Beyond Lockdown – Day 7

Expedition: #BeyondLockdown
Timeline: Day 7
Distance: 2 524km
Province: Northern Cape
Region: #KarooGariep
Destination: #KarooGariep Nature Reserve

“Africa … You can see a sunset and believe you have witnessed the Hand of God. You watch the slow lope of a lioness & forget to breathe. You marvel at the tripod of a giraffe bent to water. In Africa, there are iridescent blues on the wings of birds that you do not see anywhere else in nature. In Africa, in the midday heart, you can see blisters in the atmosphere. When you are in Africa, you feel primordial, rocked in the cradle of the world.”

– Jodi Picoult

We have left behind the seas of sand shaping the vast swathe of the #Kalahari, and sailed the tarmac tides into the heart of an endless grassland ocean. YR.NO pinpoints us at ‘Faugh a Ballagh’ – an ancient Irish war cry translated as ‘Clear the Way’ – but our view from a lone koppie looks across the mini-Serengeti of the New Holme Guest Farm at Karoo Gariep Nature Reserve.

I will let the images of this amazing space – the domain of Mama Beauty Diyantyi, and PC and Mariska Ferreira – tell the mind-blowing tale of our stay here upon sedge-lined shores of the tranquil and windswept #SeekoeiRiver. You WANT to stop near #Hanover to #playlocal & #staylocal, and meet the huge-hearted locals of the #Xhariep region …

Scale the scattered rock kopjes looming under a billion-star sky; bullet down a gold-washed grass veldt jeep track; paddle onto the glacial chop of the Seekoei estuary; or stand entranced at rock engravings dating back to when #Khoisan tribes ranged far and wide upon these plains … Like us, you may end up in deep conversation with a #Karoo farmer on rainfall patterns or predator control, maybe even gatecrash a local wedding to sing along to Kenny Rogers hits while trying to dodge an 89.3% alcohol volume moonshine mix.

So go for it. Support tourism at grass-root level, and help change the lives of those thousands of people dependent upon your contribution to the local economy. The next leg of our ‘Long Drive to support SA Tourism’ booms us due north all the way to #GrootMarico in the Northwest Province, where we will visit the breathtaking #RiverStill destination for our next adventure. Apparently, there will be #mampoer. And a freshwater sinkhole to free-dive…

None of this would have been possible without the exceptional support of Isuzu South Africa and their kickass vehicles, or Dunlop Tyres SA – thank you 🙏

IHFProducts – Polar in SA Outdoor Warehouse Core Merino Pure Endurance Solutions – Pty Ltd SPOT Africa Front Runner South Africa Vagabond Kayaks Baleia Wines & Olive Oil

Click here to view the pics

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