Glamping in the Little Karoo: Gamkaberg Nature Reserve

Halfway between the towns of Calitzdorp and Oudtshoorn off the popular R62 is a delightful provincial nature reserve called Gamkaberg. Here you can experience the drama of the Cape fold mountains, an ancient geological process caused by the uplift of the earth's crust millions of years ago which has left behind deep kloofs carving their way into the mountains that flank the Little Karoo in South Africa.

Solar power is the order of the day

Gamkaberg has excellent facilities in the form of tented camps where you can do a bit of "glamping", a style of camping where all work has been done for you. You sleep between real sheets, but under canvas, close to the stars and where you can hear the owl calling at night and the Cape robin chat at dawn, without any sweat or arguments over putting up a tent. And because each of these tented camps is small, you can book one as a group for the weekend and it will be just you and your friends enjoying the outdoors together.

Tent at Fossil Ridge

We stayed at Fossil Ridge Eco Lodge which has two comfortably appointed tents, a separate ablution facility with two bathrooms, including a shower and composting or "dry" toilet (because this is a water scarce area). The fully equipped kitchen hut with outdoor braai area is where we spent our evenings around the fire. There was meant to be an eco pool but it wasn't ready yet (and in fact we were told that technically our camp wasn't open to the public because of it). The other camps in the reserve (Tierkloof and Soetdoring) had beautiful eco pools which looked very inviting, although it was still a bit too chilly in early August for swimming. In summer, though, the pool might just be the place where you spend most of your day and possibly part of the night.

Eco pool at Tierkloof. This camp sleeps eight and is right at the mouth of the kloof making for a dramatic setting. The reeds to the right cleanse the water which gets pumped back through the main pool area.

Close up of the rocky cliffs from inside the kloof.

Pelargonium

Platanna

The real reason for visiting this reserve is to delight in nature's detail: the rich fynbos, the birdlife and the striking views you can enjoy on one of many well signposted trails, one of which takes you deep into the kloof.

Exploring the ridge behind Fossil Ridge and Soetdoring camps

A commanding and precipitous view towards Calitzdorp on the way up the mountain

The road into the reserve is strictly 4x4

Iris flowering

A deceptively steep pass takes you up and down the mountain into the reserve proper

A labyrinth for those who have things to work out

TIP Double check with CapeNature that Fossil Ridge Eco Lodge is open when you make a booking. Even though we had booked, we were told upon our arrival that this camp was closed because there was still some outstanding work to be done on the eco pool. Fortunately, aside from the pool, it was all set up so we were allowed to stay on or else our 400km drive from Cape Town might have ended in disappointment. Tierkloof, closer to the mouth of the kloof, is also a delightful camp but takes eight people so we'll make up a larger group and test its facilities next time we visit. 

The road back to camp

Road-tripping: Farm stalls of the Karoo and their resident pets

One of the great joys of road-tripping, for me at least, is stopping off at farm stalls to see what's on offer. Generally, there'll be the usual jams, beskuit, roosterkoek and pies, and also the resident pets, like Soetlief (below), a ridgeback with quite a story to tell.

Soetlief with her owner Appie Viviers

It was a sweltering Sunday afternoon when we stopped at Boeteka, about 20km outside Beaufort West on the Oudtshoorn road, looking for some Karoo lamb for the braai fire that night. We were met at the door by a very friendly Appie Viviers who introduced himself to us and persuaded us to buy far more than we originally had intended - curried beans, sausage, chops (all delicious). 

As we were about to leave, Soetlief (meaning Sweet Love), the ridgeback, turned up. She was wanting to go home and had hopped into the front seat of the bakkie to wait for Appie. It then transpired that she was a famous dog, having featured in Die Burger in July 2015. 

She and her litter of puppies were living under the threat of euthanasia after contracting Brucellosis from Appie's wife Marietjie who was hospitalised. The couple had already had to slaughter some of their goat herd.

Fortunately, Soetlief's follow-up test came back clean and she and her pups (sired by a sheepdog that slipped through the lounge window one evening) were spared. Marietjie made a full recovery too, I'm happy to report!

This was our second farm stall stop of the day. Our first stop was for coffee and roosterkoek at the Smitswinkel farm stall between Calitzdorp and Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo. I loved how these handsome kitties had found a comfortable spot for a snooze among the tableware.

Live kitty display at Smitswinkel

Smitswinkel also has a resident rooster of formidable proportions. His name is Kassie and he makes a colourful addition to the stoep where you can sit out and enjoy your meal while looking out onto the lawn at the back.


There is another farm stall with the same name outside Oudtshoorn (both establishments were originally started by the same owner). There I previously met a similarly tame rooster named Seun. 

Kassie and Seun are quite likely from the same line, as was confirmed by the staff at Smitswinkel. The two farm stalls are now separately owned and do not have any direct connection. 

Nevertheless, I can highly recommend the roosterkoek at the Calitzdorp outlet. They also have a handicraft job creation project. A worthwhile stop indeed.

Sam at Ko-ka Tsara

That night we slept at Ko-ka Tsara about 7km outside Beaufort West. It's not a farm stall but a a very comfortable bush camp with only seven chalets tucked away in a kloof bordering on the Karoo National Park off the Loxton road. 

Here we met the handsome and very polite labrador Sam, who spent the evening with us snoozing on the floor while a thunderstorm raged around (all that heat was building up to something). Sam loves walking with guests and, of course, is quite attuned to braai fires.

We stopped twice at Kambro (near Britstown) where there was a Sam equivalent named Max (no pictures). Just to say that Kambro is also a good pit stop. They make delicious pies served with their own peach chutney but they have rules about visiting dogs not using the grass (that is, except for Max of course) which seems a bit churlish given that this is the only green for miles around.

Koeks at The Mall

Our final pet of the trip was Koeks, who lives at The Mall in Williston. She had an eye on the cheese and scones we ordered there. The ironically named Mall is known for its extraordinary collection of memorabilia and great breakfasts. It also stocks delicious award-winning cheese from a farm called Langbaken which has a herd of only 12 jersey cows. We bought the Karoo Crumble (a bit like a mature cheddar) and their Karoo Swiss which is a bit like an Emmenthaler. Wish I'd bought more!

The Mall in Williston