A friend from Germany was in town last week and desperately wanted to visit some natural hot springs. We have 4 of such that I am aware of, and there are all within 2 hours of Cape Town.
Goudini Spa: A large family resort with municipal charm and old world holiday camp appeal. This place has been a traditional family mainstay for many many years and is still going strong. The rooms are basic but cheap and the grounds are very lush and well landscaped. Not really ideal for young people, but great for families, wanting a quick getaway from Cape Town at little expense.
The Baths: It has been a while since I was here, but I remember enjoying the place greatly, the baths are steaming hot and the setting is quite remote and very much amongst nature.
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3 hours drive from Cape Town, and you are approaching the middle of the “Great Karoo desert”. Steeped in eccentricity and other worldly feel, it is deafeningly quiet with crisp dry air. First seeming barren and lunar, South Africa’s largest ecosystem, is host to 9000 species of plants and a healthy stock of game animals. The Karoo National Park may be your last chance to see Black Rhino, or Riverine Rabbits. The Quagga too, looks remarkably well, considering it has been extinct for 125 years. Miraculously re-bred, it resembles both a Zebra and an Antelope.
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Hi-dy Ho everyone! Today we will discover the best hostel in the Ostrich capital of the world, Oudtshoorn! The place is called “Backpackers’ Paradise” - in my opinion, if Oudtshoorn had an ocean instead wide open spaces, you could call this stop Backpackers’ Heaven!
Book your stay at Backpackers’ Paradise.
First, the most important aspect at any hostel, the beds. Oh boy the beds… I could go on for pages about those beds, they are big and extra wide, you can literally roll over about three times before falling off, and they come with fluffy comforters and soft pillows.
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The small, pretty hamlet of Montagu, in the borderlands of the Klein Karoo region of the Western Cape province, has a secret: apart from having some of the best hot springs in the country, as well as a robust dried fruit industry, it’s the muscadel capital of South Africa.
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A while ago I met someone, who was interested in swapping my Cj6 Jeep for a SAAB 9000 CS (spy car). He worked for the Spanish embassy and told me how he was planning on shifting his operation into the Great Karoo desert (spy?). This intrigued me and I have kept in touch with him and have asked him to write a few words about his time in the Karoo, the bush-without-a-bush.
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For his fans, Chris Martin’s voice is haunting enough as it is. Imagine it bouncing spookily around the surreal walls of the Cango Caves - which is what MTV is proposing, according to local reports.
This hasn’t impressed the conservationists of the Klein Karoo very much, however, who feel that a few hours of unplugged Coldplay (plus a viewership in the tens of millions) is not worth spoiling a carefully-laid track record of pro-cave-preservation decisions in recent years.
Nevertheless, the powers that be in Oudtshoorn (such as there be powers that be there) are considering giving the idea the …
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There are no easy categories in which to place Soekershof, on the R60 between Robertson and Ashton, at the fringe of the Klein Karoo region of the Western Cape - unless, that is, you use adjectives instead of nouns. How about unique, fantastic, and soul-restoring for a start?
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Stunning Succulent
Among other things, Soekershof is:
A 100,000 square meter patch of the Klaas Voogds section of the Langeberg mountains, which makes it a splendid picnic spot.
A series of labyrinths and huge garden mazes made of walls of shrubs, which one can wander through all day.
A site of legends, wonderfully told by proprietors Herman van Bon and Yvonne de Wit, who relate the history of the region, introduce “living legend” wire art craftsman Messina Mussindo (Joey), and tell a great “James Bond” story.
A garden featuring over 2400 succulents.
A place for moonlit walkabouts and philosophical musings.
A Fair Trade-certified destination (meaning a visit has positive economic spinoffs for the local community).
A threat to the national security of the United States of America.
(The last point is true! A US defense satellite picked up one of Soekershof’s huge garden mazes in 2003, and mistook it for an anti-aircraft installation, sparking a bit of a scramble.)
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SA Blog is exploring South Africa on the Baz Bus, following the adventures of intrepid Baz Blogger Kathy - a.k.a. “Trekker”.
Leg One of the Baz Bus route has a total of 17 stops and goes through two provinces.
Balancing Act
The Western Cape route includes 14 stops, from Cape Town to Storms River. Within this, the Garden Route (Map | SA Blog) - part of the Western Cape - encompasses the stops from Mossel Bay to Storms River.
From there we enter the Eastern Cape, with 3 stops, before we get to the mandatory stop in Port Elizabeth (the Nelson Mandela Metropole).
See Baz Bus route map | Book Baz Bus ticket
For this entry I am going to focus on activities and highlights From Cape Town to Oudtshoorn.
Penguins
Hi-ho hi-ho, it’s off to the Western Cape we go…
Waking up around 6 a.m., be prepared for your Baz Bus pick-up anytime between 6.30am - 7h30 a.m. But remember that sometimes traffic causes delays, so don’t stress!
Be sure to have your Baz Bus ticket or number ready for the driver. Never fear if it gets lost in the shuffle, the drivers are very helpful (I should know).
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