South Africa > Through the Karoo to Graaff-Reinet

It rained heavily throughout the night. When the alarm goes off at half past five, it has just stopped raining, and the first rays of sunlight are already breaking through.

South Africa - The endless road through the Karoo

While I’m in the shower, I hear a car honking at the gate. Could that be the bus? When I open the door of our room a moment later, I see large puddles outside. Someone immediately comes over to collect our luggage, confirming that the bus has indeed arrived. As I walk to the breakfast room, I spot the bus and Hofard. It turns out the bus hadn’t been available earlier, so he drove through the night and arrived at half past five. Gerhardt is not pleased and decides that he will take over the driving once we are back in South Africa. The new bus is much smaller than the previous one, with a single row of seats on one side. A trailer has been attached for our luggage—it all just fits. We have a quick cup of coffee before getting on board. Gerhardt has arranged breakfast packs for everyone, which we eat on the way. Hofard drives us back toward the border. Despite the early hour, the streets are already quite busy, and again, many people wave at us as we pass. Shortly after 7:30 we reach the border post. It’s not the same one we used when entering the country, and usually, this post doesn’t open until eight.

South Africa - The NH Grootkerk in GraaffReinet

Luckily, it’s already staffed. I get two new stamps in my passport. We’re heading for Graaff-Reinet—a long travel day ahead. After about two hours, we stop at a Wimpy’s for coffee. Just as we sit down, another heavy rain shower bursts outside. The rain seems to follow us wherever we go. Water rushes in streams across the parking lot. We continue via Rouxville and Burgersdorp, reaching Middelburg around one o’clock (a different Middelburg than the one we visited east of Johannesburg on the first day). There are still about a hundred kilometers to Graaff-Reinet. Personally, I’d rather drive straight through, especially since our time there will be limited—but on a group trip, it’s not always my call. We stop for lunch at a small restaurant. I order a sandwich with fries. The food is good, though it takes quite a while for everyone to be served. Around 2:30 we continue our journey through the Karoo toward Graaff-Reinet. Graaff-Reinet was once the fourth largest town in South Africa. It began as an outpost of Cape Town to improve control over the region. It’s no surprise that the houses are built in the same old Dutch style as those in Cape Town. Our lodge is on the edge of town, within walking distance of the center. After a warm welcome, we quickly head into town. The Reinet House museum comes highly recommended in the travel guide, so we visit it—it contains many everyday objects from the 17th century.

South Africa - A beautiful sunset in the Valley of Desolation

We walk through the center to the gray-and-white Grootkerk, a neo-Gothic church, before returning to be on time for the excursion to the Valley of Desolation. With two vehicles, we drive into the Karoo Nature Park. The road climbs steeply, leading us to a viewpoint overlooking Graaff-Reinet. From here, you can clearly see the layout of the town and the former neighborhoods designated for Black and Coloured residents. Busk, our guide, explains the city’s history. We then continue to the lookout over the Valley of Desolation—an impressive landscape of sheer rock pinnacles rising above a vast valley. We watch the sun set from this spot, and it’s a beautiful sight. As on many evenings during this trip, we’re not the only tour group here; both OAD and SRC groups are also present. Strangely enough, everyone here seems to be Dutch. Does no one else travel here? On the way back, we’re dropped off at a restaurant in the center, and after dinner, we walk back to our lodge.