By Roxanne Reid
South Africa’s Tankwa Karoo is remote, way out in the sticks between nowhere and nothing. But that doesn’t mean you can’t drink in the open spaces, the big blue skies and the booming silence. It also doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do. Here are 10 things to do in the Tankwa Karoo from Gannaga Lodge.
South Africa’s Tankwa Karoo is remote, way out in the sticks between nowhere and nothing. But that doesn’t mean you can’t drink in the open spaces, the big blue skies and the booming silence. It also doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do. Here are 10 things to do in the Tankwa Karoo from Gannaga Lodge.
1. Drive the gravel Gannaga Pass, stopping here and there to admire the view over the wide Karoo landscape and open skies. Try to do it in both directions, because the views are different; my favourite is the descent, when the view is laid out below you and you don’t have to crick your neck. If you approach your Tankwa Karoo accommodation at Gannaga Lodge from the Ceres/Sutherland or Calvinia entrances of the Tankwa Karoo National Park, you’ll have to drive up the pass to get to the lodge anyway. But if you approach from Middelpos, it’s worth driving the pass as an outing during your stay. If you’re fit and energetic, you could ride it on your mountain bike or hike it. Note that the pass can become slippery when it rains or snows, so check first at the lodge or at the Roodewerf offices in the park about conditions along the way.
Gannaga Pass
2. Take a drive to the Gannaga River Gorge 5.5km away from the lodge along a tweespoor track. It says 4x4 only, but as long as you have high clearance, you’ll be fine. When we visited recently, the river had last had water in it four-and-a-half years before. There’s an expansive view to left and right, looking down on the winding riverbed, the deep gorge and over the Langkloof campsite in the Tankwa Karoo National Park, its ablutions like matchbox toys in the distance.
Gannaga River Gorge
3. To make the most of your Tankwa Karoo accommodation, walk around the farmstead and enjoy the peace and silence. One of the lodge’s dogs might join you. Enjoy the small tribe of unusual wire and cement figures that dot the area, as well as rusted farm implements from another time.
Old stone buildings and rusted farm implements abound in the farm yard
4. Give in to laziness and pick a spot to read a book – the library and the lodge’s stoep are two of the best places, but I enjoyed time on the farm house’s verandah too.
The sitting room and library
5. Go for a swim in the lodge’s pool, which has wraparound views of the Karoo.
Swimming pool with a view of the Tankwa veld
6. After dinner, when the skies are dark, don’t forget to look up to enjoy the stars that sparkle in all their brightness here in the clean, dry air. If you walk a little way from the lodge area, down the path towards the entrance gate, the sky will open up further without buildings and trees in the way, and you should be able to see the Milky Way, more spectacular than it will ever be over any big city lights.
7. If you’re a fan of South African-born Shakespearean actor and writer Anthony Sher, visit Middelpos 28km north of the lodge to see the setting of his novel by the anglicised name Middelpost. Established as a trading post in 1860, Middelpos today is South Africa’s smallest village. It’s a dozy and dusty little place that’s not particularly pretty, with just the Middelpos Hotel, a general dealer, school, police station and garage. Don’t miss going into the general dealer to buy a chocolate or cold drink; it’s like walking through a wormhole into the past.
7. If you’re a fan of South African-born Shakespearean actor and writer Anthony Sher, visit Middelpos 28km north of the lodge to see the setting of his novel by the anglicised name Middelpost. Established as a trading post in 1860, Middelpos today is South Africa’s smallest village. It’s a dozy and dusty little place that’s not particularly pretty, with just the Middelpos Hotel, a general dealer, school, police station and garage. Don’t miss going into the general dealer to buy a chocolate or cold drink; it’s like walking through a wormhole into the past.
Middelpos Hotel in the one-horse town of Middelpos
8. Take a drive to Oudebaaskraal dam in the park - a good chance to go game viewing and bird watching. You might see gemsbok, mountain zebra, springbok, red hartebeest and even some water birds like avocet, South African shelduck and grebe. Look for Burchell’s courser on patches of open gravel near the dam.
Oudebaskraal dam is a good place to look for waterbirds
9. Don’t miss a drive or hike to the Elandsberg viewpoint in the park (4x4 or high clearance needed). Last time we drove it, the first section was very rocky, but it evened out and the going became much easier for the last 4km or so. The wind can be roguish at the viewpoint, but it’s worth braving it to enjoy the view of the flat-bottomed valley floor with layers of mountains bursting from it as far as you can see.
Elandsberg viewpoint
10. Go plant-spotting. You’ve struck it lucky if you visit between August and October, when the veld might be covered in wild flowers. Some 615 species occur in the Tankwa Karoo National Park, and this Succulent Karoo biome is the only arid area in the world to be declared a biodiversity hotspot. Look out for the pinkish flowers of the Hoodia gordonii, known to the San to curb hunger. Take photos but don’t flout park rules by taking cuttings, digging up, picking or damaging the plants in any way.
Come in September to October for the best wild flower displays
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Gannaga Lodge at the top of Gannaga Pass in the Tankwa Karoo
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Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
Gannaga Lodge at the top of Gannaga Pass in the Tankwa Karoo
The Tankwa Padstal in the Karoo
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
