Close to the well-known Kurland, situated in The Craggs, an escape with fireflies and fairies await. Turning off the Nature’s Valley Road, you are greeted by a laid-back setup with a feeling mixed between backpackers and glamping.

Firefly Falls is a relaxed accommodation option close to Plettenberg Bay. If you are looking for a bit of a glamping spoil without breaking the bank, then this is your kind of place. At R690-R890 per night, the luxury glamping tents, like Dusky Flycatcher, is reasonably priced. You can sleep in the comfort of a warm bed, with electric blankets for winter time and a fan for summer. The luxury glamping tent is not equipped with it’s own bathroom, but you have options when it comes to ablutions. You can have a bath in the forest, in the Forest Bathroom or you can choose to shower with the fairies in the Fairy Bathroom. Make sure you take your own cutlery and crockery and if you have forgotten something, you can always pay the communal kitchen a visit.

Sitting around a fire or lying in your tent at night, the night sounds are filled with a buzz from the nearby town. While you are on the edge of the forest, and can soon get lost in your own thoughts, Firefly is a backpacker family-friendly style accommodation. You might soon find yourself surrounded by families enjoying the open spaces with children playing on the perfectly mowed lawn, friends enjoying the hot tub/pool and families utilizing the communal entertainment area.

Lying in the hammocks, reading your book, practising your putting on the mini green, having a picnic on the grass or taking a walk in the forest to the Waterfall. This is a place where you come to relax and recharge. Although we have chosen the luxury glamping option for our visit this time around, camping space is aplenty and ranges from R150-R250 per person depending on season and site size. The ablutions and communal kitchen are clean (quite an important thing for us) and the staff is extremely friendly and helpful.

If you are looking for a quick getaway, not too far from civilization and you are not too picky as to whom you share your space with, Firefly Falls is the perfect place for you. They do offer various other accommodation options and even a Volunteer program. It is easily reachable with a normal sedan car and is also biker-friendly for those adventure bikers looking for a stay-over on their Garden Route trips.

We enjoyed our stay and can recommend this for anyone who is looking to get away with the family or a group of friends.

Note:
– Has communal entertainment area
– Has communal kitchen
– Car is parked in parking area
– Offers electric blankets & extra blanket throws
– Daily cleaning of amenities

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The Gamtoos Valley is quickly becoming one of our favourite places to explore. It was thus a no-brainer to spend Felicity’s birthday in the citrus capital of the Eastern Cape. Except, this time around there were no citrus involved, but instead we discovered another secluded campsite not to far off the main road.

After spending a night in Baviaanskloof, it was time to meet the parents for a weekend camping and spoils for mom on her birthday. So after stopping of at Tolbos (more about this quaint little “padstal” later) to pick-up the keys, I was on my merry way to meet them for a quick light lunch and catch-up before heading into the “no signal” zone.

Gonjah (the indigenous word for grasshopper) is a secluded bush camp, 9km from Patensie, situated on the banks of a small little creek running right through the middle of the camp. The campsite has 4 ablution blocks, each with a hot shower (gas geyser) and a flush toilet. Situated under the big old yellowwood trees, Gonjah is covered in shade almost all day as the sun only reaches the bottom of the valley after midday. Here you find peace and quiet for your soul. With no cellphone reception, you will have plenty of time to appreciate the Knysna Loeries and other bird life that is in abundance in this few square meters of paradise.

As a family we always look for some activities to do together and Gonjah 4×4 is just the thing for that. On Sunday morning we headed out to enjoy a morning exploring a bit further. The turning around point would be the lookout over the Grootrivier River and the rest of the Cockscomb Mountains. It is also at this point that you will find a Geocache, which was a bonus for us, as we love looking for little treasures. The route is an easy, but rocky one. You traverse farmland and fynbos and with the fires that burnt in the area some time ago, the hard, black Protea bushes might be an unwelcoming surprise to a neatly cleaned new SUV. However, if you can bear with the bumpy ride and not get lost along the way (the markers for the 4×4 route is not at all clear), you will be rewarded with breathtaking views. We suggest that you follow our example and pack a picnic basket and coffee to spend some time at the top of the valley. The route up to the valley took us 2 hours at a leisurely pace without getting lost or diverting off the path. No real off-road skills needed. With two or three inclines on route, you simply will have to stick to what you know about your vehicle to succeed.

We only had one night’s stay here and could have easily stayed over a second night, especially given the competitive pricing. It was unfortunately time to pack up camp and head over to Tolbos for our last and final lunch of the weekend. A true birthday celebration, just the way we like it in the peace and quiet of nature. At Tolbos we met the owner of Gonjah and Tolbos Restaurant (Hetsie Scheepers) and spend quality time chatting and reminiscing about Africa and our journeys we undertook over the years. Hetsie is a seasoned traveler and it is clear that she has a passion for the outdoors and for people. It is thus no surprise that Tolbos Restaurant situated in Patensie is a popular stop-over for motorbikers and adventurers alike exploring the Baviaanskloof and passing through the Gamtoos Valley. The shop at Tolbos stocks a large variety of hand-crafted products. Here you will find anything from preserves to homemade pies. Hetsie and her friendly staff also serves the most delicious meals for the ravenous bikers to the light eater who only wants a snack. Hearty meals plated in a high-quality restaurant manner will surprise you and you will leave here on a full tummy, licking your fingers and wanting more.

Another two establishments in the Gamtoos Valley which you can add to your travel list. A friendly warning: you might want to add another hour or two, or even an extra day, to your itinerary. These places are bound to take your heart.

Just a little bit extra:
• Gonjah also has a fully equipped chalet
• There is a petrol station in Patensie
• Only high clearance vehicles will make it to the campsite (my VW Polo did not)
• Make sure you have a bite to eat at Tolbos – their food is fantastic and the hospitality is really something
• If you are planning to do the 4×4 route, we will happily provide you with some waypoints to easily find your way to the top

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Nestled in the heart of the Gamtoos Valley, 12km outside the town of Hankey in South Africa, lies the perfect spot to spend the weekend. John and Catherina Wait have outdone their selves with providing an enjoyable camping spot for the whole family at inniKloof. Whether you are looking for a place before you enter Baviaanskloof or have just exited Baviaanskloof or even just a nice breakaway weekend, this is the place to be.

inniKloof offers a main campsite with grass and multiple electricity points. The ablution facilities are neat and clean with an attached scullery. A big undercover platform is available with a built-in braai for those who do not wish to make use of the big round braais in the middle of the campsite. Might I add that these big braai pits becomes the centre of attention when a big group descends on inniKloof.

A new addition to the campsite is “Boskrapper” which offers two stands in “Bosloerie” and “Bosmusikant”.  These stands are under big yellowwood trees and are a bit more private.  These stands can only take tents and no electricity is available.  Each site has it’s own pool and the ablutions has a gas geyser and solar lighting.

With awards such as “Best Value for Money” and “Best Establishment in the Gamtoos Valley” it isn’t difficult to see why inniKloof became so popular under bigger groups as well as the small family.

Not only do they offer a big open area with shaded camping spots and ample space for kids to ride their bicycles and enjoy a game of cricket. inniKloof also now has three bush camping spots along the river. These camping spots share an ablutions. Two of the three camping spots have their own swimming rock pool and none of them has electricity. You will be away from the hustle and bustle of the big campsite, but you will have to follow a path of about 30m from your car to your camp.

Apart from the big rock swimming pool at the main camp, filled with canoes and tubes, inniKloof also offers 2 short hikes. Draaikloof is about 2.2km and Die Nek is about 2.5km. These hikes are available for overnight visitors. Day visitors can make a reservation and pay a day visitors fee to do the hikes.

Not only does inniKloof offer camping opportunities, but four pristine cottages awaits those that would rather opt for the self-catering option. Bedding is supplied and each cottage sleeps either 6 or 8 people. The cottages provides you with a kitchen, multiple rooms and a lounge as well as a bathroom with a shower and hot water.

The venue can be reached by a normal sedan car. Driving along the entrance path lined with Yellowwoods alongside the river, you immediately feel that this is a special place. A place that will steal your heart in a second. As you lose cellphone reception, you realize that this is the perfect place to get away from the city.

For bird watchers this is truly paradise, rare species such as the African Finfoot often makes it’s appearance at the waterhole. Knysna Loeries dance in the trees around the campsite and birdsong wakes you in the morning. For those who would like to relax in a different way, there is a golf course just outside of Hankey. For the food lovers, there are farmstalls all around the area in the likes of Padlangs and Tolbos close to Patensie. A visit to the Mooihoek strawberry farm to buy some good quality frozen berries is a must!

For the more adventurous, why not hike up to Bergvenster to appreciate the views over this beautiful valley. Then visit some historical sites like the Old Mill Ruins, The Miller’s Grave, Phillips’ Tunnel, Phillips’ Grave and the slave tree.

The Gamtoos Valley truly offers something for everyone. So why not make inniKloof your basecamp and explore the area.

Contact John or Catherina at 042 284 0940 or 042 284 0697 to make your booking.

oOo

*This post was reviewed on 15/12/2020

A few notes:

• Hankey has a Spar for refreshments
• inniKloof has no cellphone reception
• You need to check-in at the Reception past the campsite upon arrival
• Bring your camera with, there are plenty of birds and photo opportunities
• It is only about 2.5km gravel road

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I prefer to travel as light as possible and keep the kitchen equipment/ utensils to the minimum.  Fancy cooking is something that I will attempt when I am at home with all the crockery and cutlery at hand.  After all, this is why we come to the bush – to get back to basics again and appreciate nature.  I can proudly say that I have had a braai in countries like Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast and Zambia!

When camping there are basically two ways to cook – either with a gas cooker or over the open fire.  We make a fire every night when camping so that is the obvious choice for us when we travel in Africa.  You will find wood or charcoal almost everywhere in Africa as it is an integral part of rural living on the continent.

There are various ways and methods to braai as this is second nature for us South African.  Read more on this topic in my post a  “Braai – a way of life”.

When we come to potjiekos which is made in a cast iron pot (three-legged or flat bottomed) over flames and not coals like when you are braaiing.  I prefer the flat-bottomed pot as my dish normally burns in the three-legged one.  I do not know what I am doing wrong!

When making potjie your choices of meat are endless – venison, beef, lamb, chicken, etcetera.  I even make a kick-ass lasagne potjie.  The best thing about a potjie is that you can add what you can find on the local markets.  In our case this mainly determines what type of potjie we are having that night.  (I will post on how to buy food on the local markets in a separate post).  However, I prefer to make a potjie when we are making camp for more than two days at a place, especially if you arrive late, there is not always enough time to make the potjie as it requires simmering over the fire.

A potjie is a good alternative to a braai as quality meat can at times be hard to find in Africa.  I am pretty sure that we had donkey tails once (sold as ox tail) in Choma, Zambia, but we survived that too!  When you are hungry and there are not a lot of options available, you just give it and go ….

My flat bottomed potjie also serves as an oven in which I bake bread.

Buy food that will last in the African heat.  Refrigerator space is always limited.  Butternuts (hard to find in Africa), gems and potatoes, onions and cabbage can take you a long way and sometimes it is the only vegetables that you will source for a couple of days.  So you need to be innovative with your recipes.  Aluminum foil comes in handy when doing vegetables over the fire.

I also take some dry rations such as pasta and couscous for emergencies – you never know what can happen in the African bush.  Rusks and coffee is also a quick breakfast fix when you have limited options in the bush.  Eggs are always problematic to pack and keep them whole, so I only buy it when I am pretty sure that it will be used the same day – boiled for lunch later or scrambled for breakfast.

Share your cooking experience in the commentary section of the post.  It may be useful to some newbie camper that is unfamiliar with local customs and conditions.

–oOo–

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At Kalizo on the banks of the mighty Zambezi river

Now there are no ”official” rules for having a braai.  The people of the Rainbow Nation each has his/her own preference on the when, how and what to braai.  Some of us like to have a basic fire place where you can sit as close as possible to the fire when it is cold – and do not mind smelling like smoke – and some of us like to do a classy braai in a build-in fireplace inside the house or on the stoep.  For most of my fellow citizens a braai is not about grilling the meat on a gas barbeque.

Lighting the fire in the Klein Karoo

First of all, the choice of firewood has to be sorted.  If you come from the Winelands you will probably prefer old grape vines, but if you are from the maize producing areas you may prefer to build your fire from maize cobs.  A popular wood, which is also freely available, is the alien Black Wattle and Rooikrantz or the option of charcoal.  It is all about taking time to sit around the fire and chat while you wait for the coals to get ready.  As a guest, it is very important to remember that the host is the one who starts the fire and will decide when it is ready for the meat to go on the fire!

Preparing a meal in Northern Kenya

The host will stipulate beforehand whether it is a “bring and braai” or not, but this is not always the case.  You will be notified if you will have to bring your own meat and/or salad, etc.  Remember that you are only allowed to braai your own meat if you are told so.   So, listen carefully!!

What do we like to braai?  Our creative nation loves our meat – anything from red meat, chicken, sausages, sosaties, fish or a braai pie.  We are always ready to try our hand at something new!  And with your choice of meat you will be served braai broodjies or garlic bread or pap en sous and a salad ….. or just meat!

Making a breakfast plan in Mozambique

A braai in South Africa is a social event, most public places have braais available.  In a campsite, you will have braai stands, but mostly each campsite will have an individual braai place.  Apart from braai we love to travel and if you do self catering accommodation the chances are excellent that you will have access to a braai space. And when on holiday, South Africans will braai.

Even in the Sudan we managed to find some wood in the desert

We even made a plan on Christmas eve in Sudan where wood is really a problem to find.  As you can see from the pictures you make do with what you have, as long as we can braai and enjoy some good company.

Do we only braai on National Braai Day?  No!  The Rainbow Nation will always look for an excuse to enjoy their favourite pastime any day of the week and regardless of the weather conditions.  The braai rules are actually very simple:  make your choice of meat and wood and braai regardless the weather!

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What do you do for a summer holiday break?

Well we planned a camping trip to Gamkaberg Nature Reserve, tucked away in the mountains between Oudtshoorn and Calitzdorp, where the summer temperature easily soars to 40˚ C during summer.  Arriving at reception and while checking in with the helpful staff I glanced at the visitors book and noticed that we were the first campers in over a week.  Really not a favoured destination for the summer holidays!

After buying wood from Willem at reception we set off via the 4×4 trail climbing up Lawsons Pass to Bakenskop at 1105 meter (which were our highest elevation) to enjoy lunch in the cool breeze and enjoy the views from the top.

Arriving at Oukraal we found that the facilities really exceeded all our expectations.  The camping huts and stone shelter, providing cover against the relentless sun, were spotlessly clean.  No wonder I noticed an award in reception which proudly displayed best camp of Cape Nature.

During our stay we were rewarded with some breathtaking sunsets and one night we experienced an electrical storm that left my jaw dropping – way better than any New Year’s firework show can ever be.  Standing in the dark and watching the display I once again realized what a mighty God we serve!

We took early morning drives in search for elusive animals like eland and zebra and watched little critters coming to peep at us in curiosity during the heat of the day.  We were lucky enough to also see some really prominent cat spoor which can either be caracal or the very shy leopard.

These sit downs to photograph the small creatures first of all tests your patience and secondly your toughness in the Karoo sun.  Well, I did not last that long …  This is surely their world where I am the visitor.

We thoroughly enjoyed the peace and quiet with no cell phone reception and having the whole reserve to ourselves as we have not seen any other visitors during our stay.   The only thing to worry about is to defrost the meat that you want to braai tonight!   Just a quick reminder: you have to be self sufficient if you want to camp here.

As we were leaving the reserve I was pondering on the fact that maybe we are not the “normal” kind of family that choose to have a sea holiday, but rather come to the bush for a different experience during the heat of the summer.

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Die grondpad vanaf Humansdorp verby Oesterbaai raak soms ‘n bietjie sleg, maar juis te meer maak dit van Brakkeduine meer spesiaal – dit is nie sommer enige Jan Rap en sy maat wat hier uitkom om te kom ontspan nie.  ‘n Mens wil amper die plek geheim hou en dit nie met die massas deel nie.

Hier is kinders welkom en kan hulle nog vry rond hardloop en na hartelus kerjarkker op die groen gras.  Die  foefie slide,  glybaan, swaaie en swembad hou hulle ure besig en ‘n mens vergeet amper van hulle.  En as die grootmense voel om ‘n slag weer ‘n kind te wees kan jy ook maar jou lyf bietjie Tarzan hou op die foefie slide.  Dit is vet pret!

O ja, maar wag ons is by die visvang.  Hier vang die manne bass.  En volgens

die foto’s wat in die lapa (vir daardie winderinge dae) hang, is dit nie net ‘n visstorie of twee nie – daar is regtig vis in die dam.  Wel, ons sal sien of dit waar is.

Jarelange vriende, Johan en Choppie, help ons gou om die bootjie in die water te kry en daar gaan manlief met een doel voor oë – bass vang!  Die dam is egter ook gewild by waterski liefhebbers.  Met die nodige bedagsaamheid is daar ‘n plekkie vir ieder en elke tipe entoesias  hier by die Klippedrif dam.

Wees net wys en smeer maar die sonblok mildelike.  Die koel Tsitsikamma weer is soms bedrieglik en  mens verbrand sommer gou-gou en verander sonder jou wete in ‘n kreef!  Wyse raad is om maar ook altyd ‘n ou warm dingetjie byderhand te hou, selfs in die somermaande. Hier kan die weer in ‘n ‘n oogwink verander.

Jou  naaste winkel is in Oesterbaai wat net die basiese dinge voorsien (en so ‘n bietjie visgoed).  As jy enigiets meer eksoties nodig het sal jy die 36km of wat  met die melktrok pad weer moet terug Humansdorp toe om voorrade aan te vul.

En vir die boys with their 4×4 toys is daar ook ‘n begeleide sandroete in die sensitiewe duineveld waar hulle kan speel na hartelus en kyk of hulle regtig so vaardig is as wat hulle dink.  Maar dit is dalk ‘n storie vir ‘n ander dag.

Is daar bass?  Wel ek weet nie – ek het niks om dit te bewys nie.  Is dit ‘n visstorie dat daar bass is?   Wel ek weet nie – kom vind maar self uit.

En as jy wil kom sal jy die klomp gawe mense kry by  S34.129936, E24.565748 en kyk sommer wat gaan alles op hulle Facebook-blad en iOverlander App ook aan.

Kontak vir Choppie of Johan Linstrom by 084 515 4551 of 083 400 3720

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