The small town of Richmond lies just off the N1, about halfway between Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa. Don’t rush past; take the time to explore. Let me share some insight into why to visit Richmond in the Karoo.
By Roxanne Reid
The small town of Richmond lies just off the N1, about halfway between Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa. Don’t rush past; take the time to explore. Let me share some insight into why to visit Richmond in the Karoo.
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By Roxanne Reid I hopped out of the car to open a gate and found sheep waiting to welcome us to their patch of Karoo. The wind whipped the sand across the gravel track. We turned a corner and the farmhouse appeared, a windmill standing near a giant pepper tree on the far side. We were at Bloemhof-Karoo guesthouse near Richmond in South Africa’s Northern Cape Karoo. By Roxanne Reid Imagine tracking cheetahs and being able to sneak quietly closer on foot with your guide. Imagine being able to follow an aardvark in broad daylight, walking behind it as it forages for food. Being able to follow cheetah and aardvark on foot are just two of the thrills you can experience when you stay at Samara near Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape Karoo. By Roxanne Reid Staying in quirky, different places is always a kick, whether it’s in a tree house or a cave, on a train or a houseboat. So imagine my thrill when I got to spend a night in jail at Willowmore in the Karoo and uncovered fascinating old stories of darkness and rebellion, of a prison warden who turned to crime. By Roxanne Reid There’s something in the water of South Africa's Karoo that grows bizarre places and wacky people. Or maybe it's just that wide open spaces lure free spirits whose brains are wired a little differently. Next time you’re in the area, stop at Calvinia’s Rustic Art tucked away from the main drag and you’ll unearth the kind of thing I mean – a weird world in the Karoo. By Roxanne Reid A one-legged flying doctor. A madman who lugs a car over the mountain to a place without roads. These are the kind of stories you’ll find among the silence and solitude at Gamkaskloof near Prince Albert in the Karoo, otherwise known as The Hell. By Roxanne Reid In April 2013, 130 years after they had last roamed free in the area, lions were introduced to the Mountain Zebra National Park near Cradock in the Eastern Cape Karoo. On a recent visit we were lucky enough to see these lions at a kill on the Kranskop Loop. By Roxanne Reid ‘This is a delicious book. It evokes things we love about the country around us. It conjures up places that soothe the soul. Its huge fault is that ... well, people are going to read it. And then where will all our best-kept secrets be?’ So said author and TV presenter Denis Beckett in his foreword of A Walk in the Park, which takes readers on a road trip in and around South Africa's national parks. Now an updated 2nd edition e-book has been published. By Roxanne Reid Summer thunderstorms and the exhilaration of lightning streaking across the sky. A Verreaux’s eagle soaring high over the crag. A steep pass giving panoramic views over scrub-dotted plains. A gentle dawn light stretching across the mountains while the Cape mountain zebra grazes. These are part of the enchantment of Mountain Zebra National Park in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. By Roxanne Reid Summer thunderstorms, winding passes, sweeping views over mountains and valleys. Meerkat, buffalo and lion, not forgetting the Cape mountain zebra the park was formed to protect. These are a few of the things that make this place special. To find out what else is in store when you visit, here’s a beginner’s guide to the Mountain Zebra National Park. |
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AboutI'm an independent travel writer and book editor with a passion for Africa - anything from African travel, people, safari and wildlife to adventure, heritage, road-tripping and slow travel. Categories
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