Summertide Diary: Swartberg Pass

18 December 2020 (cont.)

On a clear day, when you turn onto the N12-highway just west of the gates to the Karoo National Park, you will see straight ahead of you the outlines of a large mountain range some 100km to the south. That’s the Swartberg (“Black Mountain“) – the highest mountains in the Western Cape, separating the Great Karoo from the Little Karoo.

The Swartberg seen from the N12

We had two choices to get to the other side of the Swartberg, driving as we were from the Karoo National Park to the Bontebok National Park. The first is to stay on the N12 and go “through” the mountain along Meiringspoort – a beautiful stretch of tarred road but the less adventurous of the two options. The other option is to turn off the N12 onto the R407 just before Meiringspoort, following the road that leads to the small town of Prince Albert, and then taking a left turn into the Swartberg Pass (road R328). For us, the choice is an easy one.

Prince Albert’s pass leading to the town of the same name

The start of the Swartberg Pass

Unquestionably one of the most exhilarating drives in South Africa and a personal favourite of ours, the Swartberg Pass is an engineering masterpiece designed and built (with convict labourers, many of whom died during construction) by the renowned Thomas C.J. Bain between 1881 and 1888. Recognised as a national monument, with a gravel surface and supported by impressive dry-stone retaining walls, the pass connects the Western Cape towns of Oudtshoorn and Prince Albert. Crossing over the beautifully unspoilt Swartberg, itself a declared nature reserve and World Heritage Site, while reaching a maximum altitude of 1,575 metres above sea level, the scenery along the Swartberg Pass is as awe-inspiring as the numerous tight switch-back bends, blind rises and steep gradients are hair-raising!

Swartberg Pass

Summertide Diary: Departing the Karoo

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18 December 2020

Sunrise over the Karoo

Today we have to leave the Karoo National Park to travel to our next destination, however there is still time for one last drive through Lammertjiesleegte before we go.

Eland (photo by Joubert)

Sickle-winged Chat

Mountain Zebra foal

Mountain Zebra crossing in Karoo National Park

Mountain Zebra crossing in Karoo National Park (photo by Joubert)

Mountain Zebras

Kudu herd

Kudu Bull (photo by Joubert)

Red Hartebeest

We were very lucky to encounter Black Rhinos during our visit to the Karoo National Park, but for their safety will not divulge when or where we saw them.

Black Rhino in the Karoo National Park

If you’d like to learn more about the Karoo National Park, have a read through this earlier post of ours detailing the natural and man-made features of the Park.

Map of the Karoo National Park showing Potlekkertjie Loop, Klipspringer Pass and Lammertjiesleegte, from the official guide book published by SANParks

Summertide Diary: Exploring the Karoo

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17 December 2020

As the sun rise over the Great Karoo on the 17th of December we’re joined at the breakfast table by a very tame Cape Bunting hoping for a few crumbs.

Cape Bunting

Karoo National Park Rest Camp

Now that we are all wide awake and with full tummies thanks to our coffee and rusks, we set off on our morning drive, again taking the Klipspringer Pass and Potlekketjie Loop, but this time the other way around.

Mating ostriches

Very satisfied male ostrich (photo by Joubert)

White-throated Canary

Klipspringer

Grey Rhebok

Karoo Scrub-Robin

Gemsbok

Grans vistas in the Karoo National Park

Steenbok

Rufous-eared Warbler

By the time we reach the Doornhoek Picnic Site all three of us are in need of a leg stretch.

Sweet Thorn in Doornhoek Picnic Site

Cicada nymph exoskeleton

Doornhoek Picnic Site

The second leg of our morning drive delivers even more encounters with the wild inhabitants of the Karoo.

Young Vervet Monkeys

Gemsbok

Karoo Korhaan

Steenbok pair

Secretary Bird on the hunt

Springbok (photo by Joubert)

Karoo Sandveld Lizard

Baboon

Back in camp by midday we explore as much of it as we can – from the interpretive centre and camping site at the one end to the swimming pool and bird hide at the other.

Speckled Pigeon

White-backed Mousebird

Black-throated Canary

Rock Martin nest

Cape Sparrow (female)

Leopard Tortoise

Bird Hide at Karoo National Park

Marsh Terrapin

Common Moorhen

Leopard Tortoise cooling off

Red-knobbed Coots

Three-banded Plover

Cape River Frog

African Reed Warbler

Red Bishop females

Cape Wagtail

Well camouflaged grasshopper, presumably from the genus Sphingonatus

Rest Camp in the Karoo National Park

Red-winged Starling (female)

Red-winged Starling (male)

Bowker’s Sapphire

Familiar Chat

Red Bishop male

Immature Cape Robin-Chat

White-throated Canary

Cape Bunting

Male Southern Masked Weaver

For our final afternoon drive of this visit to the Karoo National Park we opt for a leisurely amble through the Lammertjiesleegte; the open plains between the rest camp and the park’s eastern border which, despite its foreboding name (translated directly from Afrikaans it means “empty place of the lambs”, which sounds like a sequel to a horror movie), is actually a section of the park very rich in wildlife.

Rock Kestrel

Nervous Kudu bull

Nervous Kudu bull (photo by Joubert)

Mountain Zebra

If you’d like to learn more about the Karoo National Park, have a read through this earlier post of ours detailing the natural and man-made features of the Park.

Map of the Karoo National Park showing Potlekkertjie Loop, Klipspringer Pass and Lammertjiesleegte, from the official guide book published by SANParks

Summertide Diary: Arriving in the Karoo

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16 December 2020

From our home in Pretoria the shortest route to the Karoo National Park in the Western Cape Province is a distance of roughly 1000km, almost all of it along the N1 national highway. With Marilize still having to work the morning of the 15th of December, we opted to depart home by midday that Tuesday and break our journey at Bloemfontein, a historic city almost smack in the middle of our beautiful country.

We rise early on the 16th of December, a public holiday in South Africa, at the cosy A Little Guesthouse on the outskirts of Bloemfontein. The sun is just starting to peak over the eastern horizon as we tackle the final leg of our journey to the Karoo National Park. With Joubert’s grade 5 geography syllabus, freshly concluded, including a few South African landmarks, we take a detour to one of the them – the Gariep Dam, South Africa’s biggest man-made lake, located at the border between the Free State and Eastern Cape provinces.

The Gariep Dam

Just after midday we arrive at the entrance gate to the Karoo National Park, a most welcome sight after the long drive.

Turnoff to the Karoo National Park

Karoo National Park’s entrance gate

Watch out for the little ones!

Karoo National Park scenery

After quickly checking in, thoroughly sanitizing every corner of our accommodation unit (oh, the joys of travelling in the time of COVID-19, and yes the Park staff do sanitize the units before you arrive, we are just very cautious) and unpacking the luggage we waste no further time in starting our explorations of the vast national park. Our route of choice for the afternoon is the delectably-named Potlekkertjie-loop – this being the local name for a kind of lizard, translating into English as “little pot licker” – and ending with the Klipspringer Pass leading back to camp.

Bokmakierie with a fat caterpillar

Pale Chanting Goshawk

Ostrich

Karoo Chat

Karoo National Park scenery

Karoo National Park scenery (photo by Joubert)

Karoo National Park scenery

Steenbok

Southern Rock Agama

Pale-winged Starling

Rufous-eared Warbler

Red Hartebeest

Grey Rhebok

Klipspringer Pass

Grey-winged Francolin

Arriving back at camp, we can relax on the stoep (verandah) of Chalet 28, reveling in the beautiful view and visits from a variety of creatures. The holiday we’ve been looking forward to for so long has finally arrived…

Our accommodation at Karoo National Park – Chalet #28

The view from our chalet

African Monarch

Common Orange Tip Butterfly

Cape Bunting on our stoep (photo by Joubert)

Bibron’s Gecko that lived behind the built-in braai (barbeque)

Purcell’s Gecko

Flattie spider living inside our cottage

Small-spotted Genet outside our cottage at Karoo National Park (cameratrap photo)

If you’d like to learn more about the Karoo National Park, have a read through this earlier post of ours detailing the natural and man-made features of the Park.

Map of the Karoo National Park showing Potlekkertjie Loop, Klipspringer Pass and Lammertjiesleegte, from the official guide book published by SANParks

Summertide Rambles 23 January 2021

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With heavy hearts, after a week in absolute paradise, we had to come back home today. But iSimangaliso – “the place of miracles and wonders” – had one more treasure to share with us on the 30km drive between Cape Vidal and the gate – this beautiful black rhinoceros!

Soon we’ll start posting the recollections of our summertide rambles through the Karoo National Park, Bontebok National Park, Garden Route National Park, Addo Elephant National Park, Mountain Zebra National Park and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. We hope you’ll join us for the daily series and won’t get bored too soon, as there’s lots to cover!

Summertide Rambles 22 January 2021

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This was the view at sunrise this morning while we were driving on the Grassland Loop along Lake Bhangazi here in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Summertide Rambles 21 January 2021

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This morning we spent a while taking in the most serene views from atop the Kwasheleni Tower here in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, from where you can see the Indian Ocean to the east, Lake Saint Lucia in the west, and the wild forests and grasslands teaming with wildlife in between.

Kwasheleni Tower

Steps leading up to the Kwasheleni Tower

Indian Ocean from Kwasheleni Tower

View towards the north-west from Kwasheleni Tower

View southwards from Kwasheleni Tower

View to the south-west from Kwasheleni Tower, with Lake St. Lucia in the background

Summertide Rambles 20 January 2021

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The trail to the kuMfazana Hide here on the eastern shores of Lake St. Lucia, in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, passes through a stretch of swamp forest that is positively bursting with butterflies, like this Novice (Amauris ochlea).

Novice (Amauris ochlea)

Summertide Rambles 19 January 2021

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Today we wanted to visit a few sights in the nearby town of St. Lucia. On the way we encountered this family of Crested Guineafowl. The photo of the youngster taking to the wing was taken by Joubert!