A week or two three ago we spent the weekend at Tia Ghee Tented Camp in the Gamtoos Valley and heard that the Kouga Dam was still overflowing after good late winter and spring rains. We immediately decided to take a drive up to the dam for a look and we definitely weren't disappointed. From the tar road, very close to where it becomes dirt going into the Baviaanskloof, there is a dirt road turnoff to the left and about 7…
The Mzamba Fossils and Petrified Forest on the northern Wild Coast has been on my "To Do" list for a long time now. I just never had chance to visit that part of the Wild Coast yet. That was until a road trip to Durban had me spending a night at the Wild Coast Sun on the border between the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal. The first thing I did after checking in was to enquire about going to see the fossils and…
I wish I had more time to go and explore Cape Recife Nature Reserve more often with my camera. It offers so many photo opportunities, one of these being the Cape Recife Lighthouse. The lighthouse was built in 1851 on the western point of Algoa Bay. Cape Recife is one of the major turning points on the South African coastline and the lighthouse warns ships of Thunderbolt Reef and other hazards which they have to give a wide berth. The tower stands 24 metres…
The West Coast and Namakwaland is famous for their spring flowers while a number of reserves in the southern Cape, one of these being the Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area, are UNESCO World Heritage Sites as it is where the Cape Floral Kingdom occurs. Living in Port Elizabeth it's not always possible to do the trek west to go and view flowers but a few weeks ago I realized that it's not necessary.About 40 kilometers west of Port Elizabeth is the Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve,…
An afternoon trip to Addo for an early evening meeting had me arrive in the area an hour or so early. Problem? Not at all. Doesn't matter where you are, if you have a passion for travel and is a Geocacher to boot, there will always be something to see, do or find. This day was no different. I decided to take a leisurely drive up the Zuurberg Pass to pick up a Geocache I hadn't done before plus it's…
I have a special connection with the Tsitsikamma forest. It is where I go to plug in my soul for a bit of a recharge. It doesn't even have to be an extended recharge. Just a couple of minutes sitting in the forest next to a stream taking in the forest with all my senses is enough. There are various ways to explore the forest with trails being the most effective way to leave everything behind. One of these "trails", the biggest…
When I grew up I wanted to be an archaeologist. Somebody like Indiana Jones who discover lost cities and artifacts, dig up dinosaurs and made remarkable finds that would wow the world. That dream kinda shattered when I found it it wasn't all quite as adventurous and glamorous. Instead I went into tourism although the interest for archaeology is still there. This interest truly got fed when I spent a night at Ganora Guestfarm out Nieu-Bethesda recently. In prehistoric times the Karoo…
At the end of August I took a road trip to Johannesburg and on my travels discovered two slightly unusual monuments. Discovered by the way, as there were Geocaches hidden close to both. The first one was a monument just outside of Middelburg in the Eastern Cape. The stone monument has a picture of a chair on it and the sign says "Stoel Monument" (Chair Monument). So what is the story behind the Stoel Monument? There's a long and a short so…
Beautiful scenery, rolling hills covered in fynbos, citrus orchids, farmlands, white frothing streams, mountains on the horizon, forested valleys, interesting back roads, friendly people and countryside hospitality. These are all things you will find in the Gamtoos Valley. The best way to explore and get to know the Gamtoos Valley is to spend a weekend and see for yourself what this valley on the eastern doorstep of the Baviaanskloof has to offer. One of the quick fire ways to do this…
The flat top koppies (mountains) of the Karoo is as part of this arid region of the country as windpompe, Angora goats, Karoo lamb, flowering aloes and big open skies. Two of the best known Karoo koppies are the Koffiebus and Teebus south of the town of Steynsburg. The word "Bus" means pot in old Dutch as the hills are said to look like the old teapots and coffee pots of the early Dutch Settlers. This means that if you had to translate, let's say,…