Travel Adviser : Jewels of the Karoo

The low down:
To book accommodation at all three parks, use the website http://www.sanparks.org
or e-mail reservations@sanparks.org.

Mountain Zebra National Park

HOW TO GET THERE

The park is on the R61 about 20 km west of the Eastern Cape town of Cradock
in the direction of Nieu-Bethesda and Graaff-Reinet. To get to Cradock from
Port Elizabeth, take the N2 towards East London and, 56 km later, turn north
onto the N10. Cradock is about 200 km from the turnoff.

WHAT TO DO AND SEE

There are four hiking trails ranging from 1 km to 25 km. They offer the relaxed
walker, as well as the serious hiker, an opportunity to experience the park’s
beautiful, tranquil mountainous scenery and wildlife. The park incorporates
elements of three biomes: Nama Karoo, grassland and thicket. Look out for black
rhino, Cape buffalo, Cape mountain zebra, red hartebeest, blue crane and Denham’s
bustard. With a sharp eye, you might also see eland, kudu, mountain reedbuck,
black wildebeest, bushbuck, springbok, gemsbok, steenbok, klipspringer and bushpig
as well as four types of hare, three types of mice and their particular predators:
caracal, silver fox and black-backed jackal. Leopards also roam the mountains.

PARK COSTS

Access to the park is R15 for locals, R30 for visitors from the Southern African
region (you need to show a passport) and R60 for other foreign visitors. If
you have a Wild Card, it’s free.

ACCOMMODATION

$ to $$ There are a string of two-bedroom cottages in practical, efficient National
Parks style, a restaurant with veranda pub and Doornhoek, an old farmhouse built
in 1836 which has been beautifully restored to take guests. It was used in the
filming of Olive Schreiner’s Story of an African Farm.

Camdeboo National Park

HOW TO GET THERE

Camdeboo surrounds the town of Graaff-Reinet, about 250 km north of Port Elizabeth.
To get there, take the R75 north from Port Elizabeth past Uitenhage and Jansenville.

WHAT TO DO AND SEE

The Valley of Desolation is one of the wonders of South Africa. An excellent
scenic road takes you to the lip of the valley and there are walks along the
rim. The park also includes the Nqweba Dam – a great area for an early
morning game drive – and a large new section, Winterhoek, which is open
to hikers.

Camdeboo is part of the Karoo mountain complex within the Great Escarpment and
has a semi-arid climate. There are three distinct types of vegetation: shrubland,
dwarf shrubland and succulent thicket. Its mountain topography is the park’s
greatest draw card, even though it has 43 species of mammal, including Cape
mountain zebra, a herd of disease-free buffalo and an abundant population of
kudu.

There’s much to do in the historic town of Graaff-Reinet, including some
excellent museums, one of which houses the famous station panels of the artist
Pierneef. There are also several first-class restaurants, top of the list being
the Coral Tree in Beneke Street. For simple chic, try Pioneers in Parsonage
Street. But avoid the town’s information office: we found them to be rude
and unhelpful. Rather ask locals for information: they’re willing and friendly.

PART COSTS

Access to the park is R10 for locals, R20 for visitors from the Southern African
region (you need to show a passport) and R30 for other foreign visitors. If
you have a Wild Card, it’s free.

ACCOMMODATION

$ The only accommodation within the park is an excellent overnight trail hut,
which costs R30 a person a night plus the park entrance fee. You can hike or
drive there. There are many excellent B&Bs in Graaff- Reinet. Getaway stayed
at Lynn’s Place. To book, call Lynn Minnaar on tel 049-845-0305, e-mail
groenvlei@groenvlei.co.za or
see web http://www.groenvlei.co.za.
You can also stay on her farm (see the September 2006 archived
feature). We can also recommend the historic but reasonable Carrow-Veld
Cottages in Caroline Street. Tel 049-892-3601, e-mail cveld@telkomsa.net.

Karoo National Park

HOW TO GET THERE

The park is outside Beaufort West on the N1 about 1 000 km south of Gauteng
and 500 km north of Cape Town.

WHAT TO DO AND SEE

The park has a wide variety of endemic wildlife and a number of species -
such as black rhino, buffalo and Cape mountain zebra – have been relocated
to their former ranges within the park. There are more than 20 breeding pairs
of Verrauxs’ (black) eagles in the craggy hills and an extraordinary variety
of succulent plants. A quagga breeding programme is underway and you’re
likely to see some zebras that look as though they’ve lost their pyjama
bottoms.

There’s a fun 4×4 route up the cliff-hanging Pienaar’s Pass to the
highland plains area, or you can take the magnificently built Klipspringer Pass.
Another, more sedate, adventure is the Fossil Trail near the park chalets which
will take you on a million-or-so-year trip in a mere 400 metres. Another trail,
twice as long but equally interesting, is the Bossie Trail through the diverse
vegetation of the area.

Around 200 species of birds have been sighted in the park. Big hairies include
black rhino, both Cape mountain and Burchell’s zebra, red hartebeest, buffalo,
kudu and eland, but keep a look out for honey badgers, Cape clawless otters,
aardwolfs and black-backed jackals.

PARK COSTS

Access to the park is R15 for locals, R30 for visitors from the Southern African
region (you need to show a passport) and R60 for other foreign visitors. If
you have a Wild Card, it’s free.

ACCOMMODATION

$ to $$ A family cottage, sleeping six a day for four people (including breakfast).
A three-sleeper cottage for two with breakfast. Camping also available.