The Montagu Tractor Trip, one of the premier activities to do when visiting the Klein Karoo town of Montagu, takes place on a farm called Protea Farm about 35 km out of town. When we arrived at the farm I didn't really notice any proteas, but as we travelled up the mountain they started to appear in the surrounding vegetation. The surrounding mountains and valley made for some excellent backgrounds to photographing these proteas.
The very first thing we looked up and booked when we decided to go to Montagu was the legendary Montagu Tractor Trip. "What makes a tractor trip so special?" you ask. Well, this isn't just any old tractor trip. The trip takes place on Protea Farm about 35 kilometers outside Montagu and was started in 1985. The tour meanders it's way up the Langeberg Mountain to an altitude of 1500m above see level with some of the most breathtaking views you can imagine. We…
Fresh cherries (the fruity kind, not the two legged ones). Organic vegetables. Home made jam. Grain fed farm eggs. Olives and olive oil. Homemade bread and rusks. Paintings. Antique tools. Vintage bric-a-brac. Intricate wireworks. Hand crafted jewellery. These are just some of the items you will find on sale at the weekly Village Market in Montagu. Every Saturday morning stall holders start to set up their stalls quite early and by the time the market opens at 8am (08:30am in winter) they are ready…
A cattle egret sitting in a sweet thorn tree at the Leidam in Montagu.The cattle egret is family of the heron, but unlike herons it feeds in relatively dry grassy habitats. You often find them accompanying cattle or other large mammals since they catch insects disturbed by these animals. They are referred to as tick birds because they also remove ticks and flies from cattle. In the breeding season they nest in colonies, and as was the case with the one in the…
The best views of the town of Montagu are from the top of Kanonkop (Cannon Hill). The story goes that the original cannon which stood on this spot and dated from the 1800 was used at some stage for a salute of honor which went horribly wrong and caused a young man from the town to loose both his arms. The farmers then pushed the cannon over the edge of the hill. 20 years later it was retrieved to be fired again, but this time…
Bird lovers visiting Montagu doesn't have to go much further than the Leidam to see a wide range of birds fairly up close. The residents around the dam include Grey heron, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, African Sacred Ibis and the Common Weaver with 18 local species and 52 migrant species counted. The town has put up a very nice and accessible viewing deck next to the dam and visitors who would like a closer look can get a key for the gate from the…
Visiting the Montagu Dried Fruit factory shop we found out that they have a sightseeing tractor tour of the farm for which we immediately booked. The tour takes about an hour and a half to two hours and passes the fruit drying area and orchards before heading up the hill behind the farm. Once you are out of the actually farming area you start ascending the adjacent hill with its typical Karoo vegetation. The Kidz were obviously very excited about the trip and…
I love summer fruits (well, any fruit actually) like peaches, plums and apricots. That was one of the many reasons I looked forward to spending the first part of our summer holiday in the Klein Karoo town of Montagu. The area has a rich soil and amazing micro climate and along with the fact that there is an abundance of water makes it ideal to farm summer fruits.On our first day in Montagu I discovered the Montagu Dried Fruit Factory Shop. …
Even though I have a nifty little panorama setting on my camera I don't always do a lot of panorama photos. The reason for this is mainly because the photo often looks a bit distorted if the horizon is a flat one. Standing at one of the lookout spots overlooking the town of Montagu surrounded by beautiful mountains and summer fruit orchards (peach and apricot), I decided to give it a shot. The result encouraged me to take a couple more…
I've said it before and I will say it again and again and again (every time I find another one). Just about every town has a war memorial. Click to see those in Knysna and Mossel Bay which I've blogged about before. Driving around Montagu I was looking for interesting places and stumbled upon the Montagu War Memorial remembering those from the town who fell during the Anglo Boer War, WWI and WWII. I'm not a war junkie so I…