Itinerary:
26 December
Highmoor - Drakensberg Reserve
27-28 December
Dwesa-Cwebe Wildlife Reserve
29 December
Hogsback Nature Reserve
30 December
Eersterivier - The Erasmusse
31 December - 2 January
Stilbaai - The Marais
3-5 January
Wellington - The Bothmas
6-7 January
De Rust - The Wannenburgs
8 January
Karoo National Park
9 January
Mokala National Park
Day 1
The long awaited, highly anticipated day has finally arrived! This is by far the biggest solo trip I ever attempted. I left a cloudy and chilly Ermelo heading towards the Drakensberg. The roads were good until I decided to take a short cut, which meant 50km of various gravel roads. Any road close to the mountains is spectacular, and mine were no different. So many beautiful water streams along the way with mountains so vast you can't capture it in a photo. Everything was luscious green and beautiful. The last few kilometres reminded a lot of the beginning of Sani Pass. I finally arrived at Highmoor campsite which is 1992m above sea level. What a gem of a little camp site!
On arrival I was greeted by lovely sunshine and only took out a chair, trying to keep it simple. But halfway through my first beer, thunder announced itself like an American president! I decided to rather be proactive and set up the tarp that I have travelled with thousands of kilometres but never used. Boy was I in for a surprise. At first I thought my setup was perfect, I even had a laugh at my neighbours' expense who were running around in ponchos, and it was just in time before the rain came, but after being smacked on the head by a pole being blown over by the wind I realized I had to get more creative. Luckily the neighbours weren't watching. The entire afternoon was spent changing tent pegs, poles, ropes and totally forgot about food. So I broke my own rule! Putting frozen meat on the braai... It wasn't bad, but hippo hide might have had the same texture. The wind was so bad I had to put the meat to the side the wind was blowing towards to get it done.
Back to setting up camp, I finally lowered all the poles and decided to sleep on the stretcher, will see in the morning if it was a good idea not to pitch the tent. But sitting here now watching over the valley certainly made all the efforts worthwhile!
What is interesting is that I have to descend from 1992m above sea level to 0m to get to my next camp on the wild coast at Dwesa. Looking forward to another spectacular day in Africa...
Day 2
Crystal clear skies and a majestic sunrise woke me up early after a good night's sleep. 550km laid ahead and a lot of it on gravel. 150km to be exact. I immediately took a shorter route via lower Loteni, closer to the mountains. It made for spectacular views. The rest of the travel was fine until I hit the Transkei! Everyone who have travelled through it have their own opinions. Here is mine: It is one massive farm with the owners living EVERYWHERE! I will never complain about the livestock along the roads in Botswana again as I have seen triple that today. Passing through the small towns was also long and treacherous with no reason for the delays.
As I passed Mtatha I was faced with the choice of the long and quicker route, or the shorter rural route. Obviously I took the rural one because I wanted to see what this place is like off the beaten track. And boy was I in for a treat. The moment I hit the gravel the stress of high speed traveling on tar disappeared. The roads were tough and only a GPS would have brought me here. But the people are so friendly, always waving as you go by. I even had some interesting mountain passes which made for spectacular views. I had an amazing time driving on good and terrible roads.
Dwesa campsite is simply amazing! Even though I arrived in cloudy conditions and it started raining soon after, it reminded me of Cape Vidal with luscious, dense vegetation. People did however camp on my stand but soon moved when they realized they were on the wrong stand. My other neighbour also kindly offered his remaining coals and grid for me to braai on and afterwards I was invited to join the other neighbours for a drink and a chat. No reason why, just people being friendly out of the ordinary. That's why I love traveling, meeting people. You never know what to expect! And it is so much easier when traveling alone.
Try it someday...
Day 3
Another cloudy day laid ahead and I was thankful for it as I could feel the humidity. After a very basic breakfast I spent the majority of the day exploring Dwesa. There aren't too many roads but all of them are spectacular. Did 27km in 6 hours. The scenery in some places are breath taking!
There is also a road that leads on to the beach right on the river mouth, which had me more excited than my 3 year old niece on Christmas morning.
It truly was an amazing day. I was in awe that such a beautiful untouched wilderness still existed. Leave it to mankind though to mess things up, the second I got back to my camp. New neighbours arrived with tents that looked like Sandton. My chair was moved for them to get their tent pegs in. I don't blame them though, the stands are simply too small for the amount of people they allow per stand. But I didn't like it, so camp was struck down in 10 mins and after checking with reception, I found a new camp site. The even more down side is that it was now raining properly again and I had to get the tarp up to stay dry. Tarp camping take 2! Managed to get it up quite quickly and even better than the first time. Also had enough space to pitch the tent partly under it to keep the entrance dry. First night in two weeks that I didn't braai, but still had a good time camping 200m from the ocean. I walked close to the beach to get away from the camp lights to watch the fire flies and as I shone the torch on the river, hundreds of fish jumped out of the water. The excitement was short lived however as it started to poor again. At least I had a good, dry nights rest.
Day 4
Rain kept me in bed till late. Only had a small window to get everything packed and it soon started raining again. Half the gear still wet. Today's trip was 308 km which took me all of 6 hours to do. The first 70km was over the same treacherous gravel roads, only this time it was soaked with rain. Water plus gravel equals mud. I had serious fun driving today. My white Hilux soon had the same colour as the canvas canopy. The Old Man Emu suspension with high range 4x4 proved to be a good combination. I briefly put it in 4x2 but the dash lit up like a Christmas tree with the traction control light blinking. Rather safe than sorry I would say! Unfortunately I couldn't take too many photos due to the rain as it continued all the way to King Williams Town. And taking photos whilst driving on these roads is ill advised.
The sun finally made his acquaintance as I approached Hogsback and I was pleasantly surprised driving up the mountain with beautiful scenery to get there. Swallowtail is beautiful and very comfortable. I can see why so many people come here. Also met some lovely people from Bedfordview after helping them with their brand new massive Jurgens Exclusive caravan. Bit tricky and tough to make camp, but boy does it have everything! Home away from home. Thanks for the biscuits and cheese snacks tannie Marie!
As I sit here now updating this blog, the temperature is probably around 10 degrees. So much for the sun coming out. I have every single bit of warm clothing on that I packed (did not plan for anything remotely cold). This includes the jacket that I borrowed from my old man in Ermelo.
Tomorrow will see me leave the Transkei. A place that I now love. Changed my perception of it. Yes it is tough to get to your destination, but once you get there it is beautiful beyond belief. I only saw one tiny little bit of it. Can't wait to see more...
Day 5
After many rainy mornings I finally had the pleasure of waking up in glorious sunshine. Had a quick peek at the travellers lounge that Swallowtail has to offer. Such a cool place!
Packed up camp and drove through Hogsback. What a splendid sleepy little town. Vintage in every aspect. Wish I had more time to explore some of the waterfalls close by, and obviously had to stop at the sign that said handcrafted chocolate
The Eastern Cape continued to impress with its vastness, low level bridges and mountain passes.
Addo Elephant Park has always been high on my list of places to see, so today was going to be the day. Beautiful in its own way, but too many tourists to my liking. Also didn't see much except elephants, a lot of elephants. Have been told that the campsite is not great, so not sure if I will return.
The rest of trip down to Eersterivier on the N2 was rather dull, apart from the massive wind turbines. Had some good memories driving through PE and passed Jeffreys Bay from 2014 though. Feels like such a long time ago. Good times!
Day 6
I had a great time with Oom At driving around their dairy farm. And his trout farming. Very impressive equipment that they use for milking cows. Long gone are the days of hand milking.
Also had the privilege of seeing what he calls his shack right on the ocean. What an amazing place, scenery so beautiful it's hard to capture in a photo. Would love to come back here and spend a week or more.
Thank you Oom At and Tannie Susan for your hospitality and kindness. Really had a great time!
I had the distinct pleasure of driving through the Tsitsikamma and Garden route today. Passing Stormsriver mouth made my heart skip a beat. Loved camping there in 2014. There are so many beautiful towns along the way but one stood out head above shoulders from the rest for me, and that is the little town called Wilderness. The road passing the beach and then turning into a gorge over the Touws river was simply spectacular. I definitely need to go back for a visit there!
Eventually I got bored driving on the N2 again, but a quick phone call to oom Charl and a gravel road quickly dealt with that problem. Took the road to Boggomsbaai passed Gouritzmond, excellent gravel road.
It is always a pleasure staying with the family in Stilbaai and I had the pleasure of celebrating this young man's birthday. Happy birthday oom Charl. Love your new firepit!
Day 7
The first day of 2017 was spent on the beach. Or should I say the lagoon. Lovely place to have a dip in the water and so many people having fun playing all sorts of water sports.
Cousin Franna and I also went snorkelling in the shallow rocks at Skulpiesbaai. The water was surprisingly warm and it was great to see so many little fish. As in Zanzibar though, I had trouble with the goggles letting in water and getting up my nose, my moustache not doing me any favours.
Day 8
We got up before the crack of dawn to go fishing off the rocks at Blombos Nature Reserve. It was quite sandy to get to the entrance and then we had to walk about a km to get to the dune leading down to the ocean. And what a dune it was to descend, crawling underneath the dense vegetation and sliding down with the sand. The view of the ocean and the rocks was spectacular and we made our way to the points where there was a lot of white water. After 5 hours fishing, breaking off lines stuck on the rocks, getting wet and sitting rather uncomfortable on the rocks, I regret to report that I didn't catch one fish. I think I am the world's worst angler! But then again, Franna also didn't catch anything... Sorry neef, but I do appreciate your efforts getting soaked in pursuit of a monster!
It was a special experience to fish in such a beautiful area, but we inevitably gave up and decided to head back, which meant we had to scale up the very steep dune. This was not going to be easy. Or fun! Franna's poor friend really had a tough time getting up, so we eventually had to stop and rest, giving us another opportunity to gaze at the stunning view.
After the fishing and a quick breakfast at Franna's in-laws, we had the privilege of feeding the game on the farm. The buffaloes in particular knows exactly what is happening the second you start the John Deere Gator. They came steaming down the hill while we were still filling the buckets, coming very close to them. It was exhilarating getting up close with one of my favourite animals! Unfortunately it also started raining again, so didn't get the opportunity to take pictures, but then again it is probably not a good idea to stand between a hungry buffalo and its food taking pictures.
Day 9
Had a great driving day today. Over 250km of gravel close to the shore line. From Stilbaai I headed towards Bredasdorp via the pont over the Breede river. Not my first time crossing the river on the pont but still a special experience. The gravel roads through all the farms made for more spectacular scenery. Was even treated with sightings of blue cranes!
From Bredasdorp I made my way to Struisbaai to get to Agulhas National Park. It has always been a dream of mine to stand on the most southern point of Africa. The light house is also a magnificent spectacle to behold. There were however a lot of tourists around and taking a simple photo of the sign proved to be more tricky than anticipated. You have to time it once someone moves and a new person climbs on it. It was still a privilege just to be there.
From Agulhas I took some more gravel roads towards Gansbaai, a place I heard so much about from my good friend Michael. Time was however not on my side, as I still had to pass through Hermanus, and my friend absent, so I will have to return when he is there. And by now I realized I am going to arrive much later in Wellington at Anton where my next 3 nights will be. Also didn't help that I passed misty mountains craft beer and Hermanuspietersfontein distillery where I had to stop for a peek, and buy beer and wine. Franchehoek pass also took my breath away, first from sheer beauty, second from almost been blown of the mountain!
Day 10
Today is wine tasting day, seeing that we are in the wine mecca of SA. We had a clear plan of where to go and what to see, but after the first wine estate, plans sort of changed. We started off at the beautiful Vrede en Lust estate and then had an amazing steak at Rust en Vrede. Then popped in for a surprise at Alto before going to the magnificent Ernie Els wine estate. Only to be told there is a waiting list. No need to panic! The next estate is just 1km away, Guardian Peek. And boy were we treated with some excellent wine. On the menu but not on the tasting list was a wine called Donkiesbaai, Hooiwijn. So good it was a bigger surprise than Donald winning the US presidency! Rust en Vrede undoubtedly have the coolest bathroom I have ever seen...
We then had to go back to Ernie Els to collect some lost belongings and asked if we could be accommodated for a tasting, to which they gladly obliged. We were in for a treat! I can honestly say that the wine we tasted were the best I ever had. The proprietor's signature blend was simply out of this world. For a golfer, Ernie surely knows how to hire a good wine maker!
Day 11
Today was the culmination of the entire trip as we were going to spend the day in West Coast National Park. An absolute diamond of a place. I was truly amazed by the facilities and scenery. A large lagoon with shallow waters and a narrow beach along the rocky cliff made for excellent swimming opportunities. So many people were either swimming or kayaking or wind surfing. Unfortunately not even R1m would get me swimming in the cold Atlantic waters. It was freezing! The views along the Western side on the Atlantic was also breath taking with so many rocky pools and almost small private beaches perfect for kids. Little Anton enjoyed it but not even he had the courage to test the icy waters. West Coast National Park is also home to the Cape Mountain Zebra and my eyes were peeled trying to spot one as I have never seen one. No luck however but we did see Bontebok which was also a first for me seeing them in the wild.
The Geelbek restaurant is also a picturesque old building. Built in 1860, it is clear that it used to be the residence of someone important in the old days. From here we made our way to Langebaan, which is also a very good looking coastal town with many large, beautiful houses. The wind at this point was howling and walking in a straight line proved to more difficult than you would think. I had to take photo of the old white building on a hill and was nearly blown away.
We had a pleasant lunch on the beach before returning to Wellington, too tired to even braai. Never thought I would do that on the trip and only the third evening not having a braai. Must be getting old.
Thank you very much Anton and Anel for having me visit and sharing a part of my journey. It was an absolute pleasure going to West Coast National Park with you and your beautiful little boy. Hope to come visit again sometime soon!
Day 12
A sad day indeed. The start of the return leg of my journey back home and to reality has finally came upon me. But I still have a lot to look forward to, especially visiting my old friends on their farm in De Rust. First things first though, a visit to Bontebok National Park. This is a lovely little park, the smallest of all the SAN Parks. The Breede River runs through it which offers excellent swimming and fishing opportunities. The campsite is lovely and spacious with some shade around. Definitely a place worth visiting. I was pleased to note that they also have Mountain Zebra, 19 in total. So after an enquiry of where they might be, I set out determined to find them. A soft drizzle started but that not put me off as I eventually found three of them. My reaction was probably that of a kid getting his first bicycle. What a blessing to see these endangered animals roam freely in the wild. My excursion did however take much longer and again I arrived late at the Wannenburgs, luckily they were still busy with their farming chores. Callie probably braaied the perfect fillet, and after some good wine and great conversations, we finally went to bed.
Also made a quick stop at Ronnie's sex shop on the way, famous for all the wrong reasons. They do however have more lingerie hang above the bar than Woolworths before a Valentines day sale!
Day 13
The klein karoo can only be described as spectacular. Vast open areas with mesmerizing mountains simply have you staring in wonder. After a lovely roosterkoek hamburger at some Boer soek n Vrou guy's place in Willowmore, we went to visit some of their friends. The vastness clearly reflected in the distance we had to travel.
Once back on the farm it was great to walk around and look at Callie's goats. Also good to see his world champion ewe who one last year. We enjoyed another great evening watching the sun set over the valley and catching up on old times. Carine pointed out that we have now been friends for 20 years. Such a long time and so far from each other, yet my time there felt like we saw each other just last week. It has been an absolute pleasure coming back to the farm after 4 years and catching up with you guys. Your boys have also grown up so fast with so much energy they will have the energizer bunny jealous. Would dearly love to return again one day to enjoy this magical place you call home!
Day 14
The shortest travel day as I only had 180kms to get to Karoo National Park and had the pleasure of driving through Meirings Poort. This is my fifth SAN Park on this journey. I wasn't sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised to find out they have lions. The campsite is also really special with grass under irrigation. Shade is not plentiful but sufficient. Did a game drive and saw plenty, the roads are however rocky and bumpy so I would recommend deflating your tires for a prolonged visit. There is also a brilliant pass that was built by hand using 7800 stones from neighbouring areas and took 3 years to complete. The scenery along the way was well worth it.
It must be said that the Karoo National Park's rest camp and campsite is very well thought out. The entire camp is massive and offers hiking trails and bird hides in the camp. There is also a pool which is great seeing that the temperature was still 35 degrees at 18:00. The campsite is beautiful with a full kitchen. Very much like Kruger but it is under one roof, closed off for baboons and even has a chest freezer, fridge and microwave. Everything the modest camper need. The tortoises roaming the camp and feeding on the grass is also great to see!
The one picnic site I entered was beautiful with shade in abundance. Not too sure about the sign though. I always thought that when a lion attacked, it had every intention of killing you, not harming you?
Day 15
The journey from Karoo National Park to Mokala National Park took me through a large section of the greater Karoo. Roads were long and really straight which was more boring than all the roads thus far. Finally reached the gravel road that led to the gates and soon the colour of the roads changed to a red colour. There was also in increase in Acacia trees which made for excellent photos. The Park itself truly surprised me and I even got a cold beverage while checking in. Never got that in Kruger. There was however a problem with a double booking on the stand I was supposed to stay at and I had to waste a lot of time driving around to get it sorted. The one I ended up with didn't have its keys so I did not have a bathroom, but did have a shower and kitchen. I decided to rather go for a game drive than setting up camp after the disappointment and rather enjoy the Park. Leave it to mankind again to ruin the day.
The Park also offers two new 4x4 tracks for which you require a permit. It is free, but not yet clearly marked. A no entry sign was what I assumed was the start of one of them, so I went for it. The Park had some rain recently and the roads were very firm, so it might be sandy when dry, but the route can only be described as a bad two spoor track. Did see Roan on it though which was worth it!
Back at camp I made peace with my setup and went for a shower and made a fire. The weather turned for the worst with very strong winds and thunder and lightning in the distance. It was spectacular to behold. With the wind howling I decided not to pitch the tent and rather sleep on the stretcher in the kitchen. It proved to be a great decision as I had a great view of the night sky without having to worry about the weather.
Motswedi campsite is just amazing with everything you would need available. There is no power, but solar power provides hot water and lights and gas provides a fridge/freezer and a stove. Can't comment on the toilet but the shower is massive with a cink as well. With only 6 campsites, overlooking the small water hole where Gemsbok came to drink, it is private, well equipped and simply beautiful. Definitely a campsite one has to visit at least once in your life. Mokala is undoubtedly my third favourite SAN Park after Kruger and Kgalagadi.
Day 16
The last day and end of the journey has sadly arrived. On my way out I took the second new 4x4 route and I am convinced I ended up on a road where I shouldn't be. But no complaints from my side as I saw so much game, including rhinos. Mokala just saying goodbye in its own way.
The rest of the trip back was long and treacherous having to pass through a lot of towns on the N12 but it did give me some time to reflect on my journey. Was it worth it? Absolutely, and I can't wait for the next adventure. My old man took my encouragement very serious and went to Mabuasehube, all on his own. Good on you dad! Sure solo traveling has its drawbacks and it's not for everyone, but if you have the opportunity to do it one day, go for it. You will love it.
Until next time, may the roads take you where the wild things are and life is just beautiful...
