EN ROUTE For a stopover in your journey, look no further than these national parks and nature reserves. Each allows you to take a breather when you’re on the road and, what’s more, there’s Break time! ample reason to dwell longer. Big, bovine and boring? Not quite. Africa’s largest antelope, the eland, is a powerhouse of surprises. By Andreas Späth incredible PERFECT PAUSE Augrabies Falls SCOTT RAMSAY SCOTT National Park is a refreshing place 36 WILD WINTER 2013 www.wildcard.co.za to overnight. www.wildcard.co.za AUTUMN 2013 WILD XX EN ROUTE ROMI BOOM ROMI IN trANSIt to KgALAgADI or rIchtErSvELD trANSFroNtIEr PArks DrIvINg ALoNg thE GarDEN routE Explore Gou­ kamma River Augrabies FALLS NAtIoNAL PArK or Groenvlei in gouKAmmA NAturE ReservE the stable sit­in This national park would not exist were epicentre is wonderful, of course, but the canoes. A mere 15 km west of Knysna you’re in stretch along a gorgeous beach and coastline it not for the Augrabies Falls, where the silent remainder of the park is special in its for a multi-faceted surprise. You will love of 14 km. The adjacent Marine Protected mighty Orange River tumbles through a own right. The haunting lunar landscape the dense milkwoods, yellowwoods and Area extends seawards for 1,8 km, protect- narrow bottleneck before falling 56 m into is punctuated by the silhouettes of klip- candlewoods in the coastal forest of Gou- ing numerous marine species. Then there’s an eerie canyon. The name is a derivation springers and quiver trees. The fauna and kamma Nature Reserve, with some of the the Goukamma River and estuary, and the of the Nama word “Aukoerebis” which flora of this riverine desert ecosystem war- highest vegetated dunes in South Africa. unique Groenvlei Lake which has no in- means ‘place of great noise’. The noisy rant days of exploration. The coastal fynbos and extensive dunefields flowing river and no link to the sea. After the drive, SPEND THE NIGHT immense precipice. They’re an easy walk from SPEND THE NIGHT ONE HOUR BEFORE SUNSET stretch your legs at the viewpoint There are 59 chalets and cottages as well the rest camp, so you don’t even have to get Mvubu Bushcamp cottage in the milkwood Take the pontoon across the river and overlooking the as 40 campsites in the rest camp, so there’s back in your car. If you’re lucky and the river forest on the shores of Groenvlei lake has hike the 6,5-km Bush Pig Trail through the Augrabies Falls. something for everyone. Importantly, all is in flood, you’ll be in for a once-in-a-lifetime spectacular views and sleeps four. On the coastal milkwood forest and along the jeep of the accommodation is air conditioned, experience, but the falls are spectacular all Buffalo Bay side of Goukamma, three track. If you have about three hours, a circu- the campsites are shaded and there are no year round, especially in the evening. four-bed cottages, with modern décor and lar route will link you up with the coast and fewer than three swimming pools. It does facilities, overlook the river and estuary. You you can climb up one of the dunes, perhaps get very hot in this part of the world! Braai KICK START YOUR DAY will have a private lapa with your own braai getting lucky with a humpbacked dolphin facilities abound, but if you don’t have the Augrabies is a photographer’s paradise. facilities and, for chilly nights, there’s an sighting. You return to your chalet along energy to light a fire, head for the fully li- The falls themselves are the most obvious indoor fireplace. Otter’s Rest Lodge, which the beach, wading hip-high through the censed restaurant. attraction, but other lesser-known parts of sleeps four, and Fish Eagle Loft, which sleeps river mouth. If time is of the essence, and the park are sometimes more photogenic. two, both offer stylish accommodation with provided the tide is out, consider stretching SPECIAL SIGHTINGS Get up early and drive to Moon Rock, a river and sea views. those legs with some rock-pooling. The park’s huge dassie population supports a huge dome-shaped hill which affords great BOOKINGS number of Verreaux’s eagle pairs which nest views of the park from its summit. You’ll BOOKINGS SPECIAL SIGHTINGS KICK START YOUR DAY SANParks central CapeNature central reservations near the Ararat and Oranjekom viewpoints. find plenty to shoot here. From soulful reservations There’s a cormorant roost at the point at Early mornings are usually windstill on the 012-428-9111 You may even see them on the hunt. landscapes to endearing close-ups of das- 021-483-0190 Buffalo Bay. Swift and sandwich terns river. With whisps of steam rising from the www.sanparks.org sies and colourful lizards, this park really www.capenature.co.za abound and, if you look carefully, you will water, this is the perfect time to go rowing ONE HOUR BEFORE SUNSET has it all. If you have the time, drive on to sometimes spot Arctic and roseate terns. and paddle alongside spur-winged and You absolutely have to see the falls, and do it Ararat viewpoint to enjoy and photograph Two nights before our stay, at about 21h00, Egyptian geese. Engage in a spot of birding as soon after arrival as possible. After a long the gorge from above. Keep an eye out for a honeybadger was seen crossing the N2. and look out for the three kinds of kingfishers day’s drive there’s no tonic quite like the sight the nesting Verreaux’s eagles and the shy Please drive carefully, since the animals fol- that occur here: malachite, giant and brown- of millions of litres of water cascading over an Cape clawless otter. – Nick Dall KARIN SCHERMBRUCKER low a corridor into the pine forests. hooded. – Romi Boom > 38 WILD WINTER 2013 www.wildcard.co.za WINTER 2013 WILD 39 EN route The stylish wooden chalets are reason enough to break your journey. For N2 Breaks BEtWEEN Cape toWN AND thE GarDEN routE The main rest trAvELLINg North/South oN thE N1 camp is only 12 km from the BoNtEBoK NAtIoNAL PArK N1, but you may KAroo NAtIoNAL PArK as well be on This park doesn’t have any of the Big Five, was established in 1931 to protect the 30 another planet. The Karoo, an endless landscape of koppies Beaufort West, is by far the best place to stay which allows families to explore it on foot bontebok that remained in the wild and is and scrub which has to be driven through? between Laingsburg and Bloemfontein. without a guide, appreciating the smaller now home to a steady population of around Not so. Take the time to get to know it and The park boasts unparalleled sunsets and Bontebok are things as they go. The smallest of the na- 160 of its namesake, with any surplus being you’ll be amazed at the variety, colour and incredible stars, as well as fascinating fossils frequently seen tional parks in South Africa, it is proof that used to repopulate other parks and wilder- originality that lie beneath the surface. and an ecosystem which is quite unlike any- grazing in the size doesn’t matter. Bontebok National Park ness areas. The Karoo National Park, situated outside thing else in the country. campsite. SPEND THE NIGHT enough, you could have a refreshing swim SPEND THE NIGHT seemed drab in the heat of the day come The 10 chalets were recently refurbished and after your day’s drive, but otherwise it’s great Accommodation in the Cape Dutch cottages alive in a symphony of ochre, rose and gold. all feature a snazzy open-plan design, won- for birdwatching and fishing. Carp, bass and includes breakfast in the restaurant. The Take a drive into the game area to find some derful viewing decks and undercover braai bluegill are all found in the river. Too exhausted six family cottages have two bedrooms and animals: gemsbok, black rhino or even lions facilities. They sleep two people, and two have for any of that? Well then pack deck chairs, sleep up to six people, while the other 29 if you’re lucky. Or simply stop the car and, been fully adapted for people with special snacks and drinks, sit back and take in the units sleep between two and four people. with the engine off and the windows rolled needs. Campers and caravanners can stay serenity. The kids can paddle in the shallows The campsite is a verdant contrast to the down, take in the scenery: the colours, the near the chalets at the top of the hill, but the while you unwind. greys and browns of the Karoo. Its 24 stands, sounds, the smells and the solitude. This is real gem is the riverside camping area. This each with power, are secluded from one an- the Karoo. section often floods in winter, but if at all pos- KICK START YOUR DAY other. There’s a communal kitchen, ablutions sible pitch your tent right on the river. There are two great short walks which start and laundromat. KICK START YOUR DAY and end in the rest camp. The shorter of these The area in and around the rest camp is SPECIAL SIGHTINGS is the Acacia Trail, which at only 1,6 km can BOOKINGS SPECIAL SIGHTINGS home to some of the best birding in the BOOKINGS SANParks SANParks central central reservations Hopefully you’ll see bontebok grazing in the be completed in under half an hour if you reservations In 2010, a small population of lions was park.