More Back-Road

4X4 TRIPS
Marille Renssen
DES INCLU KS, RAC GPS T OURISM &T MAPS TACTS CON
Onseepkans
R358

ge ran

sthouse

290158.26S 190913.56E

Pella

Pofadder
290744.34S 192335.76E

14
290815.72S 190908.22E

R358

oek

Namies

FEATURING: DETAILED MAPS ACCOMMODATION TOP SITES 10 GREAT ROUTES PACKING LIST
R358

More Back-Road

4X4 TRIPS

MARILLE RENSSEN

QUICKFINDER
First edition published in 2012 by MapStudio South Africa ISBN 978-1-77026-418-2 (Print) ISBN 978-1-77026-416-8 (ePub) ISBN 978-1-77026-417-5 (PDF) Production Manager John Loubser Project Manager Genen Hart Editor Thea Grobbelaar Designer Nicole Bannister Cartographer Genen Hart Digital Compiler Anthony Davids Proofreader Roelien Theron Reproduction Resolution Colours (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town Marketing marketing@mapstudio.co.za Feedback research@mapstudio.co.za Terrain background for maps kindly supplied by the Peace Parks Foundation Photo credits 2012 All images Hirsh Aronowitz and Keith Titley Printed and bound by CTP Book Printers, Cape Town, South Africa MapStudio Wembley Square, First Floor, Solan Road, Cape Town PO Box 1144, Cape Town, 8000 Tel: 0860 10 50 50 www.mapstudio.co.za Text 2012 Marille Renssen Maps 2012 MapStudio MapStudio 2012
The information contained herein is derived from a variety of sources. While every effort has been made to verify the information contained in such sources, the publisher assumes no responsibility for inconsistencies or inaccuracies in the data nor liability for any damages of any type arising from errors or omissions. Reproduction or recording of any maps, text, photographs, illustrations, or other material contained in this publication in any manner including, without limitation, by photocopying and electronic storage and retrieval, is prohibited.

|Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park 46 Addo Elephant NP 12 Addo town 7 Afsaal EcoTrail 38 Akkedis Pass 48 Bakkers Pass 81 Barkly Pass 91 Barra Peninsula 147 Bastervoetpad Pass 91 Beaufort West 34 Bedrogfontein 4x4 Trail 10 Berlin Falls 66 Bourkes Luck Potholes 66 Brandvlei 33 Calitzdorp 28 Calvinia 33 Camdeboo NP 20 Caracal Ecotrail 44 Carlisleshoek Pass 93 34 Carnarvon Chidenguele 140 Eastern Cape 84 Eksteenfontein 53 Elandshoogte Pass 92 Gannaga Pass 31 Gods Window 66 18 Graaff-Reinet Graskop 62 Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park 139 Helskloof Pass 54 145 Inhassoro Izintaba Private Game Reserve 79 Jouberts Pass 88 Juriesdam 4x4 Trail 18 Kamieskroon 44 Karoo NP 24 108 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park Komsberg Pass 30 Kraai River Pass 89 Kruger NP 122 Lady Grey 88 96 Lesotho Lisbon Falls 66 Loeriesfontein 33 Louis Trichardt (Makhado) 72 Loxton 34 Lundeans Nek 95 Mac Mac Falls 66 Mac Mac Forest Retreat 62

Mac Mac Summit Route Maletsunyane Falls Mapungubwe Cultural Tour Mapungubwe NP Marakele NP Massingir Dam Mbombela Mokala NP Motlatse Canyon Panorama Route Mountain Zebra NP Mozambique Namakwa Eco Trail Namaqua NP Nauds Nek Nieu-Bethesda Noorspoort Pass Nuweveld EcoTrail Otto du Plessis Pass Ouberg Pass Oudeberg Pass Pilgrims Rest Pofadder Pomene Potlekkertjie Loop Potrivier Pass Rhodes Rooinek Pass Sendelingsdrif Seweweekspoort Soebatsfontein 4x4 Route Somerset East Sonnenrust 4x4 Trail Springbok Steytlerville Sundowner Route Sutherland Swaershoek Pass Tankwa Karoo NP Tofo Tshugulu Eco Trail Vilanculos Vioolsdrif Volunteershoek Pass Wartrail Valley Waterberg Meander Wepener Wildeperdehoek Pass Willowmore Zastron Zuurberg Pass

64 105 76 72 80 138 62 83 58 18 134 57 44 92 19 21 38 90 30 21 65 57 143 36 92 93 29 46 28 45 17 19 45 22 106 28 16 28 140 77 145 55 94 94 80 107 45 22 100 16

VISION Peace Parks Foundation envisages the establishment of a network of protected areas that links ecosystems across international borders. Given the proximity of the regions protected areas to each other, the possibility exists to create wildlife dispersal routes between them or in certain instances link them. MISSION Peace Parks Foundation facilitates the establishment of transfrontier conservation areas (peace parks)* and develops human resources, thereby supporting sustainable economic development, the conservation of biodiversity and regional peace and stability. Our GIS Programme now in its 10th year has offered mapped visual support to the various countries and agencies planning, decision making and management structures across the full network of these southern African protected areas. Please visit www.peaceparks.org for more detailed information

Tankwa Karoo NP, Karoo NP

sta

rtin g end Oudt sh ing Bea oorn, Wes ufort t

117

Line

1km

ar t

rip

24

Whats so special about this route?

t Getting under South Africas skin via back roads t A slew of gently challenging scenic 4x4 trails t Feeling like a Voortrekker in a corbelled house t Karoo NP rocky, mountainous and mightily marvellous

Trip summary
Features: Karoo contrasts flat plains and spring flowers vs. towering mountain cliffs, offroad trail-driving, corbelled houses Trip duration: 5 days, 1171km Time of year: End of September (spring) Linear trip: Oudtshoorn to Beaufort West Road conditions: Grades 1 and 2 4x4 routes: embedded rock, loose stones, sand stretches, steep ascents/descents, dry river crossings

Getting there (Oudtshoorn)

From Johannesburg: N1 or N12 to Beaufort West, N12 to Oudtshoorn From Durban: N2 to George, N12 to Oudtshoorn From Port Elizabeth: N2 to George, N12 to Oudtshoorn From Cape Town: N2 to George, N12 to Oudtshoorn

more information :

Plan Your Trip Info: page 39 Routes Map: pages 2627

Tourist Resources: pages 158160

maps : This

Also in Road Atlas Section: pages 150156

25

40

40

80 km

80 km

Brandvlei Brandvlei Windpomp Restaurant

Windpomp Restaurant

302757.46S 302757.46S 202846.20E 202846.20E

N
K ro m K ro m

N
R27 R27

R355

R355

Loeriesfontein Loeriesfontein

Sakrivier Sakrivier Tontelbos TontelbosR353

R353

Outdoor Wind Outdoor Pump Museum Museum Pump

R357 R357 R355

305714.40S 305714.40S 192651.83E 192651.83E Wind

R355

Klein Doring Doring Klein

Kootjieskolk Kootjieskolk

Brandkop Brandkop

Nieuwoudtville Nieuwoudtville
R27

GrootdrifGrootdrif

R27

HA HA NT NT AM AM M M O O U U N N T T A A IN CalviniaCalvinia I N S S

R63

WillistonWilliston
R63

Oorlogskloof lo Oor

gskloof

Re
312803.00S 312803.00S 194627.23E 194627.23E

no

ste

Re n

os

ter

Tankwa Karoo NP, Karoo NP

R364

R364

315422.10S 315422.10S 201351.71E 201351.71E

O
V

G
L
D

Doringbos Doringbos

Die Bos Die Bos

Middelpos Middelpos

Do

ring

Do Uitspankraal Uitspankraal ring

ER354 L D
O
U

R354

M
321428.64S 321428.64S Gannaga 200545.17E 200545.17E

Clanwilliam Clanwilliam Wuppertal Wuppertal

N7

N7

Cederberg 322339.12S Cederberg 322339.12S Tweefontein T 321630.68S Tweefontein T 203941.72E 321630.68S Wilderness 203941.72E an Wilderness an 200639.46E kw 200639.46E Sutherland Area Area kw Sutherland a R355 a R356 R355 R356 Tankwa National National Tankwa Ouberg Ouberg Bo-Wadrif Park Entrance Entrance Bo-Wadrif Pass Park 323240.53S 323240.53S Pass 322507.42S 203918.30E
Cederberg Cederberg

Pass Gannaga Pass Tankwa Tankwa Karoo Karoo Tankwa National National Tankwa Park National Park Park Park ReceptionReception National PaulshoekPaulshoek Cottage Cottage

M
O
U

N
TA

TA

IN

IN
S

Citrusdal Citrusdal

Do rin g

Do

rin

322507.42S 195944.16E 195944.16E

203918.30E

u Lee

eeu

KomsbergKomsberg Pass Pass

R354 R303 R303
325656.51S 325656.51S 203300.36E 203300.36E

R354

Porterville Porterville

Grootwinterhoek Grootwinterhoek Wilderness Area Area Wilderness

R44

R44

330433.82S 330433.82S 203538.94E 203538.94E

HilandaleHilandale Sutherland Detour

331147.94S 331147.94S 205130.64E 205130.64E

Sutherland Detour

Prince Alfred Hamlet Hamlet Prince Alfred

Gouda Gouda
R46

TweesideTweeside

N1

Laingsburg Laingsburg

N1

Hottentotskloof R46 Hottentotskloof

Matjiesfontein Matjiesfontein

Ceres Ceres

Touws River River Touws

Avondrust Avondrust

Rooinek Pass Rooinek Pass

332250.63S 332250.63S 210024.26E 210024.26E

Soetendal Soetendal

N1

De Doorns Doorns De
N1

26

Kareevlakte Kareevlakte

R357

R357

Van Wyksvlei Van Wyksvlei

302151.73S 302151.73S 214909.01E 214909.01E

N10

N10

Giesenkraal Giesenkraal

VosburgVosburg

R361

R361

R403

R403

See Key to MapS on page 160

Carnarvon Carnarvon
305805.70S 305805.70S 220729.71E 220729.71E

Gr
Pampoenpoort Pampoenpoort

oe

Gr

oe

N12

N12

R63

R63

Sterling Sterling

Corbelled Corbelled House House OsfonteinOsfontein Farm Farm OsfonteinOsfontein Farm Turn Farm Turn
R63
311408.34S 311408.34S 221621.14E 221621.14E

R63

R63 R308 R308

R63

Victoria Victoria West West Hutchinson Hutchinson

Loxton Loxton

Meltonwold Meltonwold

312832.99S 312832.99S 222110.30E 222110.30E

Verster Verster

Sout

Sout

Saaifontein Saaifontein

Wagenaarskraal Wagenaarskraal Hillcrest Hillcrest

R381 N1 N1

Fraserburg Fraserburg

Sak

Sak

R381

Three Sisters Sisters Three

Rosedene Rosedene Restvale Restvale

Hondefontein Hondefontein
R353 R353

Embizweni Trail Cottage Cottage Embizweni Trail

322034.48S 321959.66S 322034.48S Renosterkop 321959.66S Renosterkop 223455.38E 222933.36E 223455.38E 222933.36E

Karoo Karoo Beaufort West West Beaufort National Park Park National Karoo National Park Karoo National Park ReceptionReception Karoo National Park Karoo National Park Entrance Entrance
N1 N1 R61 R61

Letjiesbos Letjiesbos

Merweville Merweville
Leeu Gamka Gamka Leeu Kruidfontein Kruidfontein
N12 N12

Wiegnaarspoort Wiegnaarspoort

Amo

R306

Amo

R306

Rietbron Rietbron

Prince Albert Road Prince Albert Road Dwyka Dwyka Koup Koup N1
N1

R407

Gamka

R407

Gamka

Seekoegat Seekoegat

Kommandokraal Kommandokraal

Vleiland Vleiland RouxposRouxpos Seweweekspoort Pass Seweweekspoort Pass Zoar Zoar

GR OO R GT O O Prince Albert Albert Prince S W TA R W ST A R 332142.84S 332142.84S B E R TGB E 212438.99E ROG M 212438.99E M U 332225.88S 332225.88S N TOAUI N T 211000.65E 211000.65E N SA I N S Swartberg Old Tollhouse Tollhouse Swartberg Old Nature Reserve
332850.09S 332850.09S 212734.20E 212734.20E Matjiesvlei

Ladismith Ladismith 333149.37S 333149.37S Calitzdorp 214119.00E R62 Calitzdorp 214119.00E

HuisrivierHuisrivier Pass Pass

Dw

Sand

Dw

Sand

yka

yka

Groo

Groo

Klaarstroom Klaarstroom Swartberg

Nature Reserve

Kruisrivier Matjiesvlei Kruisrivier Groenfontein Groenfontein

R62

Grootkraal Grootkraal

Swartberg Nature Nature Reserve Reserve

Olifan ts Olifan
N9

ts
N9

333533.68S 333533.68S 221208.89E 221208.89E

De Rust De Rust Dysselsdorp

Oudtshoorn Oudtshoorn Dysselsdorp

Zaaimansdal Zaaimansdal Uniondale Uniondale

27

DAY 1
Oudtshoorn via Seweweekspoort and Sutherland to Tankwa Karoo NP (422km) Leg time without stops: 7 hours
Even though we were at the trailing end of spring, all roads leading to Oudtshoorn were flower-bedecked: shocking-pink mesembryanthemums, papery everlastings, yellow buttonheads and kouterbossie (Klaas Louwbos). The fynbos was bristling prettily. Showiest of all were the Chinese lantern bushes, laden with baby-pink inflated capsules. Driving through Oudtshoorn, with its gabled and zinc-roofed Victorian houses built of sandstone, we knew we were in ostrich palace territory. The ostrich farm signs confirmed it. So did the ostriches. Leave OudtshOOrn On r62 tO CaLitzdOrp, 50km

fOr

dealer stores, a female mannequin in a bike helmet and long shirt (and not much else) was sitting astride a vintage scrambler advertising a local pub; a rusty old bicycle hung on the outside wall of the Anna Sophia shop and accommodation complex, while little cutout figures skipped along the rooftop; and there were Victorian cottages with verandahs, art galleries and coffee shops. The Huisrivier Pass gave us entry into the lower foothills of the Swartberg, intensely green with fleshy, shiny spekboom. Then we were rising and dropping in the belly of the hills where Cape Fold strata were tilted and scrunched in brick-red layers. At times, they were green-carpeted, at others, scoured and bare. We threaded through the interlocking mountains. A tiny flatroofed dwelling was dwarfed by the rocky ramparts.
thrOugh

We headed into the flat, scrubby Karoo landscape but this time, instead of grey, it was all pinks 3 and sunshine-yellows, helped by yellow pomegranate bushes and crops of canola and lucerne. We were driving towards the big, layered Groot Swartberg Mountains, Calitzdorp nestled at their feet. And what fun it was passing through the town (its on Route 62, so quirkiness 2 prevails). Outside a row of general

drive tO zOar fOr 27km, right OntO graveL seweweekspOOrt fOr 21km

The purple blossoms of the keurboom were everywhere, the air fragrant with a honeyed scent. And then, great wings outstretched above us, there was our first Jackal Buzzard. It settled, right on cue, on a telephone pole, allowing us to ogle it through our binoculars. Then we entered the huge rock portals

28

of Seweweekspoort, shattered rock walls leaning askew. The characterPlant life istic vertical spines of the Swartberg Pink mesembryanthemums (Drosanthemum hispidum; D. eburneum) were here, raked back like an open Chinese lantern (Nymania capensis) fan. Rigid rock slabs, impossibly Kouterbossie/Common Klaas Louwbos (Athanasia trifurcata) curved by tectonic pressure, tilted Geelpleisterbos/Yellow healing-bush (Hermannia cuneifolia) into the air like gangplanks. Yet, Yellow pomegranate (Rhigozum obovatum) mountain cabbages and coral and Tick-berry bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera) bitter aloes, with thickly seeded Cancer bush (Sutherlandia frutescens) 4 heads, survived in this territory, Poison bulb (Moraea miniata) clawing to the unforgiving rock. Kapokbos (Eriocephalus sp.) Every corner we turned in this Kraalbos (Galenia africana) 4 mountain maze offered a new vista: Yellow buttonheads: interlocking spurs of quartzitic Button flowers (Cotula barbata) sandstone; upended layers; and Ganskos (Cotula turbinata) buckled and bent rock sandwiches, Aspoestertjie (Felicia macrorrhiza) shattered through. In the grandeur of Bitterkaroo/Bitter cow cud our surroundings, our white vehicles (Chrysocoma ciliata) were reduced to scuttling woolly Tiny buttonheads: mites. 1 At times, rocks seemed Anchor Karoo (Pentzia incana) dangerously balanced but were, in Grey Karoo (Pentzia globosa) fact, perfectly weighted according to the laws of gravity and nature. This was the setting in which we Other than the rolling, stone scrubat vLeiLand, Left OntO graveL, thrOugh drank our first cup of coffee land, mountain slopes went from rOuxpOs fOr 10km surrounded by a proliferation of grey-white scree to stony to green yellow tick-berry bushes, while and shadowed. A profusion of greyThis was a little back-road detour, dassies scampered over the rocks. leaved cancer bushes 4 were burstjust to make sure we could really Of course, once we were on our taste the dust in our mouths. Still in ing with bright-red flowers and big way again, the the hills, our 4x4s crossed a valley shiny bladder... 360 views of pointy perfect picnic of grapevines and fruit trees, spring like pods. A perch offered Jackal Buzzard flowers dancing alongside us. The meringue-like peaks covered itself: a cave gravel road filed into a horizon of hovering over in green icing hollowed out blue mountains jostling with one the brush of the mountain face with a little another for space. suddenly dived, then planed up wood-and-thatch shelter nearby again past us, its chestnut breast 9km tO CattLe-grid, turn immediateLy Left (332352.32S, 212357.24E). clearly visible. A little Rock Kestrel (rOOinek pass) tO Laingsburg fOr 32km There would just have to be a flitted off across the scrub. next time. We were now in the midst of the Gravel gave way to tar as we traWe popped out of the pass at mountains and their structure had versed the Rooinek Pass, the rocky 1000m, all declaring unanimously visibly changed. The strata were road cuttings and scree slopes as that Seweweekspoort is just as much finer, layered like phyllo pastry russet as their name implied. In the dramatic if not more so as the and moulded into Gothic-style Buffelsrivier valley, the land flattened Swartberg Pass. arches. At other times they rippled out into a traditional Karooscape. in wavy lines or chevron designs. In Laingsburg the boys refilled exit pOOrt; turn Left at OLd tOLLhOuse, Then we were in a valley with 360 the vehicles, while I was charmed tOwards vLeiLand fOr 24km views of pointy meringue-like peaks by a bakkie-load of the prettiest covered in green icing. little girls, all braids and pigtails It was such a joy taking the back As we passed a farm, a dog beand toothless smiles, shrieking roads (our intention on this trip). The hind a fenced enclosure, wet tongue over the iciness of their soft-serve scenery constantly surprised us: we cones. With a grin the adult male had the Lower Swartberg behind us, flailing, raced us at such high speed that Hirsh remarked, Hope he in charge assured me they werent the Rooiberg flanking left and the 5 knows theres a fence at the end. all his. Witteberge ahead on the horizon.

29

5
thump, thump, thump of a flattening tyre. We were hardly into our trip, in benign territory, and already we were one wheel down. 6 right OntO r354 tO sutherLand fOr 15km We knew of the one and only petrol pump/service station in Sutherland from a previous trip to the Karoo a Shell garage named JWL Motors so after the boys had replaced the tyre, thats where we headed, in spite of our aim to bypass Sutherland due to time constraints. (We were off to the Richtersveld after this little trip and needed a decent spare.) It was already 14:30 wed spent far too much time photographing Seweweekspoort! As we crossed Rooinek Pass, rising briefly above the plains, the sudden splashes of orange gazanias made me think someone had knocked over a paint tin. Later, almost instantaneously the hills turned from drab olive to splotched yellow. Then they were pink. Luckily JWL Motors was able to patch the tyre, so we left it with them and drove out to a roadside rest stop overlooking Sutherland to have a (very) late lunch. Story of our lives. But all I can say is: shame on you, Sutherland Municipality. There wasnt a single trash can to be seen, which is partly why the entire area was a dump site. Empty bottles, shattered glass, plastic, polystyrene containers and paper covered the ground. Enough to thoroughly put you off your lunch. sOuth On r354 fOr 36km, right via Ouberg pass tO tankwa karOO np fOr 82km It was now 16:00, and we were on a vast, flat plateau. The spring flowers were closing with the sinking sun. The prettiness of salmon-pink-flowered poison bulbs belied their name. With still 116km to the Tankwa Karoo NP, our timing was tight. At this time of the year, the parks tend to close their reception offices at 17:00.

right OntO graveL tO

frOm Laingsburg On n1 (sOuth) fOr 13km, r354 fOr 20km

Tankwa Karoo NP: a quick summary

t Today Tankwa has increased to 1436km2 in size. t Its uniqueness is its succulent Karoo biome. t It is one of 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world. t It is the only arid system hotspot in the world. t So far, 615 plant species have been identified in Tankwa. t Geologically, look out for dolerite boulders, shales and tillites (glacial deposits). For more detail on Tankwa, read our first book, Our Top 4x4 Trips.

We marvelled not only at the evidence of life-giving rains and the fluorescent hues of spring, but also at the stupidity of a long-distance truck driver trying, at a painful crawl, to overtake a row of three same-sized trucks on a stretch with less-than-perfect visibility. Dicing with death took on a new tone. We emerged unscathed. turn right; after 16km, right OntO graveL (thrOugh kOmsberg pass) baCk tO r354 fOr 67km We were back to the taupes and olives of the Karoo 7 the flat land interspersed with buffed and smooth rock hills. Suddenly, the Freelander hit a rock, followed by the familiar

30

at driefOntein, bear right; Left fOr Ouberg pass The thing with Ouberg is this: when you approach it from the east you rise imperceptibly to the edge of the Roggeveld plateau and suddenly, there you are, with the earth plunging away to a vast hill-filled valley below and the gravel track visible as over and over it twists on itself until it reaches the valley floor. After staring open-mouthed at the view, we started the tricky descent. There was not even the pretence of raised stone slabs to define the edge of the hairpin bends nothing between us and a potential bumpy roll to the valley bottom. Instead we allowed ourselves to be wooed by the washes of pink, left behind like a stain, 9 created by swathes of mesems covering the finger-like hills and spreading up to the crest of the mountains. We also startled a grey rhebok. Our vehicles drove across the foot of the valley in a purple haze (shades of Jimi Hendrix), encircled by mountains. turn right, pass thrOugh a farm gate Other than a few very abandonedlooking farm buildings as bombed and shelled as Gaddafis compound, was the wry observation there was no sign of habitation. A very distinctive peak jabbed into the sky out of a flat-topped range of hills.
then right tO

Paulshoek Cottage
Paulshoek, a simple green-roofed building with concrete floors and reed roll-up blinds, has a certain charm in a Voortrekker kind of way. Hot water comes via a donkeyboiler (how this name originated eludes me ) and lighting is provided by a series of paraffin lamps in wall brackets, replete with dark sooty circles on the ceiling stamp of authenticity! The living area is almost religious in its asceticism, but the unmatched pieces and rugs have been chosen with some thought. In the kitchen is a blackened Aga stove, and an old forked tree trunk props up the ceiling. Candles and matches are the only decoration in the bedrooms, where simple beds are dressed in white linen. And the ultimate in luxury: thick, fluffy white towels!

was it wonderful to have a temporary little home after such a long, long day. A Pale Chanting Goshawk, settled on a tree stump outside, disappeared in a flap of black-dipped white underwings. We had seriously earned a couple of frosty beers and a chilled glass of wine. A very nice outside braai area, protected by a tall reed fence, was where we retired for the night.

DAY 2
Tankwa Karoo NP via Gannaga Pass to Osfontein Farm (585km) Leg time without stops: 8 hours
The spring flowers started opening up to the morning sun and we saw what wed missed the evening before. The pebbly, dry scrubby Tankwa wed encountered some years ago was transformed by fuchsia-hued mesems, fat-fingered yellow vygies, buttonheads and weird Hoodia gordonii, with spiny, cactus-like stems and brown-pink saucer-shaped flowers. Kapokbos, their cotton-like fruits a mass of tiny

because wed called beforehand, they were expecting us, and a very kind park staff member had waited to sign us in. (An alternative arrangement is to use the two-way radio installed outside the reception office to contact park staff; someone will come to meet you at reception.) Our destination was the nearby Paulshoek Cottage (4.5km). And, oh,

thrOugh 2nd farm gate, right OntO graveL, middeLpOs

The very first sign for Tankwa Karoo NP! Things had changed since our last trip here three or so years ago (then, some of the roads werent even on Tracks4Africa). A previously churned-up mud road had hardened into eroded tracks and channels. We waved hello to our first Yellow-billed Kite, crossed a dryish pebble riverbed, drove over a white-railed bridge and finally turned right to the park reception. It was waaay past 17:00 but

31

succulents and tiny fleshy plants of white pompoms, were everywhere. So was kraalbos, a bright lime-green great variety, an incredible tribute to Natures ability to regenerate herself. feathery bush. (Tankwa is now a veld recovery If wed had the time to peer project after approximately three through our binoculars all morning, centuries of overgrazing by wed have clocked up a multitude of Karoo LBJs (a lot of them special, domestic animals.) despite this derogatory acronym). The ... staring into a valley of pinks, bushes were quiverpurples and blues being swallowed ing with bird song, up by the hazy horizon. but the brown, fawn and cream plumage of cisticolas, prinias, larks and chats is Gannaga Pass so hard to identify that you have to The pass begins in the northeast work really hard at it, aided by your of Tankwa, at the base of the bird books. I did, however, tick off a Roggeveld Mountains (Gannaga and Karoo Long-billed Lark. Ouberg are two ends of the same escarpment). Gannagas bends are right at reCeptiOn OffiCe tO gannaga pass not as tight and scary as those of and middeLpOs fOr 51 km Ouberg, but the road is very much a single-lane gravel track up a steep Remember to look right and left for slope, with not a lot of leeway for traffic, Hirsh quipped to Keith. We another vehicle to pass. were the only people in the park. As we climbed, it was intensely The flat plains with their ring of green but for the precariously distant Karoo hills remained unchanged, but the packed-stone park balancing boulders propping each other up. There were tightly tiered signs were new and the roads had shale bands, as if someone had definitely improved. Pale Chanting carefully packed sheets of stone one Goshawks were out in full force, upon the other. Round a corner the perching in their very upright road had been hacked out of sheer manner one on the high point of rock and, to the right of the track, a windmill, another on a gate in the middle of nowhere. The gravel plains one balancing bouldered tower had been left, creating a road portal were packed with small euphorbias,

for the 4x4s to pass through. 8 We passed groves of stunted fattrunked botterboom with peeling yellow bark, and a little klipspringer on the rocks. As we looked back over the mountains, the slopes, dotted with little round bushes, and their curved shadows resembled a pointillist painting. We topped out at 1200m, staring into a valley of pinks, purples and blues being swallowed up by the hazy horizon. Its a challenge to capture on film the immense vistas in clear, filtered air. Even if you rise very early to catch the rising sun, theres no guarantee that the dry air will be dust- and haze-free. It could depend on the season, of course, but weve been here in early winter and in spring, and both times we encountered a haze over the land. You might be lucky! Before we exited the park, we passed Gannaga Lodge to our left. From the road you can see the reception area a very long, low building of packed stone. The lodge has 10 rooms, split between the Old Farmhouse and the converted Stable Block (see Web Resources, page 39). A cattle grid marks the end of Tankwa. We continued along the escarpment, the hardened-mud road deteriorating rapidly into an unforgiving surface. After Keith warned Hirsh over the radio to watch out for sheep, we met our first straying animals. Hirsh retorted, Aha! Here we have the skape who live at the top of the es-skaap-ment. Weak, I know, but we laughed. We started off in Karoo flatness, bossies interspersed with spring flowers, and moved into drier, stonysoil Roggeveld country, dressed in drab grey-green and kapok. at middeLpOs, right at hOteL/bOer war mOnument; bear Left fOr 1km, Left OntO graveL We were on the border of the Central Karoo and Namaqualand.

32

After shale and grey renosterbos, on the edge of the skyline suddenly there was a rampart of doleritecapped circular peaks. Our gravel road cut straight to the horizon. It made me think of the groove left by a woodworkers cutting tool in a strip of wood.
Left OntO

80km

exit CaLvinia On r355 tO LOeriesfOntein fOr

10 13

drive 51km, Left OntO r354 fOr 10km, r27 fOr 15km tO CaLvinia

Calvinia is prettily situated in the lee of the Hantam Mountains, an uninterrupted line of flattened ridges. This is the Hantam Karoo, after a Khoi word thats been translated as mountain where the red edible flowers bloom. (If you need to stock up on provisions, Calvinia has a Friendly superette, a Spar and a butchery.) Our 4x4s took us from open-air vistas to the edge of the skyline and then into a set of mountain ridges. We were bordering Namaqualand and the Bokkeveld; hill crests and valleys were awash with pink mesems, lime kraalbos and greywhite kapok, and tortoise bushes bristled with winged pods. The hills had on a leopard-skin coat except the spots were green. And then we came upon our first kokerbome (quiver trees), with their scaly trunks and spiky leaves, tramping over the top of a hill.

Loeriesfontein is a one-horse town the Engen garage offers a solitary diesel pump installed at the edge of the main road (there is a Spar!). Loeriesfontein does have one quirk a klompie shiny, silver windmills just outside the town, grandly called the Outdoor Wind Pump Museum. 10 Apparently there are 27 windmills on display (we didnt stay long enough to count them), and the only other such collection is in the USA. Exciting stuff in the middle of the Hantam.
turn Left tO

exit LOeriesfOntein the same way yOu entered; brandvLei fOr 120km where on weekends, apparently, one Wynand Windpomp and his band would create razzmatazz that made the place pump till the early platteland hours. We found it, but it was a shadow of its former self. No Wynand Windpomp (no windpomp at all), no burgers on the menu with suggestive Afrikaans names, no Jetmaster fireplace, where people used to gather when the stars shivered in the cold. No atmosphere. At all. So we decided there must have been a hostile takeover. Our Greek and chicken salads did the trick, however, filling the hole in our stomachs.

Our next excitement for the day (after the windmills) was quite a phenomenon. At first it looked like a black stream wavering over the road. Ant migration, we thought. But when we got out to inspect the scene more closely, we discovered hundreds and thousands of tiny grasshoppers, in seven or eight bands, swarming across the gravel in little hops, then filing down the road in a band of seething black. We came across it several times on our journey. Astonishing. A guidebook on the Karoo (and others) have waxed lyrical about the Windpomp Restaurant in Brandvlei,

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11

Stay in a corbelled house

Osfonteins corbelled abode 11 is quite charming in a hardy earlypioneer style. The small-windowed, twodomed structure, constructed of packed and layered stone and painted white, has slate floors and a beautiful concentric-ring ceiling, where consecutive stone layers have been stepped in to create the curving cone-shaped dome. Traditionally, the opening left at the dome apex is sealed with a flat stone slab. Beneath one dome is the main bedroom; the other holds a tiny kitchen nook (without sink), two beds (unexpectedly, this turned out to be Keiths bedroom) and a dining nook with a huge hearth. The farmer has built on a separate shower and toilet. Furnished in Trekker style, the house features enamel basins and jugs, iron towel stands, candles in stone recesses (the only means of illumination) and lots of animal pelts underfoot (I bit my tongue). Outside, a huge fire pit is encircled by big boulders to sit on, and there are a slate-rock table and benches nearby.

Out Of brandvLei (r357) tOwards van wyksvLei fOr 145km; right OntO r361 tO CarnarvOn fOr 78km Towards the Great Karoo we drove, drab flatness all around, marked only by the sighting of a Southern Black Korhaan. At the sign for Carnarvon we turned right, after which ridges slowly started emerging from the ironed plains. High slopes strewn with blackened dolerite boulders fused into flat-ridged hills. A little prettiness crept in: green among the grey renosterbos, bluepurple in the distant ridges. A Kori Bustard ran across the road.
Left at sign fOr

DAY 3
Osfontein Farm to Karoo NP (155km) Leg time without stops: 212 hours
After much sweet, thin piping and trilling from the Karoo birds wakeup call (with no effort I saw a Karoo Scrub-Robin, Lark-like Bunting and Malachite Sunbird), we gazed at the flat landscape with its renosterbos, Pentzia buttonheads and brown bumps of hills on the horizon. We accepted an invitation to share a cup of coffee with the farm owners, who proudly guided us around their green oasis of a garden. It was filled with spreading trees, bird song, great slabs of slate and artfully arranged boulders the colour of coffee and iron oxide (koffieklip and ysterklip, or ironstone). A tiny corbelled building adjoins the garden, but Natashas pride and joy is her reservoir choked with waterblommetjies. Very sociable and hospitable, the couple chatted about the renovations to a stone sheep-shearing shed visible from our corbelled house which was about to become farm accommodation. Left OntO r63 Out Of OsfOntein tO LOxtOn 30km; exit LOxtOn sOuth OntO r381 tO beaufOrt west fOr 113km
fOr

exit CarnarvOn On r63 (sOuth); after 34km, OsfOntein farm

A long dirt road took us to the farm, Osfontein, where Natasha met us, then led us to our corbelled home for the night 12 (we were up for some adventure!).

34

We left Osfontein at around 09:30, drove into Loxton, where a roundabout carried an old sign with

12
directions to major towns still displayed in miles, left the roundabout at Die Rooi Granaat, and aimed for Beaufort West. The brown, stony Karoo landscape with its solitary windmills 14 steadily turned up more clipped hills, wheaten grasslands and road verges crammed with scarlet cancer bushes. Before we started ascending Molteno Pass, the valley and ridge slopes had taken on a green mantle, and the soils were covered in tiny gentian-hued Karoo violets. We encountered some tight bends, with a dropaway into the valley, then grasses were pretty little descended between massive boulred bonnets (Ouma-seders pulling free from the main rock, kappie) and sunny yellow looking as if they were a teeter away pomegranate. A massive from crashing down to flatten us like rock monitor swaggered sheets of foil. left and right over a At the end of ... surrounded by conical hills the pass we hit tar in their brush cuts and the landscape changed dramatically: we were surrounded stone outcrop, its tongue by conical hills in their brush cuts. flicking in and out like a Suddenly into another pass, we prehistoric mutant snake. found ourselves looking down onto The Main Camp interlocking hills. The nearby slopes cottages, a row of were marked with columns of rock grey, thatched, Cape built purely from balancing boulders, vernacular-style houses very reminiscent of the Valley of with little squared-off Desolation. gables, are arranged along the spine of a right OntO n1 intO beaufOrt west ridge. Each cottage has a long verandah in the front with great A Verreauxs (Black) Eagle heralded our arrival in the town. It was time to views onto the ridged hills. Inside, tiled floors, high open ceilings, big stock up on supplies, and we were wooden-frame windows and spoilt for choice, with all the major attractive modern fittings give the supermarkets based here. units an airy feel. Our large openplan kitchenette, dining and living Karoo National Park area had a bedroom and bathroom west On n1 fOr 5km, right at karOO np to either side.
entranCe

13

14

Our reservation papers inspected at the gate, it was another 6.8km to the reception office. We were in lightly undulating country, encircled by lovely green layers of ridged flattopped hills. 16 Among the tawny

Potlekkertjie Loop/Klipspringer Pass (45km)

There was no time to waste a game drive was in order. The road is defined by a beautiful packedstone wall snaking along the

35

utterly preconceived view of Karoo mountain edge. A Booted Eagle territory, then being blindsided by its soaring at our level suddenly dived, raw beauty. then rose again on the thermals. A male and female klipspringer Having been warned not to get out watched us from a distant pinnacle; of our vehicles as eight lion have a tiny steenbok stared out from the been introduced to the park, we safety of a bush. Red hartebeest, were a little confused by an official with their comical white underpants, lookout point at Rooiwalle, which herded a troop of straight-horned had sweeping views onto dramatic, babies, as did a posse of gemsbok rugged ridge-top cliffs. The scenery with their funny stunted-horn young. again reminded us of the Valley A bull eland was so enormous, at of Desolation. Most unlike Karoofirst we took it to be a rhino. There scapes in general, this park is were plenty of male and female kudu, very rocky, with lots of shattered along with a stone and ... Keith jestingly asked the few solitary sproutingrangers where they were hiding mountain rock kopjes. zebra 17 and On the the lions Potleka huge herd kertjie Loop, a far-ranging solid wall of gemsbok and eland. Throw a few of mountain (the Nuweveld) loomed ostrich, baboons and a Pale Chantahead of us, 13 its lower reaches ing Goshawk into the mix, and it was a pretty good outing. green-terraced. Our 4x4s passed As we beetled across the vast through bouldered grassy hills and flat open valleys. I was gobsmacked plains wed peered into from the lookout point, the evening light another case of gilded the mountains and shadows having an emphasised the resistant ridges. It was all quite majestic.

Embizweni Trail Cottage

Embizweni, meaning where people gather in Xhosa, is in fact a steelwindowed, zinc-roofed house in putty-grey, with a long verandah and wide slate stairs giving on to 180 vistas of the plateau, ridges and rock-rimmed mountains beyond. It has wooden floors, a fireplace in the lounge/dining room and a braai alcove on the verandah. Of the two bedrooms, one has great views through the windows and ceiling-height doors. The house is simply but thoughtfully furnished (ethnic style, framed pictures) and has all the selfcatering necessities.

DAY 4
Karoo NP Main Camp to Embizweni 4x4 Trail Cottage (46.5km)
It was an incredibly chilly 10C as we headed for the start of the 90km Nuweveld 4x4 Trail (Grade 1),

which branches off the Potlekkertjie Loop. An option is to overnight at the Embizweni Cottage before completing the loop, which is what we did. Unfortunately, on the day of our excursion there was such a dearth of animal life that, when we spied a lone gemsbok in the same spot it had been the day before, the jokes were flying. Its not real; its a plastic dummy for the tourists, began Hirsh. Oh, right, the rangers just been on his bicycle to blow it up with his tyre pump, Keith flashed back. Much chuckling.

15

36

16

We stopped for coffee at a fenced picnic site, a sign at the entrance proclaiming: Rhino and lion are potentially dangerous. Dramatic understatement. Now if only we could spot one. The clean ablution facilities are to be commended, and the braai drums and benches are appealingly set in a clearing bounded by tight-knit sweetthorn acacias. We turned off onto the 4x4 trail. It involved steepish climbs and descents through sudden dips, stony sections, washaways and embedded rock, and there were several water crossings across rock shelves. We were delighted by a pair of bateared foxes, oversized ears peeking out of the grasses, and a Karoo Korhaan picking across a ridge. In a little dam, pretty South African Shelduck were shifting their beaks from side to side through the water. The only vehicle we encountered was a parks jeep, and when Keith jestingly asked the rangers where they were hiding the lions, the drivers eyes widened, and in all seriousness he protested, No, no, Im not hiding them! I dont know where they are! Then we crossed flat plains covered in rounded bushes and spring daisies, with green, steeply shelved slopes blocking out the sky

ahead. 18 We descended into a valley of shaved conical hills, although this was still part of an elevated plateau entirely circled by mountains. The plains became bouldered and stony. It was a truly beautiful landscape with views to forever. And at last! Four kudu bulls in sight. Just before we got to the cottage, a very steep, highly eroded series of stepped rock shelves needed to be tackled. It took a controlled burst of power and a firm hand on the steering wheel (with some holding of breath) to bounce and sway our way to the crest. It had taken us three hours to do a 15km leg of the Nuweveld Loop. We settled into the Embizweni house, scanning the terrain for animals with our binoculars. 15 We could see red hartebeest, eland on the ridge, kudu on a distant rise and dark shapes grazing in the valley. Later, we were in for some unexpected adventure. At around 16:30 the boys and I noticed a distant humming that steadily increased in volume. Before wed quite made it out, the entire exterior lounge area was surrounded by hundreds of wildly buzzing bees. Hirsh had only just discovered that within the fireplace chimney was a

17

Spotted
Karoo Prinia Karoo Scrub-Robin Spike-heeled Lark Karoo Long-billed Lark Familiar Chat Cinnamon-breasted Warbler African Hoopoe White-backed Mousebird Bokmakierie Pale-winged Starling European Bee-eater Common Fiscal Karoo Korhaan Booted Eagle (pale morph) Pale Chanting Goshawk

37

4x4 trails in Karoo NP

Afsaal EcoTrail: 13km. Nuweveld EcoTrail: 90km. About 50km of this is Grade 1; there are some steep, rocky sections and sandy dry river crossings (out of the rainy season). Embizweni Cottage is available for six people to overnight, conveniently situated roughly halfway along the trail. It has a fully furnished and equipped kitchen, with gas-powered stove, fridge and geysers, and solarpowered lights.

bees nest. We all raced into action, closing windows and doors. Hirsh lit a fire in the hearth in an effort to smoke the bees out. For the next 15 minutes we had a wild show of frantic winged creatures swarming thickly outside, their humming as loud and insistent as a fleet of microlights. Gradually they moved off to a nearby bush while Hirsh ran around freeing the panicked bees that had come in from the chimney and were madly trying to escape. Our trip certainly hadnt been without incident, we mused later, as the mountains turned luminous in the dying rays of the sun. A little steenbok was backlit on the ridge and a few female kudus gazed attentively at us. Just as the sun was disappearing, a pale Booted Eagle circled above.

rivers became swollen and slush turned the road into a mud slide. Carrying everything back out with us including all our garbage, a necessity at Embizweni we drove through a waterlogged landscape, where rivulets, deep puddles and gently swollen river crossings made the route a lot more slippery.

We decided not to complete the longer second arm of the Nuweveld Loop in this rain and instead retraced our steps along the first part of the trail. It was a grey world, even the mountains were completely obscured. The wildlife was all huddled in the valley: two enormous eland, a gemsbok, zebra, red hartebeest and a little duiker. It took us an hour, without stops, to hit the 13km Afsaal Loop, which links Nuweveld with the main Potlekkertjie Loop. Since conditions hadnt been too bad, the boys decided we might as well explore further. After a few tricky sections of sharp dips, rocks and washaways, the route led us onto a flat, grassy plain, where only a pair of ostrich, a couple of Karoo Korhaan and springbok braved the rain. By now the fine surface of mud was akin to a skating rink; our 4x4s were doing balletic zigzags in exquisite slow motion all across the road.

18

DAY 5
From Embizweni (including trail loop) to Beaufort West (71km)
We awoke early to four hartebeest, some 50m away, staring intently at the house through pelting rain. Lightning and thunder reverberated across the plateau. It didnt take us long to decide that the 4x4 trail would be best negotiated before

38

19

PLAN YOUR TRIP!

t Web resources: Tankwa Karoo NP: www.sanparks. co.za/parks/tankwa Karoo NP: www.sanparks.co.za/parks/karoo Gannaga Lodge: http://gannagalodge.blogspot.com Osfontein Farm: www.osfontein.co.za; www.routes.co.za/nc/carnarvon/ osfontein/index.html t Extra tourist resources and contacts: see pages 158160

OUR EXPERIENCE
t Best move on the trip: Discovering a gem right on our doorstep: Karoo National Park (why has it taken us so long?!) a beautiful, craggy-cliffed, wildly inspiring landscape. t Worst move: Sigh once again not allowing enough hours in the day to stop and smell (and photograph) the daisies. An uncalled-for puncture

Karoo NP a quick summary

t The park protects the Nama Karoo biome (montane grassy shrubland, grassy dwarf shrubland, succulent dwarf shrubland, riverine thicket). t The Beaufort West Town Council donated 721km of communal land north2

reminded us always to allow for the unexpected. t Our advice to you: Our philosophy generally is that its all about the journey not only the destination; so always make sure to build some extra hours into your planned route for the day. We constantly gobbled up hours with taking photographs and surveying our planet.

west of the town to create the park nucleus. t The park includes an important zone that contains ancient animal fossils, which are collected and studied. t The park offers visual evidence of aeons of geological evolution, from the plains of Beaufort West through the sedimentary and more resistant layers of rock all the way to the crest of the Nuweveld escarpment. 19

In spite of the cold and wet, there were, in fact, animals about many belonging to the antelope species. Hilly terrain took us onto another plateau, where there was a little hiking hut (obsolete). Then it was back to grassland. Fluorescentgreen bushes and yellow grasses managed to pierce the gloom and I couldnt help thinking how gorgeous it would all look in the sunshine.

There was nothing left to do but hit the pretty town of Beaufort West, with its Victorian zinc-roofed houses and iron broekie-lace, to find a Wimpy for a steaming hot breakfast. As we exited the park in the driving rain, Hirsh mused, Do you think well recognise the rock monitor with its snorkel on?

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More Back-Road

4X4 TRIPS
ROUTE TAILED DE S TH GP PS WI MA S AND POINT ROUTE HTED IG HIGHL
Sendelingsdrif
280725.56S 165328.32E

This book is for all you travellers out there who:

t Have discovered that your 4x4 actually likes the feel of dirt

Potjiespram Camp Site Hand of God Sendelingsdrif Akkedis Pass Camp

ms Ko ua

De Hoop Camp Site

281101.32S 171041.16E

between its tyres

Koo

Maer Poort
Abie kwa

Tatasberg Wilderness Camp

281456.10S 171447.76E

t Feel that you need a greater challenge than parking your 4x4

Richtersveld Transfrontier Park Entrance

282344.86S 170918.39E

Tatasberg Viewpoint

Wondergat Entrance
ge an

Ann

is

Kuboes

283051.71S 165553.17E

Gannakouriep 282049.68S Wilderness Camp 171926.94E Hakkiesdoring Camp |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park
Ora

Kokerboomkloof Camp Site Die Toon Springbokvlakte

on Sandton or Century Citys pavements NAMIBIA

t Like us - still dont do camping t Have realised that off-road travelling can come with a fridge,

hot shower and flushing loo the back roads

Kotzehoop
284607.68S

Or

H
T
E

nge

282520.28S 165328.62E

t Are not Rambos but do enjoy getting off the tar and exploring
Aquacade Camp

NAMIBIA

R
S
V

Ho lga

284147.58S 173503.48E

Eksteenfontein

Helskloof Pass
Groen

Vioolsdrif

173727.66E t Have realised that you dont need to call the AA to change a tyre

L D

284926.04S 171515.48E

t Are so bitten by the back-roads bug thatOrange cellphone reception zero

or wi-fi doesnt matter anymore

N7

Goodhouse

290253.83S 185407.42E

Lekkersing
290013.44S 170534.68E

t No longer believe that Cape Town, Mauritius or Sun City is the

290421.13S 175752.39E

ultimate travel destination

290127.78S 174954.48E

175416.64E t Are still armchair travellers but love reading about those who arent 290443.49S

Kos

ies

Klei Namakwa Eco Trail

Ar

ibe

285901.61S 181325.24E

Dabenoris

290019 190037

Port Nolloth a m Kam

291834.68S 170354.78E

Steinkopf
R382
291816.20S 171008.04E

Aggeneys

Do
Str y

g rin

293213.68S 172304.38E

Bulletrap

Download GPS tracks for this book using the QR code below
N14

N
Bu ffel

Nigramoep

Skaap

M
Nababeep
293951.30S 175315.06E

A
s

Okiep

Grootmis

Springbok

Goegap Nature Reserve

Uitkyk

Q
U

Kleinsee I S B N 978-1-77026-418-2

Spektakel Pass
Kommaggas

ANY COMMENTS research@mapstudio.co.za

A
L

R355
294603.54S 175006.06E

R355

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KA

Mesklip

Brak
Gamoep

N7

ATLANTIC OCEAN

Namaqua

Skilpad

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