Karoo and the Garden Route. April 2024
1. Reebok.
St Blaize lighthouse and The Point, Mossel Bay.
Di and David wanted to visit the Lighthouse cafe again as they'd remembered it from their visit in 2022. We went twice, once for breakfast and, on Di's birthday, for coffee/chocolate and cake. After the visit, on both occassions, we drove down to The Point for a walk along the beach and rocks.
A great view from the lighthouse cafe and all the food we've had there has been excellent.
There's a tidal pool (great for kids) and sandy beach near The Point.
The tide was quite low and the sea very calm so there were plenty of rock pools to explore at The Point.
The tidal pool at The Point with the lighthouse at the top of the cliff. The structure to the right is the end of the zip line which comes over the ocean from the top of the cliffs towards the left of the photo.
Drive to Herbertsdale and back via the Gondwana Game Reserve.
We drove West along the N2 and then turned north, travelling on gravel roads through some lovely countryside to Herbersdale.
From there we came back through the Gondwana Private Game Reserve and saw several animals as there are no fences on either side of the road.
Before reaching Hartenbos we travelled alongside another small game reserve where we saw several giraffe.
The Gouritz river valley has plenty of agricultural land which was lovely and green. As we headed further north we had some great views of the Langeberg Mountains.
Before going into Gondwana we stopped for a rest and saw several flowers alongside the road.
It wasn't until we visited Gondwana Reserve in December that we realised that the road through it was a public road with no fences. There's a large grassy area and a dam near the road so there's a good chance of seeing animals.
There's a small Game Farm not far from the main Mossel Bay to Oudtshoorn road where we've often see a few animals. On this occassion we saw a big group of giraffe.
Beach Walks
We are lucky enough to live close to several sandy beaches and lagoons. At low tide some of the beaches have rock pools.
Klein Brak beach and lagoon. The Klein Brak river mouth is always open and the most popular beach close to us.
Great Brak beach and lagoon. Much of the time there's a sand bar between the sea and the lagoon. Occassionally the municipality will dig a trench between the lagoon and the sea if there's a risk of flooding in the town, and sometimes the amount of water in the lagoon coming down from the Wolwedens Dam makes a channel to the sea.
Reebok/Tergniet beach. There are 2 tidal pools along this stetch of beach and at low tide there are lots of rock pools waiting to be explored.
Groot Brak Station
One afternoon we drove to the station for a walk around the Gardens as we waited for the steam train 'Jenny' to arrive. It currently travels from Hartenbos to Great Brak once a month plus lots of extra trips over the Christmas and Easter period.
Last updated: July 2024