Discover the village of Riebeek East
Go on a Frog Safari in St Francis Bay
Stretch your legs (and loose your clothes) on the Tsitsikamma’s Striptease Trail
Marvel at the Dutch Reformed Church in Cradock
Learn more about PE / GQ’s Donkin Lighthouse and Pyramid

January 2023

Learn more about the Coelacanth, the living fossil fish
Hike Port Elizabeth’s Sacramento Trail
A UFO landing site at Rosmead in the Karoo Heartland?
Spot the Queen Victoria Profile near Patensie
Be surprised at the Great Fish Point Lighthouse on Route 72

December 2022

Discover fossils at the Kitching Fossil Center in Nieu-Bethesda
Experience the marine wonders of Algoa Bay
Hiking the Assegaai Trails near Grahamstown
A sneaky drive through the Bloukrans Pass in the Tsitsikamma
Watch the Adventure Racing World Champs 2023 promo for the Kouga region

November 2022

Somerset East, Expect the Unexpected
Discover the South African Museum of Literature in Grahamstown
Remember the Blaauwkrantz Bridge disaster of 1911
Visit the Jeffreys Bay Surf Museum
Encounter Waterfall Bluff, the waterfall that drops directly into the sea

October 2022

Learn more about Colchester’s historic Mackay Bridge
Discover the chess board edging in the Mountain Zebra National Park
View rock art in the mountains around Rhodes
Marvel at the Magwa Waterfall on the Wild Coast
Explore the Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve outside Port Elizabeth

September 2022

Stop at the Slagtersnek Monument near Cookhouse
Walking up Lady Slipper Mountain outside Port Elizabeth
Discover the Phillip’s Tunnel in Hankey
The historic background of the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park
Learn about the history of Port Alfred’s Kowie River

August 2022

Walk the Jeffreys Bay Spekboom Labyrinth
Visit St Patrick on the Hill in Hogsback
Discover Harry Potter’s grave in Cradock
Cruise the Sundays River with Addo Cruises and Sand Sledding
Muir, the oldest English speaking boys’ school in SA turns 200

July 2022

Go ghost hunting in the museums of Somerset East
Enjoy the outdoors at Norm Hudlin outside Port Elizabeth
Explore Kenton-on-Sea’s beaches and rock formations
Surf Supertubes in Jeffreys Bay
Stay at Arch Cabins Self Catering in Storms River Village

June 2022

Encounter the spirit of the wolf at the Tsitsikamma Wolf Sanctuary
Learn more about the Kouga Dam near Patensie
Discover Somerset East’s Walter Battiss Art Museum
Did you know that Nelson Mandela Bay is called 5 Biome City?
Meet Huberta the Hippo

May 2022

The history of Bathurst’s Pig and Whistle Hotel
Discover Somerset East’s Glen Avon Waterfall
Learn more about Beervlei Dam near Willowmore
Animals of the Eastern Cape – The Flightless Dung Beetle
Crossing the Storms River Mouth suspension bridge

April 2022

The history of Hankey in the Gamtoos Valley
Visit the museums of Graaff Reinet
Learn more about Darlington Dam
Animals of the Eastern Cape – The Cape Ground Squirrel
Discover Takazi Waterfall on the Wild Coast
Video – Tour the Tsitsikamma forest on a Segway

March 2022

Slide down the Rabbit Hole near Middelburg with food out of this world
Marvel at Hogsback’s Madonna and Child Waterfall
Visit Port St Francis, home to the chokka industry
Learn about the Cape Morgan Lighthouse
Crossing the Buffalo River in East London
Video – Tsitsikamma, a world of diversity

February 2022

Meet Samara Private Game Reserve tracker Klippers Pietersen
The Dutch Reformed Church in Kareedouw
Jump into the river pool at Jan se Gat outside Jbay
Download the Amazing Addo wildlife checklist
Find the cathedral mice in Grahamstown
Video – Algoa Bay Whale Heritage Site

January 2022

Discover Eersterivier, the Tsitsikamma’s beach
Explore the dune fields along the Alexandria Hiking Trail
Climb up to Hankey’s Bergvenster
Learn more about the village of Rhodes
Did you know Hofmeyr had a pink church?
10 Things to do in Coffee Bay
All the must see places on the Karoo Heartland Bucketlist
Video – Hike along to the Lower Van Stadens Dam

November 2021

Explore the Shell Museum in Jeffrey’s Bay
Marvel at the Tsitsikamma’s Big Tree
Learn more about the town of Alexandria on Route 72
Meet the Stone Folk of Nieu-Bethesda
Have you heard of the Martello Tower in Fort Beaufort?
SANParks announce the dates for this years SANParks Week
Discover the #AmazingAddo region with a Bucketlist
Video – Enjoy Nelson Mandela Bay’s brand new destination marketing video

October 2021

Discover the secret cove at Shelly Beach in Kenton
Walk the Waterfall Trail in the Tsitsikamma
Taste honey at Pabala in the Gamtoos Valley
A breakdown of all the Eastern Cape’s municipalities
Your own Addo Elephant National Park game viewing area road map
Learn more about the Wild Coast legend of Nongqawuse
Explore Makhanda and the Frontier Country with a Bucketlist
Video – The sights and sounds of the Karoo Heartland, the Eastern Cape’s big sky country.

September 2021

The oldest cake in South Africa is found in Graaff-Reinet
More information about Storms River Bridge
St Francis Bay’s Seal Point Lighthouse
The Diaz Cross at Kwaaihoek on Route 72
Learn more about the history of Hogsback
A Wild Coast Bucket List to plan a visit to this stunning area
Video – Explore the Addo region with an #AmazingAddo destination video

August 2021

Hiking and cycling trails in the Tsitsikamma’s Plaatbos forest
Visit the Wild Coast to cross the Kei River by pont
Swing by Egg Rock outside Cradock
Enjoy the view from Sir Percy Fitzpatrick Lookout near Addo
Discover the Old Thomas River Historical Village between Stutterheim and Cathcart.
Tick off activities from the Route 72 Bucket List
Video – Kouga Baviaans region

July 2021

The legend of Hole in the Wall on the Wild Coast
Bo fly fishing in the Karoo outside Somerset East
Hiking in the Kabeljous Nature Reserve outside Jbay
A little history on the Addo Elephant National Park that turned 90 this month
Info on the labyrinth in Hogsback
A travel Bucket List of the Tsitsikamma
Video – Route 72 on the Sunshine Coast

June 2021

The history of Storms River Village
Information on the Baviaanskloof
The historic Dutch Reformed Church in Nieu-Bethesda
Learn more about the Sundays River
A guide to hiking and the waterfalls in Hogsback
An infograph on the Waters Meeting Nature Reserve outside Port Alfred
Video – Wild Coast

May 2021

The history of the Van Stadens bridges
How water gets from Gariep Dam via the Karoo Heartland to Port Elizabeth
Comprehensive visitor’s guide to Bathurst
Meet the Big 7 with Addo Tourism
Video – Discover the Tsitsikamma

Encounter the Eastern Cape – March 2026

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It feels like January only ended four days ago, and here we are in March. It’s tourism show season. Meetings Africa took place last week and WTM Africa and Africa’s Tourism Indaba are on the horizon.

I’m working hard to expand on the Karoo Heartland website, but the challenge is to get establishments within the Eastern Cape Karoo to sign up and become part of the website. The Mission of Karoo Heartland Routes is to showcase the authentic spirit, unique culture, variety of attractions, long history and extraordinary landscapes that define this captivating region.

The Vision is to create the ultimate reference guide of everything Karoo Heartland,

to elevate the Karoo Heartland as a must-visit destination while honouring the

stories, traditions, and landscapes that make it exceptional, and to get proper collaboration going throughout the region to promote it as a collective.

Have a great March

Jonker

This month, we look at:

The Karoo Koppies of Mary and Martha outside Tarkastad
Hapoor, the legendary Addo elephant
The Middelburg Cultural History Museum
The Great Southern Cape Fire of 1869
Karoo Heartland Routes Recommendations

If there is something that you would like to see featured in our monthly travel mailer or have any suggestions, please drop us an email at jonker@fireflyafrica.co.za

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Historic Cemeteries of Middelburg Karoo

Throughout the Karoo it’s common to see flat-topped hills called Karoo Koppies along the horizon. Karoo Koppies are capped by hard, erosion-resistant dolerite sills. This is solidified lava that was forced under high pressure between the horizontal strata of the sedimentary rocks that make up most of the Karoo’s geology.

One of the best-known landmarks in the Tarkastad district, at an elevation of 1454 meters above sea level, is two Karoo Koppies called Mary and Martha. They sit like two heavy women on a stoep, weary from a day’s hard work, awaiting the return of men from the fields.

Where did Mary and Martha get their names from?

In 1837, Reverends Shaw and Boyce purchased land near the source of the Zwart Kei River on the northern slopes of the Winterberg. Here they established Haslope Hills, a mission station aimed at the social rehabilitation of liberated slaves and displaced Thembu, Mfengu and Tambookie people. John Ayliff, an 1820 British Settler, moved here in September 1839.

Haslope Hills was situated on the eastern slopes of what was then known as the Tweeling Berge (Twin Mountains). The Ayliff daughters decided the names of the biblical sisters Martha and Mary would be more appropriate. These mountains are known by those names to this day and have become the distinguishing landmark of Tarkastad.

More information about Tarkastad

Hapoor, the Addo legend

Hapoor, the elephant, was a legend in the Addo Elephant National Park and its dominant bull for 24 years. ‘Hap’ means ‘nick’ or ‘hole’ in Afrikaans, while ‘oor’ means ‘ear’ and it is believed the distinctive nick in his ear was caused by a hunter’s bullet. Hapoor retained a deep hatred of humans throughout his life. On more than one occasion, park staff were forced to flee to safety when Hapoor made his appearance.

His dominance stretched from 1944 to 1968. During the latter part of the 1960’s a few younger bulls reached maturity and challenged Hapoor. These upstarts were unsuccessful until one bull named Lanky finally deposed Hapoor in 1968. Hapoor was driven from the heard and became a loner. Later that year he succeeded in climbing the park’s ‘Armstrong Fence’, which for nearly 20 years had been elephant-proof. His freedom was to be short lived as due to his aggressive nature, it was determined he would have to be shot.

His head is mounted inside the park’s Interpretive Centre to show off his size.

What to do and where to stay in the Sundays River Valley

Middelburg Cultural History Museum

The Middelburg Museum Association was founded in 1983 with the prospect of establishing its own museum. The former poor school, which later became the preparatory school, was unused. The association persuades the municipality to buy it from the Department of Education. The museum was officially opened on 30 November 1985 with Mrs Hettie v d Walt as the first curator.

This cultural and historical museum displays the history of Middelburg and the surrounding areas. It also houses an internationally renowned collection of San artefacts, currently on display in the Bushman cave.

For anyone who wants to understand Middelburg, the museum should be the first stop.

Things to do and places to stay in and around Middelburg Karoo

The Great Southern Cape Fire of 1869

The indigenous forest is one of our biggest assets in the Tsitsikamma region, but did you know that big parts of the forest were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1869?

At sunrise on Tuesday, 9 February 1869, a berg wind, the hottest in living memory, started throughout the Southern Cape. This “intensely hot hurricane” raged through an area from Riversdale to Uitenhage and even as far as Port Elizabeth, and fires broke out across a distance of over 450 kilometres and “it seemed that the world went up in flames”.

Reports from the different places say that all the fires started early on the Tuesday morning, which suggests that it was not a single fire spreading from west to east in forests, fynbos and farms, but must have been many separate fires. There were also fires which spread from over the mountains towards the coast, all driven by the berg wind which blew from the north or north-northwest.

The devastation in the Tsitsikamma was enormous. There were at least 41 lives tragically lost in the Tsitsikamma, Clarkson and Humansdorp areas. The pets and the farmers’ livestock – poultry, pigs, goats, sheep, cattle, oxen, mules and horses; the bush buck and other game and birds of all sizes, all horribly burnt to death or overcome by the smoke. Homes, from mansions to labourers’ cottages and kraals with huts, were destroyed, along with crops, tobacco, fruit trees, cut sheaves and stacks of fodder. There was little or nothing left for those who survived, and many were ruined.