Karoo Archives - TRAVELBUCKET

PRINCE ALBERT: A GEM BETWEEN HARD ROCKS

by Inge Triegaardt The Great Karoo with its vast openness and many tumbleweeds, offers beautiful gems in between the hard rocks and dry veld. Prince Albert is certainly one of these diamonds in the making. Prince Albert was established in 1842 with town layout on the De Queekvaleij farm. The farm was granted to Zacharias de Beer as a loan farm and the town was initially called Albertsbrug. It was renamed in 1845 to its current name of prince Albert, after the husband of Queen Victoria. Spending a weekend in the town at the foot of the Heritage Site, which is the Swartberg Mountains, recharges the soul. The many accommodation options, such as Skrywerskop, offer a country feel stay and the opportunity to stroll through the town from wherever you lay your head down at night. Nothing is too far from the main road in this little town. Referring to… Read more >

ZIP IT IN A (ZIBI) BLIK

Who of you still remember the Zip it in a Zibi drive way back when we were all still young? On our recent visit to Prince Albert we noticed these beautiful bins dotted all over town and we wanted to find out the story about it, because this is not just ordinary bins; it is designer bins with a message. We tracked the master behind it down in the name of local artist Kevin de Klerk who hand paint it with care and precision. Kevin tells us that there are a total of 33 bins in the village and some of them has the most interesting stories behind it. There is the cat sterilization awareness bin with, of course, a beautiful cat on its side. We all know that cat numbers can multiply astonishingly quickly if you do not keep a finger on it. So, this one goes towards cat… Read more >

SOCIAL DISTANCING AND TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS MAKE LOCAL FAMILY TRAVEL POPULAR AGAIN

With all the new rules and regulations and do’s and don’ts that influence our lives during the Corona virus pandemic I am pretty sure that our behaviour while travelling will change. COVID-19 has changed the tourism scene dramatically – accommodation is running on LOW capacity BUT the same amenities are still available with certain changes that need to be adhered to. Airlines reduced their capacity to adhere to safety regulations (and tickets more expensive) and all of a sudden crowded beaches and touristy spots do not sound as appealing anymore. So, what will be appealing now? I think that solo journeys to more isolated places and camping in isolated spot away from your neighbour will become more popular in the future than ever before. It is as if camping and overlanding was invented for this COVID-19 pandemic. With the necessary precautions (mask and sanitizer at the ready of course) you… Read more >

A STEP BACK IN TIME – MATJIESFONTEIN

Matjiesfontein owes its existence to one single person who had the vision and mission to create something from nothing in the middle of nowhere. This man was James Douglas Logan, a Scot, born in 1857 and arrived by accident in South Africa when his ship was wrecked near Simonstown in the Cape Peninsula. He found work as a porter at the Cape Town Railway Station and later became district superintendent. He married Emma Haylett and bought in farm in the Karoo, called Tweedside, sunk some boreholes and planted fruit trees, against the advice of some local farmers, and made a huge success of it. At the same time Logan was involved in developing Matjiesfontein as a recuperating facility for suffers of respiratory problems. But this was not the end of Logan; he had some more plans up his sleeve! He was also the proud owner of the longest private telephone… Read more >

A KAROO FARMHOUSE WITH THE PERFECT LOCATION

by Inge Triegaardt If you ever find yourself daydreaming about the beautiful Karoo Landscapes, the bare mountain ridges (sometimes capped with snow), the warmth of a fire in the winter or the cool shade of the big ‘stoep’ around a homely Karoo cottage, dream no further. Snap out of it, NOW!! Pack your bags and hit the road, we will meet you at our favourite Karoo Farmhouse. It is situated at the foot of the majestic Towerkop Mountains a mere 15km from Ladismith on the famous Route 62 that dissect the Klein Karoo. In the fertile Dwarsriver Valley where the most sophisticated wines are being developed from lush green vineyards, Arusio Farmhouse @ Towerkop awaits you. Driving on a well maintained gravel road, admiring the beautiful views, you might think that you have left the Karoo landscape behind when you turned off the R62. Here you will soon switch your… Read more >

THE BARE BEAUTY OF THE KAROO

The Karoo with its long dusty roads may seem quite barren and desolate and without life if you visit for the first time, but do not be fooled. Here you will discover fossils and interesting plants, look closer and you might be surprised at what you see and hear. Make return trips, in different seasons, and you will experience the Karoo like never before! Heading north or south Graaff Reinet is sort of the resting point and leg stretch for motorists. It is the heartbeat of the Karoo with blue skies and wide open spaces yet it has a beauty and a charm of its own. Make that trip, even in the middle of the winter, when it is freezing cold and the water stops flowing in the waterpipes because of minus temperatures. This is a time to dress up nice and warm, muffled against the cold with beanies, scarves,… Read more >

KAROO VISTAS

The Karoo has a beauty of its own – you either love it and see the beauty in the simplicity of the landscape or completely hate it and just want to pass through as quickly as possible. The Karoo landscape comprises of big blue skies, typical Karoo koppies, windpumps of all shapes and sizes, sheep, the smell of Karoo vegetation, long and dusty gravel roads, beautiful churches and some interesting people in the countryside. Priceless! Once you spent some time in the Karoo you will fall in love with the little creatures, the spring flowers in bloom, the total quietness and sultry evenings on offer. And last but not least if you get your timing right you may get rewarded with the most amazing sunsets you can imagine. These are things that money cannot buy! After experiencing all of this you will want to come back again and again and again,… Read more >

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