5: Aliwal North - Bloemhof Dam (South Africa)

South Africa Pictures Here:

Day 29:

Our humble bush camp beside the Orange River made us a little lazy and slow in the morning. The owners of the camp site managed to create an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity and the rustic, piping hot shower was another welcome treat to a chilly Freestate morning.

On the way into Aliwal North we stopped at a magnificent steel structure bridge and after fuelling and watching the rest of the gang shop a little we turned the noses of the vehicles south and headed from the town of Cradock, home of the Mountain Zebra National Park.

I’ve driven through Cradock many times and have often threatened to go into the park, but somehow never had the time. It is also far enough away from where we used to live, that we never made a trip to go there specifically. I have to say that, on arriving in time for lunch, I was very pleasantly surprised.

The beautifully lawned campsite is nestled in-between high hills on three sides and has very well kept facilities. It has shady trees under which to hide from the sun and a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Outside camp you will find a circular route you can drive of about two hours or so which takes you to the top of the plateau. On the day we arrived there were some stormy clouds around and it was very cold on the top, but the game viewing was exceptional and the light conditions better than any photographer could ever wish for!

After spotting vast herds of Black Wildebeest, Mountain Zebra, Blesbok and Eland, we even saw a couple of Buffalo and a few Meerkats scurrying around in an open field. We managed to avoid all the rain clouds and arrived back to a very wet campground in time to pitch camp, light a fire and pour a drink before dark.

Day 30:

The first day I wished we were not travelling according to someone else’s schedule. We got up early to go for a drive with the plan of re-joining the group at 9 am, our planned departure time from the park. The morning game drive was even better than the previous afternoon and I could have spent another two or three hours comfortably, up on the plateau. The light conditions were brilliantly warm and the photographic opportunities were plentiful!

We none the less made it back to camp to leave with the group and headed off to Addo Elephant Park close to Port Elizabeth. Incidentally finding out that Port Elizabeth is a little further south than Cape Town… Who would have thought?

I had been to Addo once before and was excited about exploring the park again. It is vastly different to the kind of game areas we had been to before. The vegetation is mostly “Spekboom” (Portulacaria Affra) and provides nutrition for herds of Elephant, as the name suggests, but also the densest population of Kudu I have ever experienced! The scenery is phenomenal from the high viewpoints and you can even see the ocean. Addo boasts that it is the only national park that protects the big 7: Elephant, Buffalo, Rhino (black, not white), Lion, Leopard, southern Wright Whale and Great White Shark. On our afternoon drive we managed to spot a few Elephant, a lone Buffalo, plenty of Warthog and an incredible amount of Kudu. Their bodies were smaller than the Kudus I am used to seeing further north in the country, but the horns had nothing to be ashamed of!

The camp itself really impressed me. It had the same friendly and welcoming atmosphere as the place we stayed in the Cedarberg, Sandrif. Every sight was covered on three sides by strategically planted Spekboom shrubs and the ground was covered with gravel. This all ensured a clean, easy and efficient location to park Magurudumu and pitch our trusty roof top tent. The ablutions, as per National Parks board standard were neat and clean with plenty of hot water for comfortable showering in the morning.

Day 31:

The leaving time was set as 8 am by the tour leader as we were due to attend a lecture on the Baviaans Kloof Nature Reserve’s history, fauna and flora. Unfortunately the volunteer who was supposed to give the lecture could no longer make it, which, to the female companion’s delight meant a longer stop over and shopping expedition in the town of Patensie, lying on the one side of the Baviaans Kloof.

The road there meandered through the Eastern Cape and over some beautiful mountainous vistas. The distance was not far, so we arrived at the Tollbos shop on the edge of town promptly before 11 am. It was unanimously decided that now was a good time for tea and cake, or brunch for the more hungry. The shop/restaurant is a place not to be missed. Even though the staff could not tell us where the town’s name stems from, it is packed with home made jams, sauces, marmalade and mampoer (Strong home brewed liquor)

On the journey out of town, while waiting for some of the group to refuel, a slightly plump middle aged man on a small motorbike stopped next to my window to say “Good Morning”, more as a pronouncement than a greeting. We chatted for a minute or two about the groups plans before he gave explicit instructions for us to stop by his farm just outside of town so he could provide us with Nartjies (Clementine for the poms) We did as instructed, coming to a halt next to the sight boards of “Danie Malan” and by the small motorbike and gleaming face of the man himself. Danie told us that his crop was being picked the next day for export, but no one should enter the Baviaans Kloof without sufficient citrus. We led us into the orchard and insisted on helping us pick the prize fruit hanging from his trees. He proclaimed the name of the specific Nartjie to be “Nova”. Suffice to say that if I ever spot Nova in a shop, I will buy it immediately! Partly because of the taste, but also because of Danie Malan’s generosity, great friendly smile and the fact that he could tell us where the name of Patensie came from: Place where the cattle lie, from the Hottentots language.

Bags full of fruit we set of to the park entrance and shortly after we were engulfed by the high cliffs on either side of the valley. We had arrived in the Baviaans Kloof. It is a strangely eerie place with dark corners and sharp bends in the steep passes. We had a short stop at the impressive and modern information centre before taking on a pass right to the top of the mountain… and our accommodation. It felt very strange to be camping on top of a mountain in a park with “Kloof” in its name. The old building at Bergplaas consisted of two dorm rooms, a bathroom, kitchen and most importantly, a comfortable lounge with fire place in. The wind was icy cold and quite determined, so we welcomed the shelter inside with newly warmed bodies and hearts.

Day 32:

A rest day… Or a non driving day if you prefer. We woke to a fierce wind tucking at the tent flaps and misty clouds rising from the valleys below, called “Valley Release” by paragliders. We welcomed the warmer structure with fireplace out of the wind for morning coffee and by the time the usual morning habits were done with we decided to go for a wander. The weather had seemed to agree as the clouds lifted and the wind subsided and the temperature increased to a comfortable walking environment. There were no hiking trails to speak of, so we followed a faint old track up the closest hill. We lost the trail at some point, circled the top of the hill to find it again, and some 8km later arrived back to the cottage for a well deserved lunch.

After sustenance we lingered in the friendly sunshine for a while before taking a stroll down to the road to a cable way. This was an ingenious way for the old farmer to get his produce to the markets half a day earlier than his competition. Instead of trekking all the way down into the valleys, he simply used the cable cart system to move from hill top to hill top. Clever man!

We arrived back at Bergplaas well before sunset and enjoyed another warm and wind free night in the mountains. We did come to a simple and obvious realization that night: When camping in a forest, expect rain… When camping on a mountain, expect wind… When camping surrounded by woolly sheep, expect cold… I’m pretty sure this is where the “weather rock” method of forecasting comes from.

The weather rock:

Take one rock of any size and hang it on a string from a home built A-frame so that it dangles above the ground. Put a sign up that reads something like this: When the rock is wet, it is raining. When the rock is white, it is snowing. When the rock is hanging at an angle, it is windy. When you can’t see the rock, it is dark. You get the idea?

Day 33:

After thoroughly enjoying a day without driving, it was time to move on. There was a general plan to have lunch at a picnic spot in Meiringspoort. Although we had been there a few days before meeting up with the group it was such a special place that we fully agreed with the plan.

The drive down the mountain was very interesting and often slow. The route meandered through the valley, crossing the river several times before spilling out onto open plains at the end of the Baviaans Kloof. There was a place named “The Key” where one key boulder prevented the cliff on one side from coming down and closing the valley off permanently. A scary thought when driving below it.

We lost the group because of stopping for a herd of Mountain Reedbuck, but had our own lunch in Meiringspoort before moving on to the Karoo National Park, our destination for the day.

This was the second day that was too long for us. We left the mountain top palace of Bergplaas at 8 am and arrived in camp in the Karoo National park just before 4 pm. We still decided to do a circular game drive, not expecting much. It was as expected. I think the Karoo National Park is more about flora than fauna. The scarce game seemed to be skittish and although we did not see too many mammals, the scenery was incredible! The Klipspringer pass ends at the top of a mountain and at a lookout point to a deep, narrow and dark crack between the two mountains.

We arrived back at camp just before dark and were engulfed by the familiar sounds of Parks Board camp sites and the group we had been travelling with. Once again a pleasant camp site and pleasant ambiance.

Day 34:

We had decided the night before not to go for an early morning drive. We got up fairly late and enjoyed the comforts of the camp ground. Departure time was set for 9 am and after fuelling at Beaufort West we headed north, homeward.

Suddenly we were back in national road roadwork and traffic consisting of long distance travellers and trucks. Our aim was to reach Mokala national Park for that evening’s stop over. On the way the group decided to stop for lunch at Kambro Farm Stall on the N12, some 20km north of Britstown. This simple but friendly stall serves a variety of good food and wine which the group indulged in. For us on budgets they provide a nice table and chairs outside the restaurant, complete with resident friendly dogs to keep you company. This place is highly recommended for anyone travelling that route.

We took the scenic route to Mokala and arrived at a closed gate with a radio on a post around mid afternoon. I picked up the microphone and my greeting was instantly answered by reception, explaining that we had to drive some distance into the park to find them.

I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised by this park and almost sad that we had only discovered it then! It is typical Kalahari bush scenery with Camel Thorn trees, grassy fields and red Kalahari sandy roads. The game was skittish, but plentiful and they boast an impressive mammal and bird list. Amongst other things they list Roan, Buffalo, White and Black Rhino, Caracal and Blue and Black Wildebeest. The bird list is so extensive that I wouldn’t even start to mention the specific species.

The sunset was spectacular in a way that only Kalahari sunsets can be. This time I was ready for it and manage to snap some pictures. I was pleased with the result! In fact, I picked up a brochure of a photo competition run by National Parks to produce a coffee table book of Kalahari parks and decided to enter them into that competition. We’ll see at the end of the year if they think it was a spectacular sunset!

After a fruitful afternoon drive we arrived at the only camp site in the park to meet up with the rest of the group. The camp site itself was small, but adequate with neat and clean facilities. They have a single bungalow to rent which can accommodate four people and about 10 camp sites. There is a water hole right in front of the bungalow, removed from the camp site only by a grassy lawn, but no fences. They also have a boma as an evening retreat which was a welcome shelter from the cool evening breeze.

Day 35:

We woke up early for a change… It’s amazing how birds always wake up half an hour before sunrise. Mokala has many birds! We folded the tent away and jumped into the car and left just as the welcoming golden sun peaked over the horizon. We were treated to sightings of Buffalo early on and plenty of plains game as the morning grew warmer and brighter.

A little ranting…

One thing I absolutely hate about SA National Parks is the amount of “No Entry” signs in their parks. I recognise that parks are there for conservation, not tourism, but surely the tourism is what makes the conservation possible? I noticed on my last visit to Kruger Park that there are more roads you are not allowed to travel than roads that you are. At Mokala they plastered “No Entry” signs all over the place and even on roads that were marked on their map as tourist routes. This made the routes you were allowed to travel very limited indeed. We did the naughty thing and ignored one of those signs to find the road in a terrible state from flood damage and a normal car would not have been able to drive it. However, we never needed to engage 4x4 and we had our best sightings on that road. Surely the park manager could rather put a sign up saying “4x4 only” and allow visitors to see the most of their magnificent park?

Ranting over…

OK, so our morning drive ended back at the camp site and after a very nice and hot shower we had a brunch on the lawn overlooking the waterhole. During lunch we were visited by so many animals, and so many birds that I had to keep the binoculars, camera and bird book next to me at all times. I was very keep to string up a hammock under a Camel Thorn tree and spend an extra day or two without moving!

We had to catch up with the gang though, so headed towards Bloemhof around mid day, braving an unimaginable amount of “start/stop” road works. We were booked in at “Die Hoek” camp site just below the Bloemhof Dam wall. Bloemhof dam in the Vaal River and home to one of the largest water bird populations in South Africa. It is also one of the largest dams in the country and if they open the sluices a fair amount of property gets flooded.

Die Hoek was one of those properties which had to be flooded earlier the year. They had to rebuild their facilities after that, so we expected something modern and nice. Oh boy... were we mistaken! We found a camp which catered for fishermen, complete with stinky, rotten fish smell, horrific ablutions and to top it off, no water. This was due to someone’s septic tank falling onto the municipal water pipe and severing it. I sorely missed the Kalahari sunset of Mokala!

I’m pretty sure this won’t be the worst campsite on our journey and I am pretty sure we will experience much worse facilities that that before long. However, if you need to stop over in Bloemhof for whatever reason… Try somewhere else.

Our group dwindled to 4 vehicles, but we managed a cosy camp fire, a killer Risotto and quality conversation drowned out the negatives long before bed time!

If I had to do it over again:

Well… I think I would have liked to take double the time to see the same places! The tranquillity of Mountain Zebra National Park deserves at least 2 nights, if not 3. They have a hiking trail which we were keen on, but did not have the time.

Addo, although not much to drive, has two parts we did not even venture into. These are both on the coast and have day hikes and overnight hikes which we both though would have been fantastic!

Baviaans Kloof and our mountain top palace was great, but another night or two in the bottom of the valley would have been really nice and would have given us the opportunity to explore the surroundings in more detail.

Karoo National Park’s one night satisfied me. The camp site is really nice, they have a few trails to walk, but I did not feel the need to stay there longer.

Mokala was inspirational and I would have loved to stay there at least three nights, despite the hated “No Entry” signs. It is a young park and can do with our patronage. I expect great things from that place in the near future.

Bloemhof was necessary to avoid an 8 hour driving day, but I’d almost consider braving the 8 hours rather than staying there.

For the week we were the guests of a group who are used to travel together and who has limited time to fit everything in. We appreciated their time limitations and felt that the organizers did a great job of planning a spectacular journey through breathtaking environments. I hope we get the chance to visit these places again and at our own leisure.