FOR first-time venturers into the vast, arid piece of South Africa we called the Karoo, it isn’t always a case of love at first sight. It takes a bit of time and effort to fall for the Karoo’s charms, to appreciate the beauty of its big skies and stony, bossie studded plains, its koppies, flat-topped ridges and its serene little dorps.
The Karoo can seem such an empty, lonely place, its endless vistas broken only here and there by a solitary windmill, a herd of dusty sheep or an isolated farm house guarded by the obligatory twin palm trees. All this wide open space can be intimidating – or exhilarating when you start to develop a feel for what the Karoo is all about.
If you have the time, this vast region is well worth an extended exploration but if your time is limited the Karoo National Park, near Beaufort West, is about the best place to discover a little bit about South Africa’s arid but wonder-filled heartland. The park’s proximity to the N1 makes it an ideal overnight stop between Cape Town and Johannesburg but, if you do plan a stopover there, do yourself a favour and set aside at least a couple of days to explore this magnificent piece of untouched Karoo.
Apart from anything else, the game reserve is absolutely five-star when it comes to hospitality. It is a perfect example of how South African National Parks (Sanparks) offers its visitors outstanding wilderness experiences while ensuring that their visits are as comfortable and pleasant as possible.
Accommodation options include attractive, beautifully situated Cape Dutch chalets and cottages, one of the loveliest, bird-filled camping areas in South Africa and isolated cottages and houses along the various 4X4 routes. The main camp has an excellent restaurant – its lamb dishes are legendary -and there is a swimming pool, an excellent interpretative centre, a bossie trail and a fossil trail.
The fossil trail is fascinating, taking the visitor back millions of years to a time when strange creatures like Old Shovel Nose and Needle Mouth walked these ancient, now fossil-rich plains. The bossie trail shows off an amazing variety of tough little plants that have evolved to cope with the flinty terrain and sparsity of water. It is these bossies that give the famous Karoo lamb its unique herby flavour.
This game reserve is renowned for its birding, both in camp and throughout the park, so don’t forget your binocs. The interesting game and the dramatic scenery can best be appreciated by exploring the network of game drives that has been greatly expanded and improved in recent years.
A good gravel road now links the dramatic Klipspringer Pass through mountainous terrain to the more flat and arid but equally interesting Potlekkertjie Loop. It is a long drive but well worth doing. A shorter loop road takes explorers to the pleasant Bulkraal picnic site, the perfect spot to while away a few hours, birding and just enjoying the Karoo’s magical silence. Then there are various interesting 4X4 routes to enjoy.
We have only visited this national park twice but have thoroughly enjoyed both our stays and we will definitely go back there any time we are travelling in its vicinity. I have wonderful memories of long, scenic drives, visits to the interpretive centre, walks along the various trails and lazy afternoons in a shady campsite, watching the passing show. The birds, tortoises and other small creatures that abound in the camping area keep you entertained for hours.
However, here is my favourite Karoo National Park memory – of an overnight stay at the Afsaal shepherds cottage, which we reached after negotiating a long, challenging, extremely bumpy but exhilarating 4X4 route (the cottage is much more accesible now), on our first visit to the park:
The silence, the clarity of the night sky and the endless, open space are incredible. Except for the stars and a single faint red glow from the top of radio tower, far, far away, there is not glimmer of light to be seen from Afsaal’s walled-in stoep. So seldom in this crowded world of ours do we experience this intense solitude. And perhaps it is this splendid isolation – or its effect on our imaginations – that conjures up a shade.
Klein Willie, Bill calls him, as he prepares the braai fire. There is snow on the distant mountains and the last two days have been bitterly cold. It has warmed up a bit today, though, and we enjoyed a sunny lunchtime stop on our long and bumpy journey to Afsaal, but as soon as the sun started to sink, the mercury plummeted.
It was late afternoon by the time we arrived at the rudimentary little shepherd’s cottage where we will spend the night. We needed to stretch our legs after a long day on the road so we took a walk in the veld, stopping to admire the nearby windmill, etched against the sunset colours of the evening sky.
But soon an icy little wind picked up and we hastily retreated to the warmth of the stoep where Bill soon has a roaring fire on the go. Living such an isolated life out here, the original owner of the cottage would probably have been pleased to entertain guests. A Karoo shepherd’s life must have been a lonely one. I don’t know if the fine red wine we have kept for the occasion would have suited Klein Willie’s his palate . Perhaps he would have preferred his own tipple, a little suipie of Cape Smoke, perhaps, or some home-stilled witblitz to keep the cold at bay.
By the way, that battered old tin mug I suddenly notice perched on the edge of the rickety stoep table? I don’t remember seeing it there when we arrived.
It is cosy, here on the stoep, surrounded by a crumbling stone wall, next to a roaring fire. We stare at the stars and talk of many things. And we think about what life must have been like for the our imaginary shepherd host. If Klein Willie cared to talk he could tell us many stories, we are sure, but it has been a long day and we are weary so before too long we bid him goodnight.
We sleep soundly in the little stone cottage in the middle of the veld and wake up to a glorious morning. When we open the shutters and look through the window, the golden light lures us outdoors. Soon the kettle is on the fire.While we wait for it to boil we watch a small herd of springbok moving through the bottom of our ‘garden’. The windmill creaks and slowly begins to turn and a small fluffy cloud floats across the sky.
We need to pack up and go soon fairly soon, though. Afsaal is just so lovely we wish we’d booked a longer stay.
“You could sell Afsaal as the ultimate stress reliever. A couple of days here would de-stress anyone. I bet Klein Willie never needed psychoanalysts or happy pills,” Bill says.
We load the car. It doesn’t take long. Soon we are ready to leave Klein Willie’s house. I close the front door and I walk to the vehicle. “Goodbye, Klein Willie,” I call out and Bill laughs and waves as well.
Perhaps it is my imagination or a trick of the strange Karoo light but, as we drive away, from the corner of my eye I glimpse a movement on the stoep, a fleeting shadow perhaps- an unsubstantial sort of shade.
