Sunset and scenic views at the Valley of Desolation

What is the first thing you think of if I had to ask you to name one thing to see or do if you visited the Karoo Heartland town of Graaff-Reinet?  I don't know about you, but my answer would be the Valley of Desolation in the Camdeboo National Park.  For some reason every time I spend the night in Graaff-Reinet I end up visiting the Valley of Desolation and that reason is that the Valley is one of the Eastern Cape's most iconic must see scenic attractions.

This time around I didn't make my way up to the Valley by myself but was hooked up on a tour led by Oom Buks Marais of Karoo Park Guesthouse in town.  Karoo Park offers tours up to the Valley, historic walks around town as well as night drives in the Camdeboo National Park.  Unfortunately this time around I only had time for one of them though.  Once in the park the road climbs quite drastically up to the escarpment with great views back over the town and adjacent Nqweba Dam before Spandau Kop and ultimately the Valley of Desolation itself is seen.

Once at the parking spot it's about a 200 meter walk to the first of the lookout points with paths and trails taking you further along for to a couple more view sites.  One of the things to keep in mind is to always wear comfortable shoes even if you're only going as far as the first viewpoint.  The path isn't a boardwalk or properly paved path so trying to do it in heals may just lead to a broken ankle. 

At the top of the path the Valley of Desolation lies right in front of you.  It's more a gorge than a valley, but not sure if the name Gorge of Desolation would have worked.  The Valley of Desolation consist of sheer cliffs and precariously balanced columns of Dolerite rising 120 metres up from the valley floor below.  These are the product of volcanic and erosive forces of nature over 100 million years and stands against the backdrop of the vast plains of the Camdeboo which makes for a stunning sight.  

I once heard somebody say that they don't know what the fuss of the view was about.  I stood there looking like I was trying to catch flies with my mouth and just stuck my hands out towards the view and made big eyes.  Some people just don't appreciate true beauty if it slaps them in the face.  

Often it's not just a case of come, see and leave, with a lot of people bringing a picnic basket and sun downers to enjoy while watching the sun go down over the Karoo plains.  All of this means that it can actually be a very romantic spot as well plus it never really gets crowded so it's not like you are competing for your space in the sun(set).  I'm told early mornings are a good time to visit as well although I haven't done that myself yet.

On our visit though the wind was pumping and although we were the only people up there, Oom Buks suggested we go down the mountain a bit to a another slightly more sheltered view site once we had out fill of the Valley itself.  

Once there Oom Buks broke out the cooler box and and it was time to enjoy a cold one while watching the sun go down.  Plus take photos.  Lots and lots of sunset photos to work through later.  

I really like this photo of Oom Buks standing on this rock enjoying the view.  A view he has seen thousands of times and just about every day.  It shows a man who really has a passion for the Karoo.

I may be a forest person and really enjoy the bush, but the vast open spaces of the Karoo stays a very special place and one I always enjoy to experience.  If you've never been to Graaff-Reinet (which means you've never been to the Valley of Desolation either) then I think it's time for a road trip and while there, make sure you take the road up to the Valley late one afternoon to go and enjoy a sunset.  And don't forget to bring your camera... and a picnic basket... and a loved one.

Valley of Desolation sunset

One of my absolute favorite places to enjoy an Eastern Cape sunset is from the Valley of Desolation outside Graaff-Renet.  Other than that, I will let the picture do the talking. #ExperienceEastCape

A quick fire Panorama Route tour - just enough to make me want to visit again

We all have our travel bucket lists.  In actual fact, I have three.  One for South Africa, one for Africa and the other for international travel.  I have never been to Mpumalanga so both Kruger National Park and the Panorama Route were very high on my South African travel bucket list until I got the chance to tick one of them off recently.  A trip to White River for the SATSA conference meant I had a morning for a pre-conference outing and both a half day Panorama Route tour and a morning game drive in Kruger were on the program.  I knew whichever one I chose would just be a taste of the full experience and because I've done many game drives before I opted for the Panorama Roue. 

 Thursday morning and I barely had my coffee when Vusi Khowane of Place of Rock Tours pulled up at the hotel for our Panorama Route tour.  Now usually a Panorama Route tour is a full day tour with stops at all the prominent view sites and waterfalls along the route as well as the town of Pilgrims Rest.  As a half day tour we basically had time to see the three main sights and to get a taste of what the route has to offer.

We headed north from White River via Hazyview and Graskop towards the Blyde River Canyon.  Along the way we passed commercial wood plantations, macadamia nut farms, bananas and other fruits, beautiful views and lots of villages.  Our first stop was at the Blyde River Canyon view site.  The Blyde River Canyon is said to be the third largest canyon on Earth (after the Grand Canyon in the USA and the Fish River Canyon in Namibia) and the largest "green canyon" due to its lush subtropical foliage. 

 

From the view site you get to see one (or rather three) of the Panorama Route's more famous landmarks, the "Three Rondavels".  The Three Rondavels are three huge, round buttresses, thought to look like the huts of the indigenous people, known as rondavels.

The next stop on out whirlwind tour was the famous Bourkes Luck Potholes.  This curious geological feature of natural rock formations and pools are caused by particles of sand and rock that gets washed into hollow areas by the swirling streams and have worn cylindrical potholes into the sandstone bedrock over centuries.  The Potholes, named after a prospector, Tom Bourke, who hoped to find gold at this site but never did, can be viewed from walkways and bridges crisscrossing the area.    

I've seen many photos of the Bourkes Luck Potholes but seeing it first hand was something special.  It's really wow and hard to explain to somebody who has never been there so make a plan to get there if you've never been.

Our last stop was at God's Window.  As time was starting to press and we had to get back, we opted for the Wonderview view site rather than the main God's Window stop purely because of the time constraint.  God's Window offers astonishing views over the Lowveld, named so because it is a good 700 meters lower than the high escarpment along which the Panorama Route runs.  On a clear day you can see over theKruger National Park towards the Lebombo Mountains on South Africa’s border with Mozambique.  It was a little hazy on my visit but even so it was clear that this must be one of the most beautiful views in South Africa.

Having seen these three Panorama Route landmarks have really wet my appetite to see the rest of the route as well and that is even more reason for me to bring the Damselfly and KidZ some day on a holiday to show them these wonderful attractions... and obviously visit Kruger.

Beaches around Kob Inn on the Wild Coast

The Wild Coast is famous for it's magnificent coastline which can be explored in various ways ranging from hotel to hotel slack packing, spending time with locals or while staying at one of the excellent family hotels along the coast.  I spent a night at Kob Inn at the Qora River mouth and got to have a quick look around the coastline bordering the hotel.  I can just imagine spending a few days there in summer exploring these beaches.   

Qora River mouth

The beach between Qora River and the hotel

Enjoying the view

The coastline on the other side of the hotel.  I didn't really get a good photo of the beach in the cove on this side, but it's even better than the one on the other side.

Paddling on the Bushmans

Blue skies, no wind, flat water, warm winters day... Sounds like the perfect day to paddle on the Bushmans River at Kenton-on-Sea.  Or at least sit on a jetty and watch somebody do it like we did.

Driving the Woody Cape dirt road between Kenton and Alexandria

I have always just driven the R72 between Alexandria and Kenton-on-Sea and have only just seen the coastline and Alexandria dune field from the air on the occasion that the plane did fly this way en-route to or from PE airport.  I have also always just heard how beautiful the drive along the loop past Woody Cape is and during a weekend in Kenton-on-Sea decided that it was time to go and see it for myself.  

We turned off the R72 just outside of Kenton-on-Sea and headed down towards Cannon Rocks before another turn to the right onto the dirt road just before town.  My biggest concern was the condition of the dirt road but my mind was quickly at ease and the Polo only had to negotiate two or three slightly rough spots on an otherwise excellent gravel road. The highlight of the drive is definitely the stretch where you see the Alexandria dune field stretched out along the coast in front of you (and thus the reason why I would say the best direction to do this is from east to west).  To the left and out to sea you can also see Bird Island with it's very distinctive lighthouse, something not visible from Port Elizabeth.

The general scenery along the road is made up of rolling green hills, sea scapes and dairy cattle.   It isn't often that you get to see dairy cows grazing with the ocean in the background.  I'm sure if somebody had to be blindfolded and dropped here from space, they could easily guess that they are in Ireland somewhere.  

The Alexandria dune field forms part of the Addo Elephant National Park and just after the view of the dunes the road swing inland and you get to drive through a small section of coastal forest located inside the park.  A few kilometers later the road delivers you back on the tar road just outside Alexandria and we were on our way back home.

Taking the Woody Cape road wouldn't add more than probably 40 minutes or so to your journey so if you are spending a little time on Route 72 and the Sunshine Coast or not in a hurry getting to your destination, then it's well worth the drive.  Just another reason to Experience our Eastern Cape. #ExperienceEastCape

Kenton selfie and a broken tablet

A week or two ago we spent a fabulous weekend in Kenton-on-Sea on Route 72 on the Sunshine Coast.  The main reason for being there was to get away for a few days and we made good use of the opportunity to explore the stunning piece of coastline between the mouths of the Bushmans and Kariega rivers.  While there both Drama Princess and I did what we enjoyed, snapped away at pictures.  The only difference was that she was doing the teenager selfie thing with beautiful backgrounds (at 11 she's in some ways very much a teen already) and I was trying to get her to be the anchor object in my landscapes (seeing that the Damselfly and Chaos Boy isn't always keen to do it).  But Saturday night IT happened.  She came running with her tablet in hand.  The screen was busy fading out and the next minute went blank.  And then the taps opened.  She was in tears.  Let's just say the tablet has gone in for them to check was is wrong and I sure hope it won't be an expensive repair cause it's not like I have a lot of extra money just lying around.  Hoping for the best.