Despite a slight urge to return home to Australia, the opportunity to have two solid summer weeks exploring the region was too tempting. And so I set out planning a route that would involve cosmopolitan and cultural highlights (a necessity after spending long periods in Gabs), whilst also getting into the bush. The result was a 5 200-kilometre loop from Gaborone, down the middle of South Africa and through the Western Cape. Although I only realised once on the road, the journey also took me into 6 of South Africa’s 9 provinces and across most of the country’s distinct biomes and landscapes. As the map shows, there is a large chunk of the eastern side of the country (mainly the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces) not on my journey tracker, so yes, another trip is to be planned at some point over the next 18 months. Although the northwest corner was due to be part of it, I’ll save that for a separate roadtrip across to Namibia.
A few people have mentioned that I seem to spend half my life in South Africa. Should I not be seeing more of Botswana? South Africa is a mere 20 kilometres from my front door and is very accessible. Although I like Botswana in its own right, South Africa offers outstanding variety and actually complements Botswana well. Like Australia, South Africa is incredibly diverse – with forests, beaches, wetlands, grass plains, mountain ranges, along with the unique Karoo and fynbos.
A much older country, South Africa’s difficult and at times abhorrent experience with colonialism started in the 1600s, leading to what has now thankfully created (although not entirely) a rich, multicultural society (featuring a whopping 11 official languages!) that seemingly has something to offer by anyone. By contrast, Botswana is very young, having gained independence only 50 years ago in 1966 when the country’s entire population was merely 600,000. Today with just 2 million, it pales in comparison to the 50 million-strong big brother (overlord?) to the south.
I cannot fail to mention the amazing value in South Africa at the present time. When visiting five years ago, one Australian dollar bought seven Rand. Thanks to a variety of economic, political and regional influences, my humble dollar was buying 11.5 Rand during this visit. For those wanting a reasonably priced holiday from Europe, the US or Australia, I would look no further than South Africa, or indeed most of southern Africa.
Anyway, this and the following two posts will hopefully provide an interesting insight into some of the cool and exciting spots visited on my roadtrip.
Graaff-Reinet
After a brief overnight stay in Johannesburg, I met up with Charlie and we were off on a nine-hour drive to the first destination of Graaff-Reinet. The fourth oldest town in the country with a strong Cape Dutch influence, one cannot help but feel like having stepped back in time. It was a nice reintroduction to gourmet food. Amongst a number of small, mostly good cafes, the highlight was dinner at the refurbished Drostdy Hotel (built in 1806), where I enjoyed immensely the roast Springbok. Lean like kangaroo meat and the colour of beef, Springbok is probably closer to high quality lamb in texture when cooked a nice medium-rare.
The range and quality of South African wines is increasing with pace. I won’t naively attempt to compare the industry with other countries, however I will say that the South Africans are producing some fantastic wines (particularly the Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage and Chenin Blanc grapes) and experimenting with many, many new varieties and blends. More on that later in the next couple of posts.
A highlight in Graaff-Reinet is the Valley of Desolation, which does not require much more of a description. Situated in the Camdeboo National Park, the climb through the valley and up to the peak that overlooks the town and vast Karoo below is breathtaking. In normal circumstances that is, however I was breathing little as I tested the Prado (‘Bruce’) on its first major climb, being extremely unnerving for fear it would not have the gusto to make it up. As the speed dropped from 80 km/hr to 70, to 30, we finally reached the top, and I am pleased to report that it is as reliable as I was hoping. A bloody gas-guzzler though!
Camdeboo National Park also features a couple of great walking trails. Although unlucky in spotting any of the endangered, reintroduced Cape Mountain Zebra, Charlie and I managed to do the most unprepared and careless hike. Racing against the folding sun, we set out on a 14km track at 5pm, and realised only after 1.5 hours that being on a largely unmarked track, with no water, food and torch (and sunlight) was probably not an ideal situation. Nevertheless, running back for the second half provided a much-needed shock for the lungs and muscles after two days in the car. And despite earlier warnings, there were no cobras or Mambas to be seen.
Samara Private Game Reserve
Whilst in the area, we also had a short stay at Samara Private Game Reserve. A mere 40 kilometres outside of town, it took a considerable time to drive to, again fighting a setting sun, constant stopping as we spotted various leopard tortoises, duikers and other big brown objects in the face of the mountainous landscape. Samara occupies 13 former farms that are being converted back to their original, indigenous state. The native wildlife is being reintroduced, including rhino, eland, black wildebeest, gemsbok, hartebeest and springbok.
We stayed in an old farmhouse, which has been converted to wonderfully decorated five-star lodge. A brilliant pool and bar, they cooked a wonderful three-course dinner, overlooking the front lawn that was being mown by leopard tortoises and, after dark, herd of tsessebe.
Samara is home to a cheetah research and conservation program, which is important for this species facing serious threats across the continent. Some of the resident cheetahs are collared meaning that they can be tracked by telemetry during early morning drives. Unfortunately they were up in mountains and therefore unreachable during our stay, however merely tracking them to the foot of the hills provided quite a rush. We were successful in finding the herd of white rhinos though, which as you can see below, have been de-horned. We were lucky enough to approach them on foot, getting closer than 100 metres, a truly awesome experience. Although de-horning takes away from their natural beauty, it is one response to help combat the unfortunate reality of increased poaching across the region. Thankfully, it seems that this action combined with 24-hour tracking and protection efforts in the area has resulted in considerably fewer poaching activities than in other parts of South Africa.
Garden Route and Southern Coast
Although the plan was to spend a day in the Karoo National Park, the urge to visit the sea was strong, and so Charlie and I headed via Oudtshoorn (the ostrich capital of the world) and through the amazing Meiringspoort mountain pass to George. Charlie and his wonderful family were kind enough to have me at their beach house near Groot Brakrivier, a small beachside village that would not look out of place on the southern NSW or Victorian coastline. Being back on the coast made me feel, and probably look, like a sea turtle being awkwardly reintroduced to the water after too long on shore. The water here was significantly warmer than the Atlantic Ocean, a mere four hours drive west, although the surf was rough and complete with dangerous rips and side-sweeping side currents.
The area around George also reminded me of home: coastal towns against the backdrop of rolling green hills, dominated by dairy cows and small farms. I managed to take a bike out for a morning ride, which, after cycling almost exclusively on the flat terrain of Gaborone, was a welcome if slightly painful challenge. (And so the exercise efforts were to conclude, with the exception of repeated walks to the wine fridge).
The town of George sits close to the western tip of the Garden Route, one of South Africa’s most famous stretches of coastline. The Garden Route is a collection of ten wilderness areas that have been brought together to form a national park to protect the diverse range of ecosystems, including swamps, wetlands and forests. It extends to the sea, with this part of the coast famous for its seal and whale populations, extending down to Cape Point. This is an adventurer’s delight, although I had just one day to explore, limiting my hiking capacity to one track, one waterfall and a quick visit to some of the quaint farm stalls and local shops.
Christmas Eve approached quickly and so it was on to the next destination: the winelands of Franschhoek.