Travel Diary: South Africa – Desert & Sea

After a busy but relaxed week in Cape Town in which we ticked off a number of jobs, caught up with friends and celebrated belated 50th birthdays, for Jan & Nicole, we hit the road again towards Montagu and the Klein Karoo.  First stop was a lovely spot called Gecko Creek Nature reserve where we enjoyed 3 days of utter silence, apart from the constant chatter of birds, and a digital detox.  At first glance the Karoo appears empty and barren but it always amazes in respect to the diversity of fauna and flora, you just have to pause and soak it up.  At the end of the “hard” lockdown last year when we left Cape Town we had stayed at a similar place only 50km away, then the temps had been rather chilly with snow on the surrounding mountains and we had to wear our full winter kit whereas this time we were able to laze in the small splash pool at camp.

We are slow learners but have eventually got the hang of the Western Cape weekend getaway rush (or at least are aware of it) and so upon leaving Gecko Creek we were fully prepared to struggle to find somewhere for the weekend, surprisingly we didn’t!  But before heading off to look for a campsite we stopped in Montagu to pick up cell signal and contact a mechanic in Hermanus, Mr Jones had been worrying Stuart for a while with quite wild temperature fluctuations and we had decided it was time to get it seen too.  

We generally act like proper pensioners these days and try not travel on the busy weekender days (i.e. Friday afternoon and Sunday afternoon) but as we had an appointment with the mechanic for 8am on Monday, we hit the road around lunchtime on Sunday and joined all those rushing back to town for the start of a new week.

On Monday morning we were up bright and early (it was still dark!) to ensure we arrived at opening time and that Mr Jones could be seen too before they started on any other jobs. As it turned out they had opened 30minutes earlier than they told us on the phone and already had jobs underway when we got there and after a less than helpful discussion asked us to come back at 2pm that afternoon.  Thinking we had no other options and needing to kill time we went and parked on the cliff tops overlooking the ocean near Hermanus town centre. We hadn’t been parked 5 minutes when this old series short wheel base Landy pulled in next to us and asked “do you perhaps need any work done?”   The series of events that followed will be forever remembered and are a reminder that to us travelling is so much more about the people you meet and unplanned encounters rather than ticking off having visited physical locations and sights.

Having answered in the affirmative that yes surprisingly we did need some work done, our newly found guardian angel phoned his mechanic (who had restored the beauty he was driving) and then charged off across town with us in pursuit to the “workshop”. The workshop could have been a museum given the number of wonderful old series Land Rover they had parked there either being restored or already full restored.  Upon arrival Mr Jones instantly fell in love and we weren’t far behind him.  The first hour was spent drinking coffee, receiving a tour and just admiring the pride which Stiaan and his team had in the work they are doing.  If you are even faintly interested in the old series Land Rover, check out www.karoo2point25.com for some serious eye candy and temptation.  When lunchtime rolled around and because we were waiting for a part to be delivered from Cape Town, they lent us the “shop” vehicle, a partly restored open top long wheel base aptly named Picasso so that we could go out for lunch and do some exploring.  We have often said that when we settle down that we would like an old short wheelbase Landy as a beach and shop run around, driving Picasso definitely cemented the idea.  He was an absolute blast!

With Mr Jones back to normal and “sweating power not oil” (we wish) we headed out the next morning via the Tradouw pass which takes you up over the mountains and into the Karoo.  Any pass built by the famous road and pass builder, Thomas Bain, is guaranteed to test the cooling system on a big old beast like Mr Jones, thankfully he passed with flying colours.  After a stop in Barrydale for a decadent milkshake at Diesel & Creme we headed further along route 62 to a lovely lush campground near Ladismith and below Towerkop (English: Magic Peak).  Towerkop is the first known rock-climbing route in South Africa, having been climbed by a local farmer in 1885.

The Easter weekend was approaching and based on all our previous weekend experiences in the western cape we were fearful of a large influx of campers and therefore a lack of availability at campsites. Although we were quietly hopeful that perhaps we were now far enough from Cape Town and its surrounding towns to avoid this, which as it turns out was to be the case. With a whole day to cover just 150km to our next chosen spot just outside Calitzdorp, we turned off the R62 and took a delightful detour through “Seweweekspoort”, another Thomas Bain road.

The pass winds through the Swartberrg mountains for 17 kilometres while crossing the Huis river 23 times with the mountains soaring for hundreds of metres above you. In places like this you cannot help but feel so tiny and insignificant.

Folklore is full of stories on the origin of the name given to the Poort. Some say it took seven weeks for mounted troops to escort a gang of highway robbers having being banished from Barrydale, through the Poort.  Others say a stock thief hid for seven weeks before being arrested, yet others say it took seven weeks for a gang of brandy smugglers to return through the Poort from Beaufort West and another story is that a farmer in early times got lost in the mountain for seven weeks.  A more boring but likely explanation is that the name is derived from that of the Seven-week’s fern (Polystichum adiantiforum), called Seweweeksvaring in Afrikaans, which occurs in moist places and crevices.

Having spent the easter weekend in an off grid remote campsite outside Calitzdorp, we headed into town for a few provisions on Easter Monday before moving on to the Calitzdorp spa which is roughly 30km out of town.  We fancied a soak in the hot mineral pools and wanted to be somewhere with decent cell signal so that we could wish Stuart’s mom Happy Birthday and catchup with Devon.  The spa considered the date to still be “in season” even though everyone was leaving as the weekend was effectively over and so wanted over R500 to camp for one night, well outside what we are prepared to pay but fortunately just around the corner is a guest farm from which we had seen lots of caravans departing.  Their pricing was much more reasonable and as a bonus they also had a hot water pool.

Having caught up with family and social media, it was time to go to Hell or more correctly the Gamkaskloof (aka Die Hell).  Before even beginning the long journey into Die Hell one must ascend the Swartberg Pass, another marvelous Thomas Bains creation, which climbs almost 1000m up the side the of the Swartberg mountains. From the turn-off on the Swartberg pass to the end of the valley known as Die Hell is only 37 kilometres but it will take at least 2 hours as it is truly a long and windy gravel road.  According to www.mountainpassessouthafrica.co.za it has 201 corners, climbs over a 1000m and descends a further 1800m as you pass over a series of small and big passes along the way.

The drive is truly spectacular and it is amazing to watch how the flora constantly changes depending on the altitude but it is also quite a tiring drive and most definitely not for somebody who suffers from vertigo, so when Tania started to develop a 1000 yard stare and with still at least an hour to go plus the prospect of repeating the whole thing the next day (it is a dead end road) we decided to rather turnaround and head back out.  For us this was an excellent decision as we didn’t end the day exhausted and stressed, plus we found a wonderful roadside spot to spend the night just before reaching the Swartberg pass and so got to spend the night in complete isolation where you could literally hear yourself think and probably the nearest other humans where 20km or more away in any direction.

After a a wonderful night in which the only disturbance to our sleep was waking up because it was just too quite we reluctantly packed up and headed for Victoria Bay.  Once again, we were left in awe at the landscapes, as in the space of 120km we descended from the Swartberg mountains with their stunning fynbos at 1600m altitude, then across the dry valley that surrounds Oudsthoorn, famous for its ostriches, before climbing up and over the wet Outeniqua mountains and dropping down into George and then further down into the quaint seaside village of Victoria Bay.  While we only got a brief glimpse of George as we drove through we were pleasantly surprised by its funk factor, perhaps if we land up on another lap we will spend more time there.

Vic Bay is unlike any other coastal town we have visited in South Africa, it is a tiny bay tucked in between two high headlands with approximately only 15 houses all on a terrace and promenade just 3m above the high-water mark.  A little higher up on each headland is another terrace which makes up a caravan park. As we weren’t needing a private ablution setup or prepared to pay the higher camping fees for that, we were allocated to the “rail side” terrace which had great views up the bay to the right-hand surf point break.  Surfing was the main reason we had come there so Stuart was not complaining.  The nature of the bay and point break makes the surf very consistent which also makes it very popular although it does come with consequences as the shoreline is very rocky and you really don’t want to get your takeoff wrong. The crowded nature of the lineup combined with the intimidation factor of the takeoff resulted in two fairly frustrating sessions for Stuart before he moved further into the bay and played on the smaller but less crowded beach break. All in all, we had a lovely extended weekend in the bay.

Leaving Vic Bay, we truly embraced the concept of slow travel by moving only 20km to the town of Wilderness and where pleasantly surprised by the SANParks Ebb & Flow campsite. The main reason for stopping there was to get some laundry done as they had self-help machines but as it is located on the river and lakes of the area we also planned to get some paddling in on the SUP.  After a couple of shorter paddles, we set off for a day out planning to paddle to a waterfall higher up the river.   Our interpretation of the information available was that you could either hike or paddle to this waterfall so we assumed that meant paddling right up to it but after a few kilometres of paddling we reached a spot with a whole lot of canoes pulled onto the bank and a sign saying “canoe pullout” so we pulled off the water too.  Unfortunately, due to our earlier interpretation we had not brought any shoes or slipslops with us and so set-off, barefoot, along the sandy path figuring if it got too rocky we could always just turn back.  Because of the steep nature of the valley sides the path soon become an elevated boardwalk through the dense vegetation.   Initially the boardwalk was easy to walk on but eventually the constant slat width and gaps starts to tenderise the feet but by then we were committed and so we continued in the hope that the waterfall would soon appear.  After finally getting to it we were a little underwhelmed and certainly would not have done the 3km round hike if we had known but then again perhaps we would feel differently if we had brought shoes along. Back at the SUP, we enjoyed a snack lunch while soaking our tender feet in the lovely cool waters of the river before taking a gentle paddle back to camp.

During our travels in Africa we had been introduced by mutual friends to a chap called Mitch but our paths had while almost crossing in Rwanda never actually crossed and so we knew him only via WhatsApp and Facebook. As we were going to be passing through his hometown on our way up the coast we made a plan to meet up for a coffee. Mitch together with 3 mates had rebuilt an old Land Rover Forward Control which they called Agnes and upon his return to South Africa he remodeled the interior slightly to make it more of bachelor pad than a home for four young guys. Now settled in Knysna and to take the love for your Landy one step further than most he has built his current home around Agnes: she enjoys pride of place just off the lounge and kitchen and doubles as a spare bedroom, which if/when he likes he can drive away in.   

Travelling with your home being your car and vice versa often makes it difficult to go out for an evening meal but Tania had been eyeing out for some time a funky looking spot just outside Plettenburg Bay called Emily Moon which we thought could be great for a “spoil” Friday evening, provided we could find somewhere nearby to camp. So, after leaving Knysna we stopped and checked out the venue and while the social media image versus our initial impression didn’t matchup it didn’t stop us from deciding to spend a few days camped on the Keurbooms river.   The SUP was inflated once again and exploratory trips made upriver.   At this stage in life we have no idea where we will settle down when we finally stop travelling but Plettenburg Bay is one area we have often thought could be a possibility, mainly because we have seen adverts for a very cool retirement village there.  After the few days we spent camping there it may have slipped slightly higher up the list of possible places where we could put down roots once again:  it has great nature in and around the river, good beaches, relatively warm seawater, a funky small town feel and many “holiday” destinations of a wide variety within short reach. Perhaps in a decade or so we will be back to buy a property, a small pleasure boat, a short wheel base landy for running around in and who knows what else…

After a wonderful few days in Plettenburg Bay, a cold front rolled in and brought with it cold and wet weather so we packed up and headed inland. Once again we crossed the Outeniqua mountains on spectacular secondary roads although this time unfortunately missing out on some of the views due to the mist and rain.  Having crossed the mountains and with the rain behind us we passed through the small but pretty town of Avontuur and for the briefest of moments were back on the R62 route (which we have so enjoyed this past month) before we turned off and headed northwards in the direction of Uniondale and the turnoff to the Baviaanskloof.  The rain had followed us from Plett and that night we camped near the exit of a small side kloof with its dried up watercourse which made for a slightly restless night as we both had visions of flash floods for which the Karoo is renowned.

The Baviaanskloof valley is approximately 200km long, with the last 100km (if driving west to east) being truly spectacular and has been described as a blend of the Sani & Bloukrans passes combined with a stiff dose of Tsitsikamma and Kruger Parks natural beauty.  With a description like that it has quite a reputation to live up too and we thoroughly enjoyed the drive despite destroying a tyre on the rocks which ultimately resulted in us replacing 4 a few days later.  Tania even managed to forget her fear of heights on some of the passes and film parts of the drive.

Having spent the night camped just before the end of the Baviaanskloof we were up early the following morning in order to head into Port Elizabeth with the main goal of seeing if the tyre was repairable and if not hopefully finding some replacements.  The bad news upon our arrival was that it was most definitely not repairable and so after a few hours wait while the shop tracked down stock we eventually bought the last 4 tyres of that size and brand in PE.

Throughout our trip we have had hardly any “hangry” moments but after the mornings drive, a long wait for tyres and not enough food or liquid nourishment compounded by miscommunication of what we each thought we should do next it went a little paw paw resulting in a silent drive through town as we went in search of a caravan park to spend the night.  Communication and mutual respect are key when living in each other’s pockets, as we do, and so by evening harmony was restored in the land of Mr Jones.

On our way up the coast we had thought we would spend a few days in Port Elizabeth in order to visit Stuart’s Aunt and the friends we had met in Malawi but as neither were in town there was no reason to hang around and so the following morning we headed up the coast for East London with two objectives in mind: (1) laundry day and (2) a big stock up of Mr Jones before we headed off onto the Wild Coast for at least the next month.

While we had not been able to meet up with our “Malawian” friends in Port Elizabeth, all was not lost as they were staying at their holiday home in Kei River Mouth, so with our tasks completed in East London we took a leisurely drive up the coast to visit them. Kitty & Gerrie have been our “go-to” inspiration story when talking with people about our trip who all too often say something along the lines of “… if only we had done something like this when we were younger…”.  We had met them in Malawi after they had been on the road for approximately 5 months of what was originally only going to be a 3-month trip to go see the Serengeti migration, added to that both are in their mid 60’s and Gerrie is in need of a double knee replacement. They would still go on for another 2 months before getting home with a detour through Mozambique.   It was so good to catchup and to learn that despite Covid having delayed the knee replacements they have not lost any of their adventurous spirit.

Kei River Mouth is technically the southern point of the area known as the Wild Coast in South Africa, so it felt quite appropriate that our last leg of this part of the journey began with a ferry ride across the river followed by a game of dodgem with potholes and cows (for which the area is renowned).

Our plan for the wild coast was quite simple:  head to Mdumbi where we spent an extended period over December & January and spend another extended period there enjoying the mild autumn weather this part of the coast is renowned for and for Stuart to get in as much surfing as possible. As we publish this blog post we have spent just over a full month here and will still be here for a while longer.