Tag: Road tripping

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Road tripping: Cederberg, Richtersveld & West Coast : Part 3

Link to Part 1

Link to Part 2

From Hondeklipbaai, we proceeded north via Koingnaas, Kleinsee and Port Nolloth, to Sendelingsdrift, on the South African side of the Ai-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park. This is harsh yet remarkably beautiful landscape, with a mixture of some good and some really bad gravel roads and a few sections of surprisingly good tar road.

After our first night in the Richtersveld, spent camping at Potjiespram, where goats and monkeys shared our campsite, we set off for Kokerboomkloof. The journey took us through some of the most spectacular desert scenery, with the stark and rugged landscape unfolding around us as we made our way to the campsite.

I had been looking forward to the opportunity to do some landscape astrophotography at Kokerboomkloof for a long time, so I was understandably disappointed to arrive to heavily overcast skies. Fortunately, as the evening progressed, gaps gradually began to appear in the cloud cover, offering glimpses of the night sky. Eventually, I was able to capture a few really rewarding images.

The next morning, having had very little sleep after my nocturnal photographic activities, it was time to pack up and continue to Tatasberg. There, we settled into log cabins that felt like five-star luxury after the rugged and very basic campsites of the previous two nights.

Although it was still spring, the heat in the Richtersveld was already becoming quite oppressive, and we greatly enjoyed the opportunity to cool off with a swim in the Orange River at Tatasberg. My main photographic objective here was to capture a panoramic image of the Milky Way stretching over the river. I eventually succeeded, although the experience taught me several valuable lessons, and I believe I can further improve on the result if I get another opportunity.

The Richtersveld remains, in my mind, one of the most magical places I have ever visited. Its incredible natural beauty lies in the starkness of the landscape, and in the extraordinary contrast between the arid desert and the life-giving Orange River that flows through it. It can be a playing field for men and their 4x4s, but it is also a place where you can simply sit quietly, take in the magnificent surroundings, and marvel at the wonder of God’s creation.

For a wonderful visual impression of this remarkable place, have a look at Liana’s video on YouTube.

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Road tripping the Northern Cape : The route

With previous road trips, people have asked me to post details about our route with links, so here it is.

Click on links of Days to go to blog posts or on the other links for more information about the routes, accommodation, food etc.

Day 1:

Gqeberha to Britstown

Stayed at Vyfster The Old Jail, had excellent supper at Transkaroo Country Lodge Country Cafe who also do excellent take away coffee if you are just passing through.

Day 2 and Day 3

Britstown to Kalahari Trails/Meerkat Sanctuary

Camping at the Eco Veld Camp at Kalahari Trails

Day 4

Kalahari Trails to Nossob

Camping at Nossob

Day 5

Nossob to Twee Rivieren : On this day we took a detours to 13th and 14 boreholes, not recognised by Google Maps and therefore not visible on the map. You will have to use a paper map of Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park to see those.

Camping at Twee Rivieren

Day 6 and Day 7

Twee Rivieren to Khamkirri with detour to Augrabies Falls

Camping at Khamkirri

On the way there, we stopped at Upington Slaghuis, definitely the place to buy your meat if you are traveling in the vicinity and also a good source of local information from the friendly staff.

Another worthwhile stop, requiring a slight detour, was Kanoniki Padstal, where we had excellent coffee and pancakes, an informative and interesting chat with the owner and did some shopping.

Day 8

Khamkirri to Van Zylsrus

Stay at Vanzylsrus Hotel , meander through their arty premises, have a cold one in the bar and supper in their restaurant, an enchanting experience.

Day 9

Van Zylsrus to Witsand Kalahari reserve : because of heavy rain on the day we were traveling here, as well as damage to the roads by heavy rains some days earlier, we wanted to avoid the gravel roads and took quite a detour in order to stay on tar roads. In different circumstances, we would have chosen a very different route between Van Zyslrus and Olifantshoek.

Camping at Witsand Kalahari was quite tricky to arrange since they didn’t respond to email and we eventually got hold of them on Whatsapp, using the number in the link. Then, getting an invoice out of them was equally tricky. But eventually well worth the effort.

Day 10

Witsand to Mokala

Stop along the way for excellent brunch at Proviand in Griekwastad

At Mokala, we stayed at Haak-en-Steek Camp

Day 11

Mokala to Graaff Reinet : We drove the length of Mokala National Park, exiting at Lilydale. For some reason, Google Maps will simply not show this, so my map starts at Lilydale. Approaching Ironstone Cottage near Graaff Reinet, Google maps can once again not be trusted. Here we had clear instructions from the owners on which route to take.

Ironstone Cottage is a beautiful cottage in a stunning setting, an excellent weekend getaway from Gqeberha.

For breakfast the next morning, we had roosterkoek and coffee from Chargo Farm Stall in Graaff Reinet. Their roosterkoek are well worth it, but be sure to be very hungry when tackling one.

In summary: 12 days, roughly 4000 km, some criss-crossing of our route, necessitaded by available dates in National Parks, an awesome experience.

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Road tripping the Northern Cape : Day 8 : Khamkirri to Van Zylsrus

Having learned our lesson about not putting too much trust in Garmin and Google Maps, we got instructions from the owner at Van Zylsrus Hotel before setting out. A brief stop in Upington for breakfast and we were on our way, carefully watching the distance and signposts in order to follow instructions.

We couldn’t stop being surprised by the green and colourful Kalahari.

Van Zylsrus Hotel is a true oasis in the desert, albeit an unusually green desert during the time of our visit. The hotel is a hub of social activity for the locals as well as a favourite stopover for hunters and sleepover for people visiting Klein Jan Restaurant at Tswalu Game Reserve. A few days before our arrival in Van Zylsrus, Klein Jan Restaurant suffered major water damage due to a flash flood and had to close down temporarily.

We arrived to find the hotel bar overflowing with locals, some of whom had traveled up to 100 km from their farms and neighboring towns to visit with friends. Through the course of the afternoon, they started heading home and the hotel quietened down.

A walk through the hotel is an interesting experience in local art

Even the toilet seat lid in our bathroom was a piece of art.

After a relaxing cold beer in the bar, we had a great supper and went to bed early. Much as I enjoy camping, the occasional night in a hotel bed is a nice break from sleeping in a rooftop tent.

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Road tripping the Northern Cape : Day 3 : Relaxing at Meerkat Sanctuary

Once again I was up before sunrise, in time to take a photo of the rising sun. The red dunes of the Kalahari were green after the recent good rain and the unique smell of Kalahari sour grass was in the air.

We decided to have a relaxing day, lazing about, reading and going for a short hike, including a brief visit to the Meerkat rehabilitation centre on site.

As always, my camera went along for the walk.

By this time we had realised that we had very limited cellular and internet connection and uploading photos and blog posts had become impossible. But this is part of the charm of traveling in these remote areas.

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Road tripping the Northern Cape : Day 1 GQ to Britstown

Having done most of our packing the previous evening, we were nonetheless up early on our day of departure, doing the last bit of packing and getting the dogs settled. Soon we were on our way, making our first stop in Jansenville for breakfast.

Driving leisurely, we soon passed through Graaff-Reinet and set course for Murraysburg, where we stopped to photograph the church. Here we met Morris David Baadjies, who told us that the church had been recently renovated. When asked how he was, he told us that he got up that morning so was thankful to the Lord. He agreed to pose for a photo in front of the church.

Between Murraysburg and Victoria West, the R63 crosses the N1. Just after this, one sees multiple electricity transmission towers and power lines. Normally I consider these to be an irritation, preventing me from getting the landscape photos I want, but today they actually made for some interesting photos.

In Victoria West the main attraction seemed to be a soccer match between two neatly kitted out teams, but played on a pitch with hardly any grass in sight.

It appeared that the Karoo had some decent rain recently and the landscape we drove through, was beautifully green, unlike the soccer field.

In Britstown we met up with friends who would be joining us for the rest of our trip. A good meal at the Karoo Country Lodge, was rounded off with a tot of Pienaar and Son’s Tiny Batch Whiskey, before going to bed in our cells in the Old Jail.

Unfortunately, the clouds prevented me from getting a nice shot of the full moon.