LULA IN THE TANKWA KAROO
315km from cape town.
32°15′s 19°45′e, 32.250°s
There is something extraordinarily humbling about being somewhere so completely and utterly remote. In every direction, as far the eye can see, a flat expanse of ancient, rocky, Martian-like desert, dotted with thirsty, low lying bush that makes it look as though a fire has ravaged the land. The absence of any life-giving rain has turned this area barren. The dust devils danced, and as we drove, the remains of shredded tyres ominously lined the road and we prayed we’d be spared a puncture of our own, particularly in 38°C temperatures. The cloud we drove in under was rare & beautiful, and although it didn’t break over the Tankwa, its shade was welcome nevertheless.
Although Tankwa is only a 4 hour drive from Cape Town, it may as well be another world. To the north, the Southern boundary of the Northern Cape, the Roggeveld Escarpment in the east and Cederberg to the west, the distance slopping silhouettes of the long stretching mountain ranges wall this sweeping desolate landscape, but at least to me, it didn’t feel reassuring to see the proximity of places we’ve traveled and loved before.
On the contrary. Tankwa Karoo has an eerie sort of danger about it, the kind that makes you wish you’d recently binged as much Bear Grylls as possible, invested in a satellite phone and really believed at least one of the kindly advice-givers when they suggested you let down, or pump up your tyres. Stories of those who drove out of the Tankwa on the rims of the wheels echoed loudly in the silence of the car, so we turned up the music, and pushed on.
wide-open spaces, peace & solitude
The jewel of the Tankwa is the very thing that scared us. Wide-open spaces, peace & solitude & landscapes that are so beyond imagination that they can only be described as breathtaking. You may very well wonder what would happen if you broke down in the middle of nowhere here (most likely, you’d be discovered, but who’s to say??), but the rest of the world almost ceases to exist anyway. Would it be so terrible to sleep under a blanket of the brightest starry sky you’ve ever seen night after night, or to hear your own heartbeat in your chest in the silence between the howling wind? There weren’t even insects chirping, were they? Or perhaps that was just our timing.
LULA IN THE
TANKWA KAROO
315km from cape town.
32°15′s 19°45′e, 32.250°s
There is something extraordinarily humbling about being somewhere so completely and utterly remote. In every direction, as far the eye can see, a flat expanse of ancient, rocky, Martian-like desert, dotted with thirsty, low lying bush that makes it look as though a fire has ravaged the land. The absence of any life-giving rain has turned this area barren. The dust devils danced, and as we drove, the remains of shredded tyres ominously lined the road and we prayed we’d be spared a puncture of our own, particularly in 38°C temperatures. The cloud we drove in under was rare & beautiful, and although it didn’t break over the Tankwa, its shade was welcome nevertheless.
Although Tankwa is only a 4 hour drive from Cape Town, it may as well be another world. To the north, the Southern boundary of the Northern Cape, the Roggeveld Escarpment in the east and Cederberg to the west, the distance slopping silhouettes of the long stretching mountain ranges wall this sweeping desolate landscape, but at least to me, it didn’t feel reassuring to see the proximity of places we’ve traveled and loved before.
On the contrary. Tankwa Karoo has an eerie sort of danger about it, the kind that makes you wish you’d recently binged as much Bear Grylls as possible, invested in a satellite phone and really believed at least one of the kindly advice-givers when they suggested you let down, or pump up your tyres. Stories of those who drove out of the Tankwa on the rims of the wheels echoed loudly in the silence of the car, so we turned up the music, and pushed on.
wide-open spaces,
peace & solitude
The jewel of the Tankwa is the very thing that scared us. Wide-open spaces, peace & solitude & landscapes that are so beyond imagination that they can only be described as breathtaking. You may very well wonder what would happen if you broke down in the middle of nowhere here (most likely, you’d be discovered, but who’s to say??), but the rest of the world almost ceases to exist anyway. Would it be so terrible to sleep under a blanket of the brightest starry sky you’ve ever seen night after night, or to hear your own heartbeat in your chest in the silence between the howling wind? There weren’t even insects chirping, were they? Or perhaps that was just our timing.
They say that as part of the Succulent Karoo Biome, there are more than 600 plant species identified in the area, and boasts one of the world’s richest succulent flora, as well as high reptile and invertebrate diversity. In spring, millions of wildflowers turn the landscape into a sea of yellow and purple after the advent of the first spring rains.
And if you’re lucky, gemsbok, kudu, eland, red hartebeest and Cape Mountain Zebra are some of the larger mammals you’ll find in the park itself, and even leopard, porcupine & black-back jackal by night. Just like the locals though, we found ourselves hoping and dancing for the rain to restore the bounty to this epic & otherworldly place.
They say that as part of the Succulent Karoo Biome, there are more than 600 plant species identified in the area, and boasts one of the world’s richest succulent flora, as well as high reptile and invertebrate diversity. In spring, millions of wildflowers turn the landscape into a sea of yellow and purple after the advent of the first spring rains.
And if you’re lucky, gemsbok, kudu, eland, red hartebeest and Cape Mountain Zebra are some of the larger mammals you’ll find in the park itself, and even leopard, porcupine & black-back jackal by night. Just like the locals though, we found ourselves hoping and dancing for the rain to restore the bounty to this epic & otherworldly place.
what we learned
- The R355, which is why I think Grant picked this destination in the first place, is South Africas longest, uninterrupted dirt road. Unlike Cederberg (you know, next door, basically), the landscape is unchanging here. Instead of looking for photographic opportunities (those are also endless though – just not location-specific), allow yourself to be completely absorbed in the gigantic sky and mesmerising ocher plains.
- The Tankwa Padstal is loved by many for a reason. Definitely stop here for a cool drink and a bowl of chips on your way in and on your way out.
- Traveling in summer like we did? Know where to swim. We loved Die Mond, an extraordinary crack in the landscape, an oasis in the desert! Amazing. Also, if you’re camping, a splash pool would do the trick.
- Tankwa is dusty. Embrace it.
- Stars. Yes, please. Milky way all day. Or all night, rather. A benefit of being so far from the city lights is that the milky way shines so brightly out there.
- Take more water and drinks than you think you’ll need. And all the things you may need to stop sunburn, squinty eyes, and nighttime chills.
our trip
- We took a very slow drive from Cape Town, stopping to photograph while the clouds were still with us, visiting the Tankwa Padstal, and so arrived fairly late at our camp.
- We stayed at Skoorsteenberg Farm, about 50km away from the well-known AfrikaBurn site. The driveway (which is 20km long) was rather epic, but once there, we had some shelter tucked in under the hill.
- We visited Die Mond for an afternoon of swimming under the willow trees. Such a beautiful place!
- Although technically, Tankwa Karoo National Park has a gated entrance, we didn’t spend too much time there as it is more or less identical to everything outside of the gate 🙂
what we learned
- The R355, which is why I think Grant picked this destination in the first place, is South Africas longest, uninterrupted dirt road. Unlike Cederberg (you know, next door, basically), the landscape is unchanging here. Instead of looking for photographic opportunities (those are also endless though – just not location-specific), allow yourself to be completely absorbed in the gigantic sky and mesmerising ocher plains.
- The Tankwa Padstal is loved by many for a reason. Definitely stop here for a cool drink and a bowl of chips on your way in and on your way out.
- Traveling in summer like we did? Know where to swim. We loved Die Mond, an extraordinary crack in the landscape, an oasis in the desert! Amazing. Also, if you’re camping, a splash pool would do the trick.
- Tankwa is dusty. Embrace it.
- Stars. Yes, please. Milky way all day. Or all night, rather. A benefit of being so far from the city lights is that the milky way shines so brightly out there.
- Take more water and drinks than you think you’ll need. And all the things you may need to stop sunburn, squinty eyes, and nighttime chills.
our trip
- We took a very slow drive from Cape Town, stopping to photograph while the clouds were still with us, visiting the Tankwa Padstal, and so arrived fairly late at our camp.
- We stayed at Skoorsteenberg Farm, about 50km away from the well-known AfrikaBurn site. The driveway (which is 20km long) was rather epic, but once there, we had some shelter tucked in under the hill.
- We visited Die Mond for an afternoon of swimming under the willow trees. Such a beautiful place!
- Although technically, Tankwa Karoo National Park has a gated entrance, we didn’t spend too much time there as it is more or less identical to everything outside of the gate 🙂
