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THE GREAT KAROO (CAPE) |
Rifle Hunting Bow Hunting & Tours of South Africa
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The Great Karoo South Africa Only a few travelers to south Africa find their way to the Great Karoo, where nature dazzles on the endless plains and in the blue mountains, in the blazing summers and icy winters where the wild winds fade to a silence so pure you can hear God think. The Great Karoo is one of the world's most unique arid zones. In South Africa it stands alone, globally it is an envied rarity. Karoo is an old indigenous word for dry thirst land. The Great Karoo area is considered a wonder of the scientific world. It is an ancient, fossil-rich land with the largest variety of succulents found anywhere on earth. There are more than 9 000 species of plants in the Great Karoo, one district alone being home to more species than the whole of Great Britain. The Great Karoo National Park On the outskirts of Beaufort West lies the huge Great Karoo National Park which stretches far into the Nuweveld mountain range. Here two of South Africa's most highly endangered species, the riverine rabbit and the black rhinoceros, have been successfully resettled. The park is also home to five tortoise species, the most in any conservation area in the world. Found in the park and mountains and on the surrounding plains are springbok, black springbok, white springbok, kudu, eland, blesbuck, white blesbuck, red hartebeest, black wildebeest, blue wildebeest, impala, southern mountain reedbuck, grey rhebuck, klipspringer, Oryx, blue duiker, Steen buck, hyrax, Hartman mountain zebra, fallow deer, wild ostrich, guinea fowl, Egyptian goose and lynx. Abundant bird life includes the magnificent black eagle and the somewhat shy eagle owl. There are chalets for those who wish to linger a while. There's a pool, a restaurant, hiking routes, a Braille fossil trail, a nature walk and a popular 4 x 4 trail. Extinct Quagga in the Great Karoo This remarkable event had its beginnings on August 12, 1883, the day a Quagga mare died in Amsterdam Zoo. Nobody then paid much attention. Only later it was revealed that she had been the last of her kind on earth. This beautiful species of zebra-type animals was once abundant on the plains of the Great Karoo. But they were ruthlessly hunted as settlers considered them competitors for the grazing needed for sheep, goats and cattle. Then, nearly 100 years later in the early 1980s, a project was launched to recreate the species from portions of its genetic code present in tissue samples taken from mounted museum exhibits. It was a painstakingly slow process, but now 11 of the once extinct plains Quagga have been resettled in the Karoo National park where everything possible is being done to help them to adapt to life on the veldt. It was established in 1884 by a colorful, entrepreneurial Scot, James D Logan. What he saw as great opportunity was the sale of water to the fledgling Cape Colonial Railway, but in time he also created one of the first health resorts in Africa. Matjiesfontein is closely linked with Olive Schreiner, famous South African author of "The Story of an African Farm." She spent long periods in the tiny village writing in a house Logan built for her. The house is still there, as well as her favorite tree, fondly known as Olive's Tree. In the last century the aristocracy of Europe flocked to Matjiesfontein to enjoy the "good clean Karoo air" which had cured Logan of a chest complaint. Among these were the Sultan of Zanzibar and Lord Randolph Churchill, Sir Winston Churchill's father. Towns of the Great Karoo Towns and settlements in the central area of the Great Karoo still reflect the ethnic bouquet that shaped the present-day inhabitants of this sparsely populated region - hunter-gatherers, indigenous tribesmen, Dutch and British settlers and the early slaves. Flitting across the map from the north there is Three Sisters, a popular fuel and refreshment stop along the main N1 arterial highway. It takes its name from the three almost identical dolerite topped hills in the background. Nelspoort is just off the N1, and is the site in the Great Karoo richest in Xam (Bushman) engravings or petroglyphs. Across the plains and under the mountains lies little Murraysburg, once the scene of a frantic oil search. Beaufort West, oldest town in the Central Karoo, was established in 1818 in an attempt to curb growing lawlessness and gun running in the interior. There is a museum in what was the country's first official town hall, a superb Victorian building. On display here are all the awards presented to pioneering heart surgeon Professor Christiaan Barnard. The original equipment he used to perform the world's first heart transplant can also be seen. Lying at the entrance to scenic Meiringspoort, Klaarstroom is the settlement from where South Africa's last wagon transport business was conducted. On a nearby farm there is a witblits (or white lightning) still, now a national monument which produces the powerful white spirit to this day. Leeu Gamka on the N1 is a small settlement where the last of a now extinct species, the Cape lion, was shot in 1857. Way off the beaten track, Merweville lies in an area of the Great Karoo strongly resembling Nevada. On the outskirts of this small town is the grave of an Australian soldier who was so disturbed at the thought of fighting Boers during the Anglo-Boer War that he committed suicide. Prince Albert Road began life as a convenience stop for travelers, which purpose it still serves. Situated at the foot of the Swartberg mountain range near the entrance to the famous Swartberg Pass, Prince Albert is unique in that almost all Cape architectural styles are found there. Near the town an aardvark sparked a gold rush in the last century when he unearthed a huge nugget. Laingsburg and its surroundings are considered to be one of the most interesting geological areas of the Great Karoo. Alongside the main road are layers of fossilized mudstone and layers of volcanic ash blown across from South America 250 million years ago. A short run south lies Matjiesfontein, a perfectly preserved piece of Queen Victoria's British Empire. To stay at the Lord Milner Hotel there is to enter HG Well's time machine. More popularly known as The Hell, Gamkaskloof is a strange little valley of legends and stories that lies snug in the heart of the Swartberg mountain range. The Hell now belongs to Cape Nature Conservation. The passes of the Great Karoo Magnificent passes link the Great Karoo with the Little Karoo. One of these is the Swartberg Pass, a tribute the brilliance of renowned road-builder Thomas Bain, and considered the most spectacular in the world after the Djareleeng Pass in Asia. Then there are Meiringspoort, Seweweekspoort and a number of smaller passes to intrigue the motorist. Accommodation in the Great Karoo There is always a warm welcome for visitors at the individualistic accommodation establishments of the Great Karoo. The choice is wide and the selection of venues accommodates every budget. There are country inns, traditional hotels (mostly one or two stars), guest houses, cottages, flats and overnight rooms, as well as caravan parks and farms that offer their special brand of hospitality. The choice covers everything from self-catering stops to fully-catered cuisine in pampered elegance. Victoria West This town is situated on the main route between
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