Die Kloof

Red Overhangs, on the Skerpioenspoort path

Red Overhangs : prominent red coloured overhanging rocks that are a landmark on the ascent of Skerpioenspoort, on the Boontjieskloof side

Red Roof, on the Vogelsangvallei path near Kleinvlei

Red Roof : a similar formation to the above, but close to Kleinvlei on the Vogelsangvallei path
Remhoogte : “steep hill” [Afr]; a steep hill that may have once formed part of the old wagon trail between the present N7 and the Grootkloof, south of Nieuwoudt’s Pass
Remhoogte Dam : as above + dam; a nearby dam
Rens se Kop : “Rens’s hill” [Afr]; a 1037m hill on the southern slopes of the Dwarsrivierberg and in the Kromrivier valley; the name commemorates both Rens Nieuwoudt, the well-known late husband of Olive, and his grandfather

Grey Rhebok (Pelea capreolus) at Die Vlei, near Moutonsklip. These pale grey, medium-sized antelope are survivors in a land where most large mammals are extinct – probably because the meat is not very palatable

Rhebok’s Pan : a pan or old dam near the crest of Dikrug, on the eastern boundary of the Bushmans Kloof Reserve

The Klipboombos and ‘proto-arch’ that are well-known landmarks in the Rheboksvallei

Rheboksvallei : “rhebuck’s valley”  [Ned/Afr]; the shallow valley at the head of the Kliphuis river, north west of the summit of Pakhuis Pass; it is an old farm name

Ribbokberg, to the right of Faith, Hope and Charity: the view from the Heuningvlei Noodpad

Ribbokberg : “rhebuck mountain” [Afr]; a 1109m peak adjacent to Pakhuis Peak that looks down upon Pakhuis Farm; it was the site of an aircraft crash in 1945 when a South African Air Force Junkers JU86 hit the top of the peak in dense mist; there were no survivors
Ribbokfontein : “rhebuck’s spring” [Afr]; a natural spring on the northern slopes of the Kraaiberg, it provides water for Mertenhof and Welbedacht farms in the Biedouw Valley

The view down to Riempie se Gat, from the Bakleikraal path

Riempie se Gat : “Riempie’s hole” [Afr]; a deep valley west of the Sneeuberg and at the southern end or head of the Agter-Kruis Valley. Riempie was by repute a buchu gatherer whose wife had a seizure or heart attack there and died. Riempie could not leave her for fear that wild animals would feed on her remains, so he stayed with the body for several days until help arrived

Riempie se Waterval

Riempie se Waterval : “Riempie’s waterfall” [Afr]; as above, a large waterfall on the Heksrivier, at Riempie se Gat, one of the larger falls in the Cederberg

Rietgat backpacker’s lodge, near Sanddrif

Rietgat : “reed hole” [Afr]; a bend on the Sandrivier where there is now a backpacker’s lodge of the same name, belonging to Dwarsrivier farm.

Riethuis se Gang, near Kleinfontein on the R364

Riethuis se Gang : “reed-house’s passage” [Afr]; a short ravine and tributary of the Brandewyn river, below Kleinfontein farm where, many years ago, there was a local community living in riethuise or reed houses

Ken Howes-Howell's photo of his party in the Rietkloof, 1952; view towards The Ventilator. The distant peak to the right is Hondverbrand

Rietkloof : “reed ravine” [Afr]; a large ravine that arises between Sandfontein Peak and Hondverbrand in the southern Cederberg, and runs south east until it joins the Grootrivier kloof
Rietkraal : “reed corral” [Afr]; a house on Kromrivier farm, downriver from the main farmyard

Old Rietvlei: the abandoned ruins on the road south of Langkloof

Rietvlei : “reed valley” [Afr]; 1. a farm and resort at the northern end of the Grootkloof, more or less at the point where the Rondegat river cuts through the hills to the Clanwilliam Dam; 2. A lonely subsistence farm on the road between Langkloof and Keurbosfontein,; and also an abandoned ruin a few hundred metres closer to Langkloof
Rietvlei se Hoog : “reed valley’s heights” [Afr]; a short and potentially quite dangerous pass in the road between Clanwilliam and Algeria, and north of the farm above; at certain times of the day its blind corners are made worse by blinding sunlight
Rim of Africa Trails : a series of trails that, according to the organizers, will eventually follow the complete mountain chain that rims the great Southern African plateau
River Trail : a trail on the banks of the Rondegat River, at the Jamaka resort
Riverside : a bouldering site on the southern side of the Pakhuis Pass, near Leipoldt’s Grave
Riverside Arch : a bouldering site on the southern side of the Pakhuis Pass, near Leipoldt’s Grave, a little further south than the above
Riversong : a private farm and resort in the Middeldeurrivier valley, just east of Kunje

Bouldering at Roadside Left

Roadside Left : a bouldering site off the Noodpad and near the summit of the Pakhuis Pass

The author with Joey Ockhuis at Roadside Right, with young cedar tree

Roadside Right : ditto as above, this one has a fine young cedar tree nearby, probably the most easily-accessible wild cedar in the whole Cedarberg
Robyn : “Ruby” [Afr]; a farm and accommodation on the N7 just north of Petersfield

A view into Rocklands

Rocklands : the extremely rocky area bounded in the north by the Pakhuis Pass and in the south by Amon se Poort, it is largely inaccessible but, on its fringes, has by repute some of the best bouldering sites in the world, attracting thousands of devotees of this sport every year

On the Rocklands day walk

Rocklands Day Walk : a day walk that mostly follows the Old Wagon Road, descending from the summit of the Pakhuis Pass and exiting onto the R364 not far from Leipoldt’s Grave – or the other way round!

Rocklands Lodge

Rocklands Lodge : a small building next to the R364 and opposite the turn into De Pakhuys farm, it was first a primary school, then a Moravian mission church, and is now a lodge for boulderers run by De Pakhuys farm
Rockwood : a protea farm and resort off the R303 about 7km outside Citrusdal, famous for the Elandskloof waterfall on its property; and named for the many rockwood trees there (Heeria argentea), a common local tree, the bark of which was once widely collected for use in leather tanning
Roelant se Hoog : “Roelant’s rise” [Afr]; a tiny settlement of two families on a rise next to the road between Heuningvlei and Witwater; Roelant was a shepherd who nearly a century ago had a reputation as a seer or foreteller of the future
Rondegat : “round hole” [Afr]; a farm and resort on the east bank of the Clanwilliam Dam, just south of where the Rondegat River enters the dam; the name refers to the large potholes in the Rondegat river (see Potholes above)
Rondegat Cave : as above + cave; a cave on the banks of the Rondegat river clearly visible from the Algeria road, and about one kilometre downstream of the Grootkloof resort
Rondegat River : as above + river; see below

The classic view of the Rondegat River valley, looking north from the Uitkyk Pass

Rondegatrivier : “round hole river” [Afr]; the primary river of the Grootkloof, known for its large potholes; interestingly, maps from about 1900 show it as the ‘Keurboschkraal River’

Waboom trees – Protea nitida – on the slopes of Rondeheuwel, near Driehoek

Rondeheuwel : “round hill” [Afr]; a rounded hill of 1042m that stands between Driehoek farm and Die Vlei, on the central Cederberg plateau
Rondekoppie : “round hillock” [Afr]; 1. a small hill about 610m high, at Nuwerust resort, just north of the Breekkrans River; 2. A 586m hill between Grootkloof farm and Langkop, in the Grootkloof
Rondekoppie Trail : as 1. above + trail; a trail that circles the koppie
Rondevlei : “round lake(let)” [Afr]; a small marshy area with an occasional pool on the shale band north west of the Wolfberg Cracks ascent; it has largely disappeared as a result of old pine plantings in the area
Rooi Cederberg Karoo Park : “red” + etc etc: a large consensual conservation area that links several private reserves to the Matjies Rivier Reserve, creating a very large conservation area in the red or eastern Cederberg

Rooiberg, north of Nieuwoudt’s Pass, from Jamaka

Rooiberg : “red mountain” [Afr]; 1. a 1006m mountain east of the Cederberg Oasis and north of Nuwerust; 2. a 788m hill north of the summit of Nieuwoudt’s Pass
Rooiberg Crags : as 1. above + crags; favourite mountaineering crags in the above
Rooiberg Trail : as above + trail; 1. a hiking trail that ascends the 1006m mountain above; 2. a hiking trail that ascends the 788m hill above
Rooibos Rendezvous : a viewsite and stopping point on the Bushmans Kloof game watching route
Rooidraai : “red corner” [Afr]; a small house overlooking the Rondegat River and situated between Skaan se Holte and Smal se Plek
Rooielskloof : “red-alder ravine” [Afr]; a small ravine that branches off west from the Elandskloof, facing Middelberg Peak; named for the presence there of rooiels trees (Cunonia capensis) – this may be the north-western limit to the distribution of this Afromontane forest species

The famous buffalo painting at Rooigang

Rooigang : “red passage” [Afr]; a shallow valley east of the Sevilla cottages, so called for the flaming red rocks there at sunset. At the upper end of the ravine (inside the Bushmans Kloof Reserve) there is an unusual and famous picture of a Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer)
Rooihoog se Kloof : “red height’s ravine” [Afr]; a small ravine south west of the Grootkloof, south of Algeria and lying between Klipgat se Klofie and Spoelkloof

Rooihoogte, looking south

Rooihoogte : “red heights” [Afr]; a high point on the road between Witwater and Brugkraal, and so called for the extremely red gravelly soil there
Rooihuis : “red house” [Afr]; name of the restored subsistence farmer’s cottage on the Bakkrans Reserve that was previously occupied by the Du Preez family
Rooikloof : “red ravine” [Afr]; a small ravine on the western slopes of Klein-Krakadouw that joins the Dwarsrivier next to the South African War blockhouse

Rooikoppe, behind Kleinvlei

Rooikoppe : “red hills” [Afr]; the rugged hillock west of the village of Kleinvlei, so named for the colour of the rocks at sunset

Rooikoppie is the rocky area in the top left of this photo of Skilpaddorp

Rooikoppie : “red hillock” [Afr]; a height on the road between Jamaka and Algeria, at the turn off to Skilpaddorp and where there is a borrow-pit and a dam in the reddish shale
Rooiland : “red land” [Afr]; a cultivated land north of Grootkloof farm, also named after the reddish shale there
Rooilans : “red lance” [but probably a corruption of ‘rooilands’ = ‘red lands’] [Afr]; south east of Algeria, this area was until recently the site of a pine plantation, now clear-felled; it is on a shale band with reddish-coloured soil
Rooileeg : “red hollow” [Afr]; a sharp dip in the road between Jamaka and Vleituin in the Grootkloof

If you ask Google Images for a pic of Rooimuis, they throw up this photo. This is NOT Rooimuis; it is Onder-Rietvlei near Langkloof!

Rooimuiskloof : “red mouse ravine” [Afr]; a ravine running towards the east, and east of Visgat on the Matjiesrivier

Rooipoort, alias Spookpoort, alias Oupoort

Rooipoort : “red pass” [Afr]; see Oupoort above; a short pass through a rocky gully, on the R364 in the Agter-Pakhuis so called for the colour of its rocks, especially at sunset; and, more romantically, as Spookpoort [‘ghost pass’] (see Spookpoort below for more details)
Rotsvas : “firm as a rock” or ‘foursquare” [Afr]; the original farm name of the resort of self-catering cottages that is owned and run by Kunje farm 

Paranomus and Leucospermum flowers at Ruiter se Draai

Ruiter se Draai : “horseman’s bend” [Afr]; a sharp bend on the Oupad where it descends to the Heuningvlei river and known for the rich proteaveld that surrounds it; it is probably named for a donkey that suffered some misadventure there
Rusklip : “rest rock” [Afr]; a large sheltering rock between Syferfontein and Perdevlei where, in the old days, the buchu gatherers would rest