En route to the Tankwa-Karoo National Park we popped in at the Waverley Hills Organic Wine and Olive Estate. What a wonderful place it is! All their wines, olives and products are certified organic. The garden is mostly indigenous and in the pond area they have attempted to emulate the Breede River eco system. Information boards raise awareness of the plight of our indigenous fish and river systems. Most impressive and really beautiful! After some wine tasting (and buying of course) we had lunch. The food was superb and I dare say that we lingered longer than we should have, taking into account the distance we still had to cover to Tankwa…
After leaving the estate our route took us over the Michell’s Pass to Ceres and then north on to Tankwa. We were halfway through the pass when I suddenly realised that there was a box missing from the items we had bought. There was no way to make a U-turn with the whole train, so Roger pulled off at the next safe place. Suzi to the rescue! In no time he had her off the trailer, doubled back to Waverley Hills, and collected the missing items. The person responsible was most apologetic and threw in an extra bottle of olives on the house. This whole episode set us back by a half an hour but hey, we have the time, right?
The road beyond Ceres was very good, even the dirt road. Until about 25km before the Park office, that is. Then it became so appalling that I thought we were going to fall apart! We arrived at reception at 6:30pm and were relieved that two of their informal campsites were still available. We checked in to Steenkampshoek for 2 nights and Skaapwagterspos for 1 night. After all the formalities we set out to find our campsite without looking carefully at the map – it was getting dark and we wanted to get there. The road was bad and getting worse (it is marked as a 4×4 track on the map, by the way!) when 2,6km from the campsite we got to a donga across the road and Roger realised that it was not possible to tow the trailer any further. It took some manoeuvring to pull over, unhitch the trailer and transfer a few items into Ufudu before continuing.
Supper at 9 pm consisted of cheese, olives and provita while sitting outside and watching the night sky. There are few places where the stars are so bright and the night so clear and quiet. Magic…
We slept late the next morning. It was great as we had decided prior to our arrival that we would take the time in Tankwa to just ‘be’ and not rush around trying to see as much as possible. All this travel is exhausting you know! Before lunch we took a leisurely stroll up the slope behind us and admired all the ‘hidden’ treasures this sparsely vegetated area had to offer. The annual rainfall in the eastern mountainous region of the park is 700mm while only 50mm falls on the western plains, so of course the vegetation is denser on the slopes.
During our inspection of the ruins at the campsite we discovered a bag of rubbish discarded by previous visitors. These are so-called ‘informal campsites’, meaning that it is simply a designated spot to camp. There is no water, electricity or ablution and obviously no rubbish removal – what you take in you are supposed take out again! I cannot understand why people like this visit unspoilt places and how they can live with their conscience! Do they just expect the next visitors to clean up after them (which of course we did!)?
Another issue which we find unacceptable and which we have encountered almost everywhere we have walked, are the pieces of toilet paper discarded behind practically every bush! These papers are unsightly and take forever to break down. Is it too much to ask that ladies just store these papers in a small plastic bag until they can be discarded appropriately? Anyway, enough of that…
Tankwa National Park straddles the border of Northern and Western Cape provinces with the Roggeveld Escarpment to the East, Cederberg to the West, and Klein Roggeveld Mountains to the South. There are no shops, restaurants, ATMs or petrol pumps, and no cell phone reception at all.
Coming back from lunch we had a wonderful surprise: an African Wild Cat darted out of the bush and into the road in front of us. He almost did a wheel-spin in his haste to find cover, disappearing before we could even lay a hand on a camera!
Then another great sighting: a 2m long Cape Cobra crossing the road!
The next day we left Ufudu and the trailer next to the road to Calvinia and went up the Gannaga Pass with Suzi. It was a wonderful drive; interesting geology and stunning scenery.
We went to Gannaga Lodge for an early lunch. What a stunning place! The owner sold the family farm to the Park but kept 20ha aside for himself to establish the lodge; a win-win as the Park has no restaurant. After lunch he suggested we take a 4×4 tract to the viewpoint over the Langkloof.
If you want solitude and silence, Tankwa-Karoo National Park is where you will find it…