Mountains, Forests, Coastlines & Cliffs

After we have been travelling throughout Southern and East Africa over the last few years, and with so many world-famous destinations in our own beautiful South Africa, we decided it is about time again to explore some of our favourite places on home soil while also discovering more off-the-radar ones. And what better way than taking a slow overland road trip from the Western Cape all along the coastline to the Eastern Cape’s Wild Coast and into the Eastern Free State.

After ending our Namaqualand trip on the West Coast, our first stop was one of our favourite and most unique wildernesses in South Africa – the Cederberg mountains. After entering the Cederberg Conservancy from the Niewoudt’s Pass, we immediately swapped Baloo’s tekkies for our own hiking boots and took to some of the many hiking trails for which these mountains are so magical. We enjoyed the variety of fynbos and proteas, the endless vistas of the valley below, the various mountain streams and pools and even found some Cape leopard tracks. The Cape Leopard Trust does a lot of research and awareness work to conserve the endangered cape leopards that live in these mountains. They are the same as other leopards, but quite a bit smaller, and even more shy and elusive!

On one of our hikes we explored the Wolfberg Cracks, where weathered sandstone walls rise up to 100 meters. En route we had a look at beautiful San Rock Art showing a series of small thumb prints thousands of years old – something rarely seen in Southern African cave paintings. Back at our campsite next to the Matjiesriver one of the Cape’s infamous cold fronts settled in, bringing with it snow to the surrounding mountain tops – an unusual sight for bush junkies like us.

After escaping the snow we explored the nearby West Coast Fossil Park and learnt the fascinating story of how high concentrations of truly unique fossils were discovered in this West Coast area in the 1950’s. Our beloved cruiser Baloo has always been proudly known as the only bear you will find in Africa. But, it turns out Africa actually had pre-historic bears looong ago, and their fossil remains can be seen just outside Langebaan. Short-necked giraffes, sabre-toothed cats, prehistoric hyenas, bears, and a whole lot more – their remains are all on display in a beautiful and modern building and educational display that pieces together the wonders of the past.

From here we headed through the Overberg region towards Cape Agulhas. We stopped first at Danger Point’s lighthouse where the HMS Birkenhead sank in 1845 and where the soldiers famously stood in formation as they went down with the ship to allow lifeboats to be launched safely, the first example in history of the “women and children first” protocol.

Not far away we reached a highlight for both us and Baloo – Africa’s southernmost tip, where it was both humbling and fun to retrace and point out some of the many places we’ve been privileged to explore on this amazing continent over the last few years.

Literally meaning Cape of Needles after the old Portuguese navigators noticed that magnetic north coincided with true north just off this coast, Cape Agulhas is as far South as you can go on this beautiful continent. It is also the traditional dividing line between the warmer Indian Ocean and colder Atlantic Ocean.

Next up was the Agulhas National Park. They don’t offer camping, so we stayed in a surprisingly well-priced seafront cottage, and what a treat this was. Beautiful views of the unspoilt coastline, birds like the Bokmakierie calling from the fynbos around you, and a cozy fireplace on a cold windy night. A great network of hiking trails lets you explore the area, its endemic fynbos species, its beautiful rocky coastline and its prolific birdlife. What is really cool is that the majority of this park is wilderness area and not open to the public or to tourism – there are not many wild places left like that.

We made our way further along the coast to the De Hoop Nature Reserve. A UNESCO world heritage site, it features amazing wetlands, lowland fynbos, and a shoreline with a Marine Protected Area known for its whale sightings and biodiversity.

We camped among the milkwood trees, braaied locally caught crayfish on the coals, and amongst others, were treated to the largest herd of eland we have ever seen. De Hoop truly lived up to its name of providing hope in conservation, and it will definitely see us again!

Next up was the only South African National Park we had not yet visited – the Bontebok National Park. We shared our campsite with a very friendly local tortoise apparently employed by the park to keep the lawn in shape. We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful renosterveld biome and lush location of the park next to the Breede river.

Not far away, you will find the Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve, in the largest remaining indigenous forest of the Langeberg mountains. The Western Cape is truly spoiled for choice when it comes to amazing little nature reserves – and Grootvadersbosch is no exception! We explored its great network of forest hiking trails, enjoying not only the forest itself but also hearing and seeing its amazing birdlife. Incidentally, it was also here where the humble Bushbuck was first officially recorded as a species in 1776!

We travelled all along the beautiful garden route to the De Vasselot campsite just outside Nature’s Valley, a part of the Garden Route National Park. Here we enjoyed camping in the forest, the quiet tidal river, and hiking among the magnificent indigenous Outeniqua yellowwood trees.

Not far away is the Storms River mouth in the Tsitsikamma section of the park. For some the word conjures up memories of hiking the famous Otter trail, for others the beautiful indigenous forests, and for some it is just a difficult word to pronounce! In fact, it means place of abundant or sparkling water, and this is most certainly a good description of the area, as a hike along the famously spectacular suspension bridges proved. Camping right on the edge of the ocean, we enjoyed the fresh sea breeze and view, caught up on some Cricket World Cup games and marvelled at the massive schools of dolphins in the area.

Exploring the coastline further, we headed into the Eastern Cape and the tiny hamlet of Bathurst. This region started cultivating pineapples in 1865 already, and is still a large role-player in the commercial industry of pineapples in South Africa today. We sampled the delicious home-made ice-cream and amazing book collections of Bathurst, and of course, climbed to the top of their famous Big Pineapple.

From here, the road took us further into the Eastern Cape and into the beautiful Wild Coast. The usually-amazing fishing was on the quiet side due to recent flooding, but the amazing area more than made up for it with its spectacular surroundings, pristine beaches and estuaries, and the richness of marine life. On the Wild Coast, time moves at the speed of a lazy cow on the beach —which is fitting, because you’ll meet plenty of them.

From the wild coast we turned inland again, driving up through the beautiful north-eastern cape to camp along the gin clear Karnmelkspruit and its surrounding sandstone cliffs near Lady Grey. Of course, we just had to cast a fly or two and tussle with some of the beautiful wild spawned trout that call these waters home.

Meandering all along the border of Lesotho, we entered into the beautiful Eastern Free State and into the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. Here the quiet, crisp mountain air is punctuated only by the sound of black wildebeest territorial bulls off in the distance. Wind ripples over the grasslands and multiple mountain ranges loom off in the distance. For a treat we stayed at the mountain retreat high up in the mountains where each cabin is uniquely designed to blend into the landscape and offers you the most amazing view and experience!

As we reflect over the last few weeks, we realise this overland trip became more than just an epic journey. From rugged mountains to ancient forests, from bountiful oceans to majestic highlands, every kilometre offered a new wonder to explore. It was a reminder of how wildly diverse and generous South Africa’s landscapes can be, and that amazing adventure awaits anyone who is willing to seek out its wonders.

Trip tips:

We really enjoyed camping and visiting the below places along our journey. Booking is advised in South African holiday seasons (and you might want to avoid the coastline in December if you don’t like crowds!).