Cathy and Alec joined us as travel companions on our latest road trip, and I’ve invited Cathy to share her perspective in a guest post.

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Bright and early on Monday, October 14th, Alec and I teamed up with Helen and Earl in Bredasdorp to start another two-week journey through some of South Africa’s most beautiful national parks. Monday was mainly a travel day, so we enjoyed a leisurely drive through the stunning Tradouw Pass to Barrydale, where we were welcomed with coffee and breakfast at the Country Pumpkin. We took our time along the R62, admiring the vast Karoo landscapes and dramatic passes like Huisrivier just outside Calitzdorp until we reached our overnight stop at the Kleinplaas Resort in Oudtshoorn.

We were excited to get going the next day and headed out through the magnificent Meiringspoort pass. Driving along the N12, you’ll enter Meiringspoort, about 11km from De Rust. As the Groot River gnawed its path through the enormous Swartberg Mountains, it created this breathtaking gorge, resulting in a remarkable natural gateway that links the Klein and Groot Karoo.

Besides its colossal rock walls and spectacular scenery, Meiringspoort is best known for its 25 drifts. Throughout the 25km drive, the road criss-crosses the river 25 times by means of these drifts, each individually named and with an interesting story behind every name. Various stops along the poort give visitors the opportunity to pull over and take some time to enjoy the magnificent scenic beauty, the sheer rock walls, and their mind-bending formations. Restroom facilities (kept neat & clean) and shaded picnic spots are dotted along the way. 

Since we left early, we arrived at Karoo National Park near Beaufort West with plenty of time to settle into our two adjacent sites.

The campsite at Karoo National Park is very well laid out. The well-demarcated stands are arranged in a circle around the ablutions and kitchen, and most have a little shade. The ablutions are well maintained, spotlessly clean, and very user-friendly. The amenities are also well developed, with a small shop that carries all the necessities as well as curios and a restaurant that serves excellent value-for-money meals. 

The next three days were spent exploring the park. This is not a park for critter-crazy folk. While there are many types of antelope, Mountain Zebras, and lions, the true value of this park is the awesome scenery. With a blue sky that stretches for miles, incredible rock-covered crags, and rocky, stubby bush-covered plains, this park enchants the eye on all sides. It is a place to relax, unwind, and allow the serenity of nature to calm your soul and uplift your spirit.  

Leaving the Karoo National Park, we drove up the N1 to a little past Three Sisters before turning onto the R63 and heading towards Graaff Reinet. The road surface was excellent, but as soon as we hit the Eastern Cape border, it deteriorated and became very bumpy, with patches on top of patches. The Western Cape certainly has some of the best-maintained roads in South Africa!

We were blown into Camdeboo National Park by a howling gale. It is a long time since we have stayed in this park and the campsite was a welcome sight. This campsite is reminiscent of Tsendze at Kruger, with each campsite carved out of the bush and relatively private. The ablutions showed their age a little, but they were spotlessly clean and user-friendly. With its proximity to Graaff Reinet, this camp has no shop or restaurant, but the gate closes at 10:00 pm, so you can eat in Graaff Reinet.

That first evening, with the wind howling, we could not risk a braai fire as the grass was dried and the risk of a bush fire was too high, so we resorted to Plan B and telephoned Domino’s Pizza. Indeed, they would deliver to the reception at Camdeboo, so we feasted on pizza while tucked away in our caravans for the evening. This is the only thing I don’t like about the Gecko – there is nowhere to sit inside when there is bad weather. Alec has fitted a small removable table that we can use for meals or to play cards (I trounced my hubby at Rummy!), but the space is minimal, and moving around is almost impossible.

The following day, we set out on a game drive around the camp, but there was nothing much to see apart from some birds. Admittedly, the weather could have been better with intermittent drizzle. A crossing over the Sundays River leads from one game section to another. Still, neither Alec nor Earl wanted to try the crossing, despite reception saying it was drivable, as the water level was rather deep. 

That afternoon, we drove to the alternative entrance on the R63 and enjoyed a drive around the game area, seeing a few animals. The weather was still drizzly and cold, so we went into town for an early supper. Helen and Earl had previously enjoyed eating at Pioneers, so we refuelled, and they took us to the restaurant. It has since changed its name to Frontiers but serves the same excellent food, and we thoroughly enjoyed our lamb shanks.

The following day, we set off for the short drive to Mountain Zebra. This is one of our favourite parks, and arriving at the campground, we found two sites along the fence that we could enjoy. This campground is also well laid out, with the stands clearly demarcated, though the stands along the fence could be more level! The little Sherpa Tiny caravan next to us was precariously balanced on rocks to try and level it out! 

This is the first time we have visited this park since the ablutions have been upgraded, and we were keen to see what all the fuss was about. I was amazed at the lovely tiles and mirrors that I saw when I went in to wash my hands. Sadly, this was where the amazement stopped, and the irritation started. These ablutions are more about flash than bang. 

Why would you choose tiles that are slippery when wet for a public restroom? The floor is an accident waiting for its victims. 

Then there are the showers, which are minuscule and very strangely placed. Two are across a corner with hooks hidden in nooks, and the others are so tiny that the cubicle width is a few millimetres wider than the cubicle door. The windows are placed high up and recessed so they are impossible to reach, resulting in condensation on the tiles and dampening everything. Then you have a positively dreadful three-panel sliding door to close. The gap left by opening the doors is tiny, and I am sure many people struggle to get through that gap and into the shower. Then, when you go, you must step back into the wet shower to open the cubicle door. Then, you must navigate slippery tiles with wet shoes. The whole thing is laughable. I suggest that Sanparks ask an organisation like Kampmal to assist when redesigning ablutions so campers design for campers!

Mountain Zebra is similar to the Karoo in that it is a park designed for scenery rather than animals, though many species exist to enjoy. The park is named after the Mountain Zebra, so there are many of those, along with large herds of Black Wildebeest, Springbok, Red Hartebeest, and Blesbok. There are also cheetahs, lions, and hyenas as predators, though judging by the numbers and large herds of antelope, there could be a lot more! It is very disappointing to arrive at the gate and see all the names on the register state that they are there for culling! It’s not exactly what you want to see at a National Park.

We had three fantastic days at Mountain Zebra, where we again revelled in the vast skies, beautiful vistas, and some tremendous sightings, the cream of which was the cheetah female with her cubs. On our last evening, we drove up one of the hills looking for the black rhino, and halfway up, we came across a lone buffalo bull standing in the middle of the road. There was a long drop-off on one side and a mountain on the other, so we needed somewhere for us or it to go. We pulled over to the side of the road, turned off the engine, and hoped he would simply walk past on the right. Rather than walk past, he walked right up to the bonnet of the Ford. We both sat silently while he stared, and we stared, and the birds were the only sound! I know how unpredictable dagga boys can be, so I had my heart in my mouth and taped the entire thing, so I had something to show the insurance company if need be! Another car came from the opposite direction, so he clambered over the rocks and got far enough off the road to allow both cars to pass. 

All in all, it was a lovely, restful trip. Having enjoyed a large bowl of chicken soup for our souls, it was time to pack up once again and start our trek home. All too quickly, our two weeks away ended, and the reality of day-to-day living is again back!