south africa for south africans

5/20/2018 South Africa for South Africans

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MUSE

UMS

RESTAURANTS

SCENICR

OUTES

WILDLIFE

ADVENT

URES

MONUME

NTS

NATIONA

LPARKS

BATTLEF

IELDS

MOUNTA

INPASS

ES

HIKINGTRAILS

BEACH

ES

CULTURA

LSITES

MTBROU

TES NATUR

EWALKS

WINEFARMS

GALLERI

ES

By Marille Renssen and Hirsh Aronowitz

for South Africans


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Page

Quicknder 3

Map of South Africa 4

Route 1 - Tzaneen to Kruger 6

Route 2 - N2 Cape Town to East London 14

Route 3 - R62: Robertson to Oudtshoorn 24

Route 4 - Calitzdorp to Beaufort West 32Route 5 - Calvinia to Upington 38

Route 6 - Upington to Thabazimbi 46

Route 7 - Swellendam to Saldanha Bay 54

Route 8 - Swellendam to Calvinia 62

Route 9 - Grahamstown to Uniondale 70

Route 10 - Aliwal North to Underberg 78

Route 11 - Bloemfontein to Harrismith 86

Route 12 - Pietermaritzburg to Harrismith 94

Route 13 - Durban to East London 102

Route 14 - Port Elizabeth to George 110

Route 15 - Swellendam to Gordons Bay 118

Route 16 - Calvinia to Kimberley 128

Route 17 - Johannesburg to Welkom 136

Route 18 - Beaufort West to Vryburg 142

Route 19 - Cape Town to Bloemfontein 150

Route 20 - Bloemfontein to Musina 158

Route 21 - Ceres to Clanwilliam 168

Route 22 - Durban to Mokopane 174

Route 23 - Harrismith to Kosi Bay 184


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Making the annual pilgrimage to lose yourself inlandscapes shimmering with the exuberance ofspring is something you will never tire of simply because every year is dierent. Thespring owers can be early or late. They canbe sparse, or abundant, depending on the

benevolence of the seasons rain. There aretimes when aming orange and yellow prevail,others when the earth is tamed by cool whiteand purple. And in Vanrhynsdorp andNieuwoudtville, in particular, you get to seefat-ngered plants that are somewhat shyer andrarer but often no less beautiful. Time your tripcarefully, though this ower phenomenononly happens during two months of the year(September and October).

Then, as you head northward, there are somestriking nature reserves, notably Namaqua NP,which, even though it is more spectacular inspring, still oers stony mountainscapes andhigh wraparound views year-round. The north-western part of South Africa can be blistering insummer, though, with the mercury regularlyhitting the 40s, so its wise to avoid planningyour travels here in December/January.

Augrabies Falls NP is not too great a sidestepo the N14, and the experience here should notbe overlooked. Even when the water is fairlylow, the Orange River roars and shudders overthe lip of a canyon so dramatic, photographssimply dont do it any justice. In full ood, there

can be up to 19 waterfalls, a wonderful sensoryexperience. The rugged, wild landscape is greatfor hiking, biking and driving theres some-thing here for everyone.

Calvinia, Nieuwoudtville & Vanrhynsdorp spring flowers, Springbok,Augrabies Falls NP, Upington, Richtersveld

CALVINIA TO UPINGTON

COMPELLING REASONS TO VISIT

SEASONAL INFORMATION

Best time or season to visit this regionAug to Oct

Best time for camping, walking,mountain biking, hiking or trekkingMar to Apr, Aug to Oct

Best time for river canoeingMar to Sep

Best time for ower viewingSep to Oct

ROUTE5

787km/8hrs

40mins

Town plansNational parks

Scan these QR codes to access national park maps

and town plans for this section (see last page of book)


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HIGHLIGHTS PageNieuwoudtville and Vanrhynsdorps spring-

ower spectacle 414km and 50km hikes in Oorlogskloof NR,

Nieuwoudtville 41Walks, hikes, mountain biking and 4x4 trail inAugrabies Falls NP 42

Water sports on Orange River, Upington 44

SO MANY THINGS TO DO OR SEECalvinias giant postbox 40Calvinia Museum (old Jewish synagogue) 40Hantam Huis museum & restaurant, Calvinia 40Latsky Radio Museum, Vanrhynsdorp 41Look out for corbelled houses on the way toSpringbok 42

Stop at Die Pienk Padstal, Kakamas 43Taste wines at Orange River Cellars, Kakamas,

Keimoes and Upington 44

HEAD FOR THE OUTDOORSTwo hiking trails in Akkerendam NR, Calvinia 404x4 trail on Papkuilsfontein farm,

Nieuwoudtville 4112km hike and mountain biking on

Papkuilsfontein farm, Nieuwoudtville 41MTB and 4x4 trails in Goegap NR, Springbok 43Caracal Ecotrail (176200km) in Namaqua NP,Springbok 43

Quad biking in Kalahari dunes, Pofadder 434x4 trails, hiking and mountain biking at

Riemvasmaak, Kakamas 43Water sports for the kiddies on the Orange 44Sunset boat cruise on the river, Upington 44Dune boarding near roaring sands, Witsand NR,

east of Upington 44

SIDE JOURNEYS OF INTERESTLoeriesfontein Windmill Museum 41Two guided Shipwreck 4x4 trails along

Diamond Coast 42Strandveld guided 4x4 trail inland of

Diamond Coast 42Three-day Diamond Coast hiking trail 42|Ai-|Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park 42Spot big cats and raptors in KgalagadiTransfrontier Park 44

Mid-Mar Orange River Cellars Marathon & Half Marathon,upingtoncrusaders.blogspot.com

Third week Mar Three-day Green Kalahari (Orange River) CanoeMarathon, Upington, www.gkcm.co.zaThird week Mar Kalahari Desert Festival, Askham (north of Upington),

www.kalaharidesertfestival.orgSee Top Event below

>>Late Aug Hantam Vleisfees, Calvinia, www.hantamvleisfees.co.zaEnd Aug Four-day, 110120km Namaqua Quest Trail Run, Springbok,

www.namaquaquest.co.zaSee Top Event bel ow

>>Sep/Oct(depending on ower season), Succulent Show,Vanrhynsdorp, www.tourismvanrhynsdorp.co.zaEarly SepDaisy Marathon, Springbok, tel: 083 491 0227Early SepFour-day Kalahari Kuierfees, Upington,

www.kalahari-kuierfees.co.zaEnd Sep/early OctSt Augustines Cultural Festival, Springbok,

tel: 084 597 7889 or 076 697 1055Mid-OctSeven-day, 250km Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon,

Augrabies, www.extrememarathons.comLate Oct Three-day Namaqua Festival, Vredendal,

www.tourismvanrhynsdorp.co.zaLate Nov Two-week Namakwa Festival, Springbok, tel: 084 956 1865

>> Top EventHantam VleisfeesWhen it comes to the farming community, the Hantam Vleisfees (or MeatFestival) in Calvinia is an excuse for a rip-roaring good time. And its notonly the locals who ock to thefees. People travel from all over to sample

skilpadjies(liver wrapped in fat) and country-style lamb delicacies,watch an auction of whole sheep (skinned and ready for the pot) andlangarmto country musicians. Forming part of the multiday events are asheep-shearing competition, processions of veteran tractors and vintagevehicles, drum majorettes and a beauty parade, and lots of entertainmentfor the kids, including rolling around in giant inated transparent balls.

>> Top EventSucculent ShowBecause Vanrhynsdorps Knersvlakte soils are so arid and stony (and thelittle town is also at the start of the semi-desert Nama Karoo), the springowers produced by the bulbs, corms and tubers are all the more amazing,erupting out of nowhere to produce delicate blooms in the most vivid ofhues. Where many West Coast areas present a amboyant, and prolic,display of gazanias and daisies, these bulbs and eshy plants are rarerand restricted to the sere inland plains. The owers are ephemeral, somelasting only ve days, so the annual Succulent Show is pretty special.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS, FESTIVALS, RACESALONG THE ROUTE

GRIEKWA RATELGATThe farm Ratelgat, about 20km north of Vanrhynsdorp, is owned by the Griqua (also Griekwa) Ratelgat Development Trust. As a land

restitution initiative, its objectives are to reunite the Griqua community and conserve their culture and heritage. Visitors to the farm can

stay in a traditional matjieshuis, consisting of a dome-shaped frame made of green saplings covered with woven reed mats, over a cement oor. The

interior is simple: two foam mattresses and a tiny bedside table holding a candle.These huts sit at the foot of a rock amphitheatre that backs onto a San cave, which holds faded rock paintings. A guide will show you the Griqua

stone monument, remains of packed-stone lime-processing structures, San artefacts, a trance dance painting, and rock engravings of circles, wavy

lines and suns. You might also be shown the tiny eshy stone plants of the Succulent Karoo. In the evening, you can try grilled meat and roosterbrood

cooked over an open re and eaten under the stars.

027 213 5472:wwww.ratelgat.co.za/home.htm:www.griquas.com/2011/26.htm

UNIQUELY SOUTH AFRICAN


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5 SPRING IN NIEUWOUDTVILLE AND VANRHYNSDORP

If the rains around April and May are good (only 100115mm in a

good year), drought-resistant seeds that have lain dormant in the

Karoo soils burst out in August or September in a blaze of hot pink,

ery orange and sunshine-yellow. The Nieuwoudtville Wildower

Reserve (115ha) has its share of pretty annuals Namaqualand

daisies, white Cape rain daisies, lilac felicias, burnt-orange gazanias,

farm-butter-yellow Bittergousblom, perdebos and sandbietou. But

its better known for its geophytes (bulbs, corms and tubers); one of

the highest concentrations in the world occur right here in the Karoo.

Of the 300+ species around Nieuwoudtville, youre likely to recognise

the delicate irises and bulbinellas.

Further along this route, Vanrhynsdorp nds itself

in the Knersvlakte (literally, gnashing plains for

its stony terrain over which transport riders

wagon wheels crunched). In tune with the

unforgiving terrain, wildowers here aremore eshy and succulent indeed,

its showtime for the mesembryanthe-

mums, or vygies, and lithops, or ower-

ing stones. Succulents tend to ower

a little later than the annuals, closer to

October. On the coastal Sandveld, look out

for volstruisvygies segueing from orange-red

to cerise to mauve.

Now, if youre lucky, and you hit a season in Nieu-

woudtville in which a late-summer residual rain of over 15mm has fallen

during February and March, soon afterwards you could get to see a mass

of pink round-headed blooms erupt out of the earth, like a hundredMedusas. They are the Brunsvigia bosmaniae, a beautiful bulb of the

Amaryllis family, which owers en masse only with the right rains.

9 LATSKY RADIO MUSEUM

Well, hopefully this rather dierent museum will still be around

by the time you read this, since its owner is not a young man any

more judging by the rst time he started collecting his Bakelite

tabletop and wooden-cabinet valve radios (1947). He has since

amassed some 400 old valve specimens, from the 1920s to World

War II. Additional memorabilia include a radio receiver from a

Lancaster Bomber and a Russian spy ship radio that once en-

crypted Cold War messages for Moscow. Do call before you visit.

7 50KM HIKES (x2) IN OORLOGSKLOOF NR

There are 147km of tough hiking trails in this 5,577ha reserve,

sprawling across deeply incised gorges sliced by the Oorlogs-

kloof River through the Bokkeveld mountain plateau. The

reserve and river inherited their name from the warring that

took place here in 1739 between the pastoralist Khoikhoi and

local Dutch farmers. The rugged scenery of tight-knit rock-

capped kopjes, kloofs and valleys is thanks to their placement

in the uppermost reaches of the Cederberg. Marked routes map

out a 4km one-day route and two 50km treks (the Rock Pigeon

and Rameron Pigeon trails) of 47 days. For the twitchers, over

90 bird species it through the canyons; for the botanists, the

fynbos and Karoo biomes promote great plant diversity.

8 4x4 TRAIL ON PAPKUILSFONTEIN FARM

WATERFALL HIKE AND MTB TRACKS ON FARM

Papkuilsfontein farm adjoins the Oorlogskloof reserve, and its

rocky mountain territory is just whats needed to give 4x4

adventurers a steep, stony and immensely scenic trail to thetop of a kloof. The 15km route has a diculty rating of 45 and

climbs to the edge of a 180m canyon, then tracks along it to a

camp site. Astounding views take in the Nieuwoudtville Water-

fall and the Knersvlakte rolled out to every horizon. A 12km hike

to the canyon waterfall, and a network of rough gravel roads,

will make both walkers and mountain bikers very happy.

6 LOERIESFONTEIN WINDMILL MUSEUM

In such a tiny one-horse town as Loeriesfontein (the garage is a

couple of pumps, the lone diesel pump sitting on the roadside!),

youve just got to love the sight of a silent mass gathering of shiny

silver windmills outside this little settlement. Okay, probably not so

silent when the wind blows and 27 sets of blades start creaking and

moaning in unison. From an American Aeromotor to a Conquest

(Germany) and a Southern Cross (Australia), the windmills were

collected and sponsored by interested South Africans.

Kakamas Upington

SPRING FLOWER VIEWING

Remember these tips for maximum enjoyment: the petalsunfurl facing the full sun so cloudy days are no good for

viewing owers. When the sun isout, the most colourful

perspective is when youre driving with the sun behind you.

And blooms are at their prettiest between 11:00 and 16:00;

after that the petals start turning in.

WindmillMuseum, Loeriesfontein

RICHTERSVELD WORLD HERITAGE SITE

Most people know of the Richtersveld National Park but few are aware of the

Community Conservancy, which recently became the core of a World Heritage

Site, attached to the parks southern boundary and the Orange River to the east. Its a vast

area of 160,000ha in which no mining is allowed, and the last refuge of the Nama people

who migrate seasonally from mountains to river with their livestock, living in harmony with

the fragile succulent ecosystem. Visitors can explore the stark, wild beauty of the mountains

and the unusual plant life via 4x4 trails, hiking, cycling or horse riding. Cultural tours include

donkey-cart rides, story telling, a performance of the Nama stap dance, or viewing petro-

glyphs engraved on black dolerite. Guides can be hired in Eksteenfontein and Kuboes.

027 851 7108 (Eksteenfontein)027 831 2363 (Kuboes)027 851 8580 (Lekkersing)

:www.richtersveld.net :www.richtersveld-conservancy.org

UNIQUELY SOUTH AFRICAN


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11 RICHTERSVELD, THE ULTIMATE IN WILDERNESS

If its the real untrammelled wilderness that makes your soul sing,and you own a 4x4, then the |Ai-|Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier

Park should be right near the top of your bucket list. Its remote -

ness demands that you dont venture there alone, and you need

to carry all your own water. But the mountain desert is quite

spectacular: stacked peaks as far as the eye can see, in chocolate

shades of cream, brown and black; rockscapes from granite and

quartz to schist and sandstone; giant whaleback boulders with

weathered, peeling skins.

Although there are several camp sites, it would be a pity not to stay

in at least one of the wilderness camps, each one unique and built of

reeds, canvas, and wood or stone in remote and beautiful settings.

12 AUGRABIES FALLS NATIONAL PARK

3HR HIKE ABOVE GORGE

THREE-DAY WALKING TRAIL (DIFFICULT)

94KM WILDERNESS ROAD 4x4 ROUTE

MOUNTAIN-BIKING TRAIL ALONG CANYON

Here, the Orange River tumbles some 56m over a high granite cli,as the Augrabies Falls, into a tightly hemmed-in gorge. Before the

summer rains, when the river is low, some 2 tonnes of water a second

pummels and pounds its way through an eroded channel. But this can

swell to 8 tonnes during oods, as it did in 1988. This place of great

noise, translated from a Khoi word, most certainly is as its described.

The thunder lls your head long before youve reached the beautifully

crafted wooden platforms suspended over the edge of the massive

granite canyon. The power of water is nowhere more evident than in

the abraded ssures and scoured holes in the ancient pitted rock

surrounding you on all sides.

The 3hr (5km) Dassie hiking trail follows the canyon edge, taking in

the Twin Falls (one big, one small) and ling around the spectacularArrow Point, where this ribbon of river and its narrow gorge reconnect

with the main canyon, then to the whaleback hump that is Moon

Rock, and back to camp. You need to be t for the rigorous three-day

Klipspringer trail (36km), open only from 1 April to mid-October due to

the intense summer heat.

For the less energetic, you can drive to Ararat, Oranjekom and Echo

Corner (guess what you do here!), where viewing decks allow you to

peer in awe along the sheer granite walls of the 18km-long chasm. The

more testing 4x4 trail takes around 6hrs, but break your adventure

at the halfway picnic spot with its braai and ablution facilities. The

mountain-biking track visits all the scenic viewpoints.

Stay the night at Augrabies just to merge the roar of the water with

your dreams; you have a choice of camp sites or self-catering chalets,

some of them family size.

Calvinia Vanrhynsdorp

Richtersveld

Augrabies Falls

10 TWO SHIPWRECK 4x4 TRAILS

STRANDVELD 4x4 TRAIL

DIAMOND COAST HIKING TRAIL

Although they are guided excursions (permits required), the

two half-day 4x4 trails between Kleinsee and Koingnaas are

self-driven. Both are circular routes of 45hrs each, one 27km,

the other 37km. They run along the coastline through a previously

restricted diamond-mining area, crossing thick sand and sections

of pebbled stone, but the driving is not dicult. The route takes

in bays and promontories, sharp rocky outcrops, and the ship-

wrecksArosa, Borderand Piratiny, which ran aground between

1943 and 1976.

Within the same restricted area is the Strandveld trail, this time

mainly a bleached-sand-dune route over an inland dune eld. It

forms part of a system that is, in fact, mobile rather than xed and

static and the dunes carry no vegetation, so there is no chance of

harming any ora or fauna. The system is believed to be the resulteither of a drop in sea level during the Ice Ages, which exposed the

sand, or of sand that was deposited by sea or river action and blown

into the interior over centuries by the wind. The Noup huts, formerly

inhabited by diamond divers, provide your roof for the night.

If shifting sand beneath your feet is your preferred way to go,

the three-day Diamond Coast hiking trail is a guided, portaged

trek over 48km. Dunes, shipwrecks and diamond mines all form

part of the experience.

CORBELLED HOUSES

On your way to Springbok, look out for the remnants of corbelled

houses, whose structure dates to the mid-1800s. An absence of wood

for roof trusses forced the early settlers to use at stones to build

their houses where, to create the domed roof, successive layers werestepped inward. Cement consisted of cha and soil blended with

water; lime, a good binding substance, was obtained from anthills.

Damp earth was smoothed to create the oor, which was then

hardened and polished with a combination of fat and ox blood.

ROUTE5


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13 MTB AND 4x4 IN GOEGAP NR

This is the place of spiky kokerbomeand halfmenstrees, lording over their

kingdom of bald-headed granite kopjes and at-ironed plains. A 35km maze

of gravel and jeep tracks, threading among gemsbok, Hartmanns zebra and

klipspringers, eventually climbs to the crown of Carolusberg. Along the way,

sand, stone and rock slabs nicely challenge both 4x4ers and two-wheelers.

For the more sedate, theres the Hester Malan Wildower Garden (in spring).

14 NAMAQUA NP 4x4 TRAILThe Caracal Ecotrail, which can be done in sections or as a single trail,

varies in its entirety from 176km to 200km, taking 68hrs if not returning

to the park. Test out your tyres on steep gravel and stone ascents, dongas,

a couple of river crossings and an extensive sand-dune corridor. From the

parks Skilpad oces, the route traverses mountains and a couple of passes

on its meandering way to the coastline. A 50km stretch of often mist-

enshrouded seashore miles and miles of rock and deserted white sands nally leads you to the Groenrivier mouth.

15 QUAD BIKING IN KALAHARI DUNES

If youre not in a hurry to get to your destination and you

have the need to shake o the rigours of the long road and

a bit of rough-and-tumble on four fat wheels is your kind of

thing stop o in Pofadder (cmon, youve got to see what

the jokes are all about; you might be surprised). Enquire at

the Pofadder Hotel: theres a guided 18km trail to Diep en

Deur (2hrs 30mins), taking in all sorts of interesting little

historical attractions along the way (and a Verreauxs eagle

nesting site); or you could opt for Dinkys Dunes, two guided

25km trails (25hrs) through brick-red Kalahari dunes, rock

outcrops and silky grasses. Later youll be stretching out

under a star-studded galaxy at the camp site for the night.

But before that, the showers are hot and no doubt therell

be no shortage of stories to tell around the braai coals after

the days adventures.

16 4x4 ROUTES (x3) IN RIEMVASMAAK

THREE HIKING (PLUS ONE MTB) TRAILS IN

RIEMVASMAAK

This little settlement north of Kakamas got its

name (tying of thongs) from the manner in

which a Damara local lowered himself into a

gorge to get to a mineral spring for his rheuma-

tism. It is set in a chaotic jumble of stone-strewn

hills lled with rock pillars and canyons along-

side which the Orange River ows. The three

4x4 routes (Deurspring, Perdepoort and the

most technically challenging, Molopo) are badly

marked, so a good sense of direction is a useful

attribute to have. Each is easily done in a day;

expect deep sand, steep rock plateaus, dongas

and crunching stone beneath your tyres.

Three hiking trails cross some of the same

terrain, with one hugging a stretch of the Orange

River bank, while a thick sand and rocky track

(with complimentary dongas) can be explored

by mountain bike. Camp sites for all activities

are plentiful but rough and minimal: a walled en-closure holding a tree. A fun additive is the blue-

watered hot spring pools backed by high canyon

walls. Extreme options of comfort are oered:

rudimentary camping or equipped chalets with

water and electricity (albeit sporadic).

Kakamas Upington

CaracalEcotrail

DIE PIENK PADSTALYou seriously wont miss this quirky farm

stall on the outskirts of Kakamas, where

everything is as pink as oumas powder

pu inside and out. Youll be waylaid by

chalked-up smile-inducing quotes and all

sorts of interesting artefacts; the bath-

rooms, too, put the fun into piddling. Your

kids will be so entertained they wont want

to leave, so in the meantime eat a home-

made mutton pie, buy country jam and

chutney, or get your hands on some Klein

Pella dates (available from April on).


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19 DUNE BOARDING NEAR THE ROARING SANDS

Just east of Upington, o the N14, is the Witsand Nature Reserve,whose pale cream sands are a sharp and interesting contrast to

their backdrop of burnt-orange Kalahari dunes. Its here that the

brulsand, or roaring sands, occur. Under certain conditions,

the dunes emit a strange rumbling sound caused by

friction between the ne sand particles. What better

spot from which to head out to the nearby slopes

and perform Cirque du Soleil manoeuvres on a

dune board? The Witsand hotel complex will

sort you out.

20 KGALAGADI TRANSFRONTIER PARK

Because, from Upington, you simply point

the nose of your vehicle north and drive

straight for 250km to this transfrontier

reserve, we just cant leave it out. Oh, so

quickly, the wildness of the place gets under

your skin. But patience is key: you can drive

for hours and not spot a thing; on the other

hand, the open, unobstructed grasslands pro-

vide the perfect sprint track for muscled cheetah,

and lions favour the acacia savannah where all the

grazers hang out. Do be aware that the Botswana side

of the transfrontier park is much more vast, under-

developed and the roads rougher, while facilities are

limited to the most basic of camp sites. Travellers

need to be entirely self-sucient, carrying all their

water, food and fuel.

On the South African side, the best part of Kgalagadi

are the beautifully constructed wilderness camps,blending into the natural environment and promising

blood-stirring calls of jackal and hyena at dusk or the

guttural grunt of a lion marking out his territory.

Calvinia Vanrhynsdorp

CampintheKgalagadi

17 ORANGE RIVER WATER SPORTS AND BOAT CRUISE

If the kids have had enough of I Spy games and counting white

bakkies from the narrow connes of your car, give them a treat

of fresh air and lots of splashing about. In the heart of Upington,

Sakkies Adventures will kit them up and load them onto a water

snake, tubes or take them kneeboarding. If its the adults whove

had enough, they could try spotting sh eagles instead. Sakkie

se Arkieis a dual-level riverboat that plies the Orange River

slap-bang in the middle of the town. Fear not, though, it does

take you on a sunset cruise along tree-lined banks and into

copper-painted skies.

18 WINE TASTING IN THE KALAHARI

Nosing and swirling wine in the Kalahari? Well, this is the greenKalahari, aided and abetted by that muscular, meandering

river of life. Upington is the hub of Orange River Cellars, whose

terraced vineyards stretch alongside the river for some 350km

and help to give the Green Kalahari its name. No fewer than ve

wineries have been established here, the closest open for tasting

at Kakamas, Keimoes and Upington. Cellar tours are run January

to March at 09:00, 11:00 and 15:00.

ROUTE5


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HIGHLIGHTS

Augrabies Falls NP: outdoor activities

054 452 9200

:www.sanparks.orgNieuwoudtville & Vanrhynsdorp: spring fowers

027 218 1336

:www.namaquainfo.co.za

021 487 8600 or 021 201 3376

:www.tourismvanrhynsdorp.co.za

Oorlogskloof NR, Nieuwoudtville: hiking

027 218 1159

:www.northerncape.org.za/ getting_around/

parks_reserves/

THINGS TO DO OR SEE

Calvinias giant postbox

027 341 8100

:www.northerncape.org.za

Calvinia Museum

027 341 8100


Die Pienk Padstal, Kakamas

054 431 1457

Latsky Radio Museum, Vanrhynsdorp

027 219 1032

:www.tourismvanrhynsdorp.co.za

Orange River Cellars, Upington

054 337 8800

:www.orangeriverwines.com

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Augrabies Falls

054 452 9200

:www.sanparks.org

Diamond Coast hiking trail

027 887 0028

:www.diamondroute.co.za/sites_

namaqualand.htmDiep en Deur, Dinkys Dunes (Pofadder Hotel)

054 933 0063 or 083 232 2563

:www.pofadderhotel.co.za

Sakkies Adventures & Tours

082 575 7285 or 082 564 5447

:www.arkie.co.za

Witsand Nature Reserve & Hotel

053 313 1061/2 or 083 234 7573

:www.witsandkalahari.co.za

4x4 TRAILS

Caracal Ecotrail, Namaqua NP

027 672 1948

:www.sanparks.org

Diamond Coast Shipwreck trail

027 887 0028


namaqualand.htm

Papkuilsfontein farm

027 218 1246

:www.papkuilsfontein.com

Remhoogte farm

027 541 1024 or 073 705 0929

Riemvasmaak

083 873 7715

:www.greenkalahari.co.za/index.php/

riemvasmaak

Strandveld trail

027 887 0028


namaqualand.htm

SIDE JOURNEYS OF INTEREST

|Ai-|Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park

027 831 1506

:www.sanparks.org

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

054 561 2000 (South Africa)

267 686 0444 (Botswana)

:www.sanparks.org

ACCOMMODATION

Calvinia, Die Blou Nartjie Guesthouse

027 341 1263

:www.nartjie.co.za

Calvinia, Hantam historical houses and units

027 341 1606

:www.calvinia.co.za

Springbok, Annies Cottage

027 712 1451 or 083 454 1252

:www.springbokinfo.com

Springbok, Blue Diamond Lodge

027 718 2624 or 082 492 8987

:www.bluediamondlodge.co.za

Upington, Aant Kanaal B&B

054 332 3722 or 082 4113 616

:www.sa-venues.com/visit/aantkanaal

Upington, Browns Manor Guesthouse

054 338 0384 or 082 371 8033

:www.brownsmanor.co.za

NATIONAL PARKS & RESERVES

|Ai-|Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park

027 831 1506

:www.sanparks.org

Akkerendam NR

027 341 8500

:www.northerncape.org.za/getting_around/

towns/Calvinia/

Goegap NR

027 718 9906

:www.springbokinfo.co.za/

Naturereserves.htm

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

054 561 2000 (South Africa)

267 686 0444 (Botswana)

:www.sanparks.org

Namaqua NP

027 672 1948

:www.sanparks.org

Nieuwoudtville Wildfower Reserve

027 218 1336 (open seasonally)

:www.namaquainfo.co.za

CARAVAN & CAMPING

Calvinia, Klipwerf Camp/Caravan027 341 1126 or 083 229 5707

Kamieskroon, Verbe Caravan Park (2-star)

027 672 1776

Keimoes, Tkabies Camping (3-star)

054 461 2424

Nieuwoudtville, Van Zijl Olive Caravan Park

027 218 1535

:www.nieuwoudtville.co.za

Riemvasmaak camp sites

054 431 0945 or 083 873 7715

:www.greenkalahari.co.za/index.php/

riemvasmaak

Springbok, Kokerboom Motel/Caravan Park

027 712 2685

:www.namaqualandowers.co.za

Upington, Die Eiland Holiday Resort

054 334 0288

:www.kharahais.gov.za/eiland.html

RESTAURANTS

Calvinia, Die Blou Nartjie

027 341 1263

:www.nartjie.co.za

Calvinia, Hantam Huis

027 341 1606

:www.calvinia.co.za

Nieuwoudtville, Smidswinkel

027 218 1535 or 082 829 6855

:www.nieuwoudtville.co.za

Springbok, Tauren Steak Ranch027 712 2717

:www.springbokinfo.co.za/Tauren.htm

Springbok, Titbits Restaurant

027 718 1455

:www.springbokinfo.co.za/titbits.htm

TOWN TOURIST CENTRES

Calvinia Tourist Information

027 341 8100/8131

:www.northerncape.org.za/getting_around/

towns/Calvinia/

KakamasTourism

054 337 2804

:www.kakamas.co.za

Nieuwoudtville Tourism

027 218 1336

:www.nieuwoudtville.com

Springbok Tourism

027 712 8035/6


Upington

054 338 7151

:www.upington.com

Vanrhynsdorp Tourism

027 219 1552

:http://tourism.matzikamamun.co.za

REGIONAL TOURIST CENTRES

Green Kalahari Tourism

054 337 2946

:www.greenkalahari.co.zaNorthern Cape Tourism Authority (Kimberley)

053 832 2657 or 053 831 2789


West Coast Tourism

022 433 8505

:www.capewestcoast.org

Along the Route: Sites and Accommodation

Other Contacts

Kakamas Upington


11/11

Ours is a big country we have a land area of just over 1.2 million km, about thesize of France and Spain combined. South Africans, therefore, are used to driving

vast distances simply to get from A to B (the road network totals 747,000km).Just think: if you drive diagonally across the country, from Cape Town in the

southwest to Musina in the extreme north, you will traverse some 2,000km. Ouraim here, therefore, is to make travelling those distances as interesting as possible!

In South Africa for South Africans23 driving routes of varying distances crisscrossthe entire country, many of them taking in national or provincial roads. There is

plenty to explore across our nine provinces, and the big skies, boundless vistas and

hours of sunshine have turned us into an outdoor-focused, activity-loving nation.Thats where the focus of this book lies. With each province radically dierent in

terms of biomes, landscape and climate, there is great incentive to slow down yourjourney and have fun with the family along the way. After all, a long journey is

never solely about the destination.

The intention of this book is not to focus only on the major tourist attractions thatare so familiar to South Africans, but rather to turn away from heavily troddenvisitor paths, delving into lesser known, more unusual activities. From hiking,

mountain biking and wildlife watching to birding, shing and beachcombing, this

book has some new surprises. Travellers are also invited to explore beyond theusually uninspiring main road that cuts through little country towns. From quirky

farm stalls, small-town museums, monuments and city walks to battleelds,cultural sites and interesting municipal parks, weve got them covered. Youmight even learn a few things you never knew about your own country

By Marille Renssen and Hirsh Aronowitz

for South Africans

ISBN 9 7 8 - 1 -7 7 0 2 6 -5 1 5 - 8

9 781770 265158

MAC/CPT/0114/NB/GH/TG

Scan this QR code to viewthe MapStudio website

ANY COMMENTS [email protected]

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR UPDATES, DOWNLOADS, MAPS, CATALOGUES & SPECIALS

MapStudio and the MapStudio device are trademarked toNew Holland Publishing (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd.1st edition MapStudio 2014. All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying,recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing fromthe Copyright owner.

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