Myself and a colleague recently travelled to the Northern Cape as part of a educational for work purposes. WOW! what an experience! This is truly a place yet to be discovered.
Living in Clanwilliam along the West Coast of Cape Town, we are very use to tourist popping in and out and experiencing what we call life! So going to the Northern Cape was something new to me! I have been around and pretty close to some areas in the Northern Cape nothing came close to what we experienced here!
Left for Upington at 5am drove through what is known as the karoo. Sheep farming world. Now before i left i was informed to keep in mind that the people from the NC ( Northern Cape) are the friendliest people but also not the fastest people you will come across. Absolutely nothing related to their IQ but more to their mannerisms. They farm there is vast spaces between them and the next town, so everything is slower. They are in no rush at all. When they plan a trip on a Friday morning to go into Town from the farm, it's a day trip. Small town, small amount of people so every one knows every one!
This is exactly what makes this area so incredible! If you have a problem they stop to help, and if they cant help with it, they know exactly who to phone to help you. This sometimes means you will end up meeting some one with great stories to tell and experiences to share! Perhaps you will end up with an infamous NC farm supper! O the lamb is amazing, they cook like angels in the NC.
So arrived in Upington, Van Rhyns Dorp, Calvinia, Brand Vlei, Keimoes ( amazing wine village that is my favourite to drive through, a real gem!) and Upington.
Met Ginny at the airport and off we went first stop ( after lunch obviously) Augrabie Falls! Part of SAN Parks this reserve is well known. The Augrabie Falls are part of the mighty and well known Orange River! We got there before the rain so the falls were pretty timid. But looking at the images they have there it could get even better. Talk about amazing sunset! They have self catering units for the family to be together.
Yet if a South African braai is not what you are after there is a restaurant that servers various foods for all.
Slept one night there at Augrabies then after breakfast the next morning it was off to Kamkirri Lodge, Kamkirrie means place of the leopard! Kamkirri is on the banks of the Orange river and to get to the lodge we got taken by boat across the river to the lodge.
What an awesome place. Living at a dam already the water factor already gets all my liking and i loooved the atmosphere! A massive lapa ( thatched roof deck) with big comfy chairs and a massive big screen ( which at that time was showing the IPL). So our feet had hardly touched dry ground and off we were on a Quad Bike trip around their farm. Remember this is also wine country not as well known as Stellenbosch and Franschhoek but the wine is great!
Off on the quad bikes we were and got to see the farm with Spring Buck wondering around and one very rowdy male Ostrich!! All kind of terrain wet, dry and rocky. Loads of fun a definite must do!!!
We also spotted a Fish Eagle soaring pretty lower than they usually do! This must be my favourite predatory bird ever. Talk about beautiful!
Back at the lodge we got all settled in, and got ready for lunch on the deck over looking the orange river with birds frog fish you name it the sound was there!
10Km river rafting was what we were in for next. Yay! Loved it as well as i have never done this before. Tale note River rafting not white river rafting as the rapids are not as rough!!
Well needless to say we survived and we enjoyed every moment from the rapids to the calm feeling of floating along one of the most magnificent Rivers in the world.
Unfortunately i had to cut my trip short but Ginny went on to experience more of the NC the part of it known as the Kalahari. Kgalakgadi Park was where they were heading to !Xaus Lodge.
I Will definitely recommend the NC to anybody for self drive of adventure tours.
I cant wait to go see the rest of it!
Laré
:)
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