Tag: SANParks

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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 : Days 11 & 12 : Heading home

After heavy overnight rain, we woke up to a persistent light drizzle, but with lots of standing water still around. The roads in Mokala were muddy and, despite 4WD we were slipping and sliding in some places.

Most of the animals were far off in the hills,

although a few did come down to play in the mud.

In Britstown we got coffee, then heading to Graaff Reinet. At one stage it looked like the clouds might clear and I had some hope for astrophotography opportunities in Graaff Reinet, but this was not to be and by the time we reached Graaff Reinet, heavy clouds and light rain greeted us. At Ironstone cottage, I realised that the place was perfect for astrophotography, so immediately booked another stay there in July, hoping for better weather.

Thus ended our 12 day road trip, with a return home the next morning, fueled by Coffee and excellent Roosterkoek from the new Chargo Farm Stall in Graaff Reinet.

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Road tripping the Northern Cape : Day 10 : Witsand to Mokala

We woke up to the sound of light rain falling on our tents and quickly broke up camp, fearing a deluge like we had the previous day. However, the rain remained light. Soon we were on our way, once more marveling in the scenery.

We stopped at Proviand in Griekwastad for an excellent breakfast and coffee. Passing through Douglas, we decided to make a detour to view the confluence of the Orange and Vaal rivers. Sadly, not much is made to promote this as a tourist spot and the viewpoint and picnic site were in poor condition, badly letting down the natural beauty of the spot.

A Goliath Heron was doing its streches on a tree stump at the edge of the river.

Approaching Mokala, we met up with two tortoises walking along the road, one of these refusing to be photographed, but the other quite happy to pose

At Mokala, we stayed at Haak en Steek, which consists of a two bedroom cottage and a few camp sites next to a water hole. We were greeted by a herd of Buffalo, coming to drink at the water hole.

Soon the dark clouds started gathering and my plans for astrophotography got canceled. Instead, I tried some lightning photography. When the rain started coming down, we were very happy to have the option of sleeping in the cottage instead of our tents.

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Road tripping the Northern Cape : Day 6 : Twee Rivieren to Khamkirri

We left Twee Rivieren early, planning to visit Augrabies Falls before moving on to our campsite at Khamkirri. Our first stop was Upington Slaghuis, where we topped up our meat supplies and had a chat with the locals, gathering good information for the rest of our trip.

Leaving Upington, we saw a road sign for Kanoniki Padstal and decided that it looked like an interesting stop for coffee. Turning off the road, we had our first view of a very full and fast flowing Orange River, crossing onto Kanon Island to the farm stall. We had excellent coffee and pancake and an entertaining chat with the owner.

Next was a fuel stop in Kakamas, with a visit to Tops in order to top up our beer supplies. On our way to Augrabies Falls, we made a stop at Marchant butchery, where we had previouly bought excellent curry beef sosaties.

At last, we were on our way to Augrabies Falls, getting there 2 hours later than planned, but still well in time to view the Falls in all their glory. I had long wished to visit the Augrabies Falls at a time of high flow, our previous visits having been at times when water levels were much lower. This time we were told the flow was just under 3000 cumec, compared to our previous visits at around 600-800 cumec.

Further below the falls, one could experience rain coming up from below, with pretty rainbows around.

Properly soaked from the falls’ spray and exhilirated, we turned for Khamkirri and learned not to trust Garmin or Google maps for navigation in these regions, since they seemed to conspire to lead us to a dead end.

After phoning Khamkirri reception for instructions, we eventually managed to get there just in time to see a magnificent sunset over the Orange river.

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Road tripping the Northern Cape : Day 5 : Nossob to Twee Rivieren

Once again we decided to do the transition between rest camps as a game drive. Leaving Nossob early, we soon saw a Pale Chanting Goshawk dive down to catch its breakfast in the long grass and then fly up into a dry tree to enjoy its meal. Unfortunately we could not see what prey it had caught.

A young Springbok and its mother provided a lovely picture.

The rest of this day delivered little in terms of sightings. A few times we saw raptors circling in the distance. Once again I have to rely on Merlin’s identification, since I am unsure.

Immature Martial Eagle
? Tawny Eagle ? Wahlberg’s Eagle ?

More Oryx, a few giraffes and the unusually green Kalahari with flowers reminding one of Namaqualand in September, were our enterainment for the rest of the day.

We did come across a traffic jam caused by a cheetah resting close to the road, next to a recent kill, but the number of cars and their positioning precluded any photographic opportunities.

Not a particularly exciting day with relatively few opportunities for interesting photography, but nonetheless an enjoyable and relaxing day in the Kgalagadi.

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Road tripping the Northern Cape : Day 4 : Meerkat sanctuary to Nossob

We were up early, eager to get to the Kgalagadi entrance gate and start our drive to Nossob. The plan was to use the drive into the Park as our first game drive, so although only 166 km from Twee Rivieren, we were estimating that it would take us between 5 and 7 hours.

With the recent rains, the grass was lush and green and, apart from large numbers of Oryx and the occasional Black Backed Jackal, no too many four legged animals visible.

However, the birdlife did not disappoint. Since I am still a beginner in the bird identification game, I rely on my Merlin app to identify them for me. If you disagree with my ID please let me know.

Lanner falcon
Tawny Eagle
Pale Chanting Goshawk
Jackal Buzzard

Stopping at the Melkvlei picnic site, we got a nice surprise in a tree right above us

Southern White-faced Owl

We also saw many Kori Bustards walking along, but didn’t see any of them in flight.

Arriving at Nossob in the mid afternoon, we checked in and settled into our campsite. At the shop, we were informed that they had run out of Wi-fi vouchers and the new vouchers would only be arriving in two days’ time, so although there was Wi-fi available, we could not connect to it. Once more, no uploading of photos or blog posts possible.

A late afternoon drive, yielded a sighting of a very sleepy lioness lying in the road north of Cubitje Quap. Occasionally, if a car came too close, she would open her eyes or lift her head.

I got a nice photo of our Toyota Hilux reflected in her eye.

The evening was rounded off with a braai and “kuier” (no proper English word exist to encompass everything included in that Afrikaans word) around the fire.

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Flowers, Stars & More: Maps and info

Following a few requests for more detailed information about our trip, I have decided to put together some details with links for routes on Google Maps, so no photos or videos in this post, but suggestions for an itinerary which will show you some of the most beautiful parts of our country, especially if you do it in flower season, which is usually sometime between mid August and early October.

Please click on underlined text to follow the relevant links.

The resources we used in planning the trip were Google searches, Google maps, SANParks website, Booking.com and Mountain Passes South Africa website

Day 1: Summerstrand to Lentelus Farmstay, Barrydale, via Steytlerville :

Blog post and photos for Day 1 here

In Steytlerville, visit The Verandah Coffee Shop and Pegasus Early Motoring Museum

Barrydale is an interesting town, which we will definitely explore in more depth in future. For now, Lentelus Farmstay, approximately 10 km outside Barrydale, was a comfortable overnight stop.

Day 2: Lentelus Farmstay to Orca House, Yzerfontein, via Bainskloof Pass and Postberg section of the West Coast National Park.

Blog post and photos for Day 2 here

Bainskloof Pass is a lovely drive for those who enjoy mountain passes and history and has been declared a National Monument.

Postberg section of the West Coast National Park is only open during flower season, but the rest of the Park is open all year round. Plan to spend around 3 hours in Postberg.

Orca House offers magnificent accommodation right on the beach, is well appointed and very comfortable. Enjoy the sunset on a dune with a glass of wine in hand.

Day 3: Orca House Yzerfontein to Dogstone Cottage, Hondeklipbaai with a detour to Maskam Guest Farm

Blog post and photos for Day 3 here

Quite a few areas of gravel road, some better than others, in this stretch. We were also warned not to take the Hondeklipbaai turn off from the N7 just after Garies, but continue to the Klipfontein turn which is tarred to about halfway to Hondeklipbaai.

Along the way, a detour to Maskam Guest Farm for flower viewing and a light lunch, is quite worthwhile.

Dogstone Cottage offers lovely accommodation in Hondeklipbaai, but one must be aware that this is a very far off the beaten track little town or perhaps rather settlement, at first glance looking somewhat run down, with no fuel available (so fill up in Garies), the shops only stocking basics, the tap water a bit brackish (so take own drinking water), but probably two of the best and most affordable seafood restaurants in South Africa. Rooi Spinnekop was our favourite, but absolutely nothing wrong either with Dop en Kreef and I would suggest everyone should try both and determine their own favourite.

Day 4: Dogstone cottage Hondeklipbaai to Skilpad section of Namaqua National Park and back

Blog post and photos for Day 4 here

Google maps or your GPS will show you a shorter route, but the locals in Hondeklipbaai warned us that some of the routes in the region carried virtually no traffic and that getting stuck on those could result in a day or two’s wait for help. If traveling alone, it is therefor recommended to stick to the more frequented roads. For that reason, we took the road back via Klipfontein to the N7 and on to Kamieskroon and then to Skilpad. At Skilpad there are short hiking routes, which we did not explore due to the rain, as well as two short circle routes which can be driven. One of these is labeled 4×4 only, but in fact can easily be driven with a high ground clearance vehicle without 4×4 capability.

Day 5: Hondeklipbaai to Clanwilliam, with a detour to Graafwater

Blog post and photos for Day 5 here

A visit to Ramskop Nature Garden in Clanwilliam is quite a treat. This apparently used to be magnificent, became quite run down under municipal management, but enthusiastic locals are busy restoring it to its previous magnificence.

Day 6: Clanwilliam – Biedouw Valley – Wupperthal – Eselbank – Mount Ceder

Blog post and photos for Days 6 and 7 here

Biedouw Valley is famous for its flowers. Unfortunately we visited on a cold, rainy day and did not see it in its full glory, but from what we saw, certainly on our list of places to return to.

Do not be fooled by Google Maps telling you this is only 2h47min drive. Eselbank pass, which is supposedly a 4×4 route, although the locals apparently drive there with their Nissan NP200’s, will slow you down and at one point your GPS will start adding on two minutes to your ETA for every one minute you drive. But it is completely worth it for the amazing scenery.

Mount Ceder offers a range of accommodation options. We stayed in a lovely self catering Villa overlooking the valley, a great spot for astro photography, if only the clouds would have allowed.

Day 7: Mount Ceder to Cape Town

Some more lovely mountain passes along this route, but we drove it in pouring rain and howling wind, would like to go back there in better conditions, for photography.

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Flowers, Stars and More: Day 4: Stars, at last

Day 4 arrived, cold, dreary, overcast, not what we had been hoping for, but true to the weather forecast, which had been accurate for once. We decided, nonetheless, to take the drive to the Skilpad section of Namaqua National Park. The locals in Hondeklipbaai advised us to take the detour, returning to the N7 the way we had come, due to road conditions.

We stopped in Kamieskroon to get fuel for the car and ourselves. Entering Kamieskroon, we saw a beautiful little church.

In Kamieskroon, I also saw a street carrying my name, but quite sure not named after me or any relation.

After fuelling the car, we drove towards the National Park, stopping along the way for breakfast at Die Murasie

Once in the Park, we decided to forego the planned hike, since it had started raining and we did not want to get drenched. Instead, we drove the two circle routes in the Park, one of which is new and labelled a 4×4 route, but really a very easily driveable route.

As expected, in the rain, most of the flowers were hiding their faces. However, this did not really detract too much from the spectacle and we still had a really good time.

Near the end of the 4×4 loop, we saw a few Springbok in a field of flowers, a very special sight.

Making our way back to Hondeklipbaai, we were quite pleased with ourselves about the lovely day we had and the fact that we would be able to get to bed early, but this was not to be. About 20km before our destination, we encountered a quartet of elderly people struggling to change a flat tyre. By the time we had finished assisting them, not only were we rain drenched, which we had avoided in the Park, but also covered in mud.

Eventually arriving at out accommodation at Dogstone Cottage, we took a quick shower and then went to the Rooi Spinnekop Restaurant for an early supper, which turned out to be an excellent choice. The reception was very friendly, the atmosphere relaxed and the food excellent. Liana had a marrow bone starter and I had prawns. For mains she had lobster and I had pan fried snoek and sweet potato.

Exiting the restaurant, we were just in time to catch the sunset, the clouds starting to clear.

With the clouds rapidly clearing, I was able to grab a few Milky Way photos as well.

Tomorrow we turn back south, heading towards Clanwilliam.

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Flowers, Stars & More: Day 2: Mostly flowers

We had a slightly delayed start to the day, having to wait for the bakkie’s windscreen to get de-iced before we could hit the road. The first town we passed trough, Montagu, still seemed fast asleep at almost 8 o’clock in the morning and we had to wait until we reached Robertson before we could get coffee and breakfast. On the way to Robertson we passed through the beautiful Cogmanskloof.

No food photos today since I made the mistake of sitting on the wrong side of the table, resulting in poor light for food photography, or any photography for that matter. This is a pity, since the coffee and croissants at Strictly Coffee were excellent and we received service with a smile.

After breakfast, on the way to Worcester, we noticed snow on the Matroosberg.

After Worcester, we took a detour in order to drive along the famous Bainskloof Pass, built by Andrew Geddes Bain in 1853 and more recently declared a national monument. Our bakkie is fortunately low enough to pass under Dacre’s pulpit, where many a large truck has gotten stuck after ignoring all the warnings along the way. And no, we didn’t see any leopards, despite the promise on the road signs.

Passing through Wellington, Malmesbury and Darling, we reached the West Coast National Park in good time and were soon fascinated by the magnificent flower display in the Postberg section, which is only open for two months a year, during flower season.

The flowers really speak for themselves, no words required.

Satisfied, but exhausted, we arrived at Orca House in Yzerfontein, where we received a friendly reception from Francois. We soon had a fire lit for a braai and then relaxed on the dune in front of the house, overlooking the sea, with a glass of wine in hand.

After dinner, it was once again time to download and edit photos and video and prepare our camera equipment for the next day.

Look at the great daschcam footage of the day, ably curated by Liana to create a lovely memory of the day.

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Ten Days in Kruger National Park

Updated with new video by Liana

We spent ten days in October 2023 in Kruger National Park, ably guided by Bernhard and Hennie of B1 Photo Safaris. Their vehicle, perfectly equipped for photographers and their knowledge of the Park, animal behaviour, photography and videography, gave us the best possible opportunity to get good photos and video.

I detailed our trip in daily blog posts, which are linked below.

Some days produced many more photo opportunities than others. This post contains my favourite photo from each day, not necessarily my ten best photos from the whole trip.

Each photo provides a link to that day’s full post. Please click on these to see many more photos and a more detailed description of our time spent in the Park.

Day 1 – Arrival at Skukuza
Day 2 – Skukuza to Satara

Liana’s video of birdlife in Kruger, open in You Tube to get the full experience.

Day 3 – around Satara to Olifants
Day 4 – from Satara to Lower Sabie
Day 5 – around Lower Sabie
Day 6 – around Lower Sabie and further afield
Day 7 – Lower Sabie to Berg-en-Dal
Day 8 – around Berg-en-Dal
Day 9 – Berg-en-Dal to Skukuza

Liana got great video of an elephant attacking and killing a tree. Watch in You Tube

Day 10 – Drama and Departure

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