After having done this mainly in the coastal regions of South Africa and visited a number of tourist highlights we now go a bit more inland to learn more about the South African customs and cultures. This is overlanding in South Africa, part 4!
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1. Orania
We were tipped off by an acquaintance about a Dutch documentary (Frontline, Bram Vermeulen), which was recently on Dutch television, about the village of Orania. We were interested enough to visit it.
Orania is a village with about 2500 inhabitants, fairly centrally located in South Africa. The direct surroundings consist of rough plains with here and there some mountains/hills. This central part of South Africa is sparsely populated and between the few villages there is sometimes endless, nothing.
Here and there a farmer who manages tens of thousands of hectares.
Orania is a village where you are only allowed to live if you meet certain requirements. You have to be an Afrikaner, speak Afrikaans, be Christian and also practice the African culture. The latter means that having a coloured skin colour is taboo.
The village has 12 Christian churches, sufficient general education and even a higher school for agricultural and technical training. There is no state-run police. They have their own security service. They prefer to do everything themselves, generate their own electricity and purify their own water. No, no interference from the central government here.
To top it all off, they have their own (paper) money, equal to the African rand. With this money you can only pay in Orania.
The friendliness in the village is very striking. We choose to walk around and are waved at by everyone. (We apparently have our skin color to our advantage).
We end up at the information office, where we are offered a free tour of the village in a van.
In his first sentence, the guide makes it clear that he does not feel like a racist.
He continues to talk enthusiastically about the village and its way of life, endlessly repeating the success of the system and how happy the people are.
In and around the village there is a lot of construction going on, new residents are “queuing” to get a plot. You have to be approved by the admissions committee.
We ask ourselves if we feel attracted and/or would want to live here at all. But the conclusion is quickly drawn: we do not meet the requirements, but we are a huge experience richer!
Back at the campsite we make contact with our neighbours there. A retired couple from Johannesburg, where they live in a completely secured estate. They hardly dare to go into town and feel locked up as if in a prison. They would like to live in Orania but are not allowed to enter because the man does not speak Afrikaans well enough. He is of Irish descent.
2. Orania, Bloemfontein towards Lesotho
From Orania we go via back roads towards Bloemfontijn, one of the larger cities. On the way, on long straight roads, we see an alternation of agriculture and roughness where often only suckler cows or sheep walk. Usually a slightly hilly landscape with somewhat higher mountains in the distance.
We also see a plot of several dozen hectares with pecan trees. The nuts are gone. Now they are busy with all their might to clean up the leaves. The last leaves are shaken off the trees with a kind of vibrating machine behind a tractor, after which the leaves are cleaned up.
We use Bloemfontein to arrange some practical matters in a camping shop. We need a new gas bottle and we are thinking about having our brakes upgraded. They suffer quite a bit under the heavy weight of the camper, especially in mountain areas.
Bloemfontein is a fairly large city. The further east we drive, the more often we notice that the population is predominantly coloured. In the Western Cape we saw villages where whites had the upper hand. With the increase in the coloured population you also see an increase in the townships, beggars and other forms of poverty.
3. Soweto
Our story continues in Johannesburg, or rather the huge nearby township of Soweto. Soweto, the city where today some 1,2 million - mainly coloured - people live, was founded at the end of the 19th century. The then residents worked in the adjacent gold mines.
The township is known for the uprising that broke out there in 1976 during the apartheid regime. It is the sad but telling story of a group of students who took to the streets because they disagreed with the compulsory Afrikaans language they were being taught.
The protest escalated into clashes during which police officers fired live ammunition.
Soweto is also the district where Nelson Mandela and apartheid activist Desmond Tutu were born and lived for a long time.
We take an Uber taxi to the district where we have an appointment with a guide. The guide tells us about the history of the uprising around a museum where many prints, photos and other memories make the story clear. Interesting.
With the guide we take a local taxi bus and go to the street where Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu were born.
Here we visit the former home of Nelson Mandela, which we did not consider worth a visit despite the impact of the man and his past.
This also applies to the famous Vilakazi Street which has been transformed into a tourist attraction. Here the locals try everything to talk the mostly white visitors out of their pockets.
The story is impressive and a visit to Soweto is certainly worth it despite that.
4. Sanipas
After a break of a few months we travel further from Johannesburg through Lesotho towards the Drakensberg. The Sani Pass is a world famous border crossing between Lesotho and South Africa. Famous for the bad road, many hairpin bends but also beautiful views in an overwhelming landscape.
Surprisingly, the part on the Lesotho side is nicely paved, but on the South African part you need at least a 4WD with sufficient clearance.
At the top, where the Lesotho border post is located, is also the “Highest pub in Africa”, at 2876 meters.
The drive down is breathtaking and actually takes place in no man's land, because the South African border post is again located at the foot of the mountains. We drive the drive together with an English couple of overlanders, Ian and Catherine.
From the South African side, tours to the top are organised for tourists in minibuses.
5. Drakensberg
From the Sanipas we reach the village of Underberg, where everything is typically South African. In the well-stocked, modern Spar we do some shopping, so that we can survive for a day or so in the Drakensberg.
The Drakensberg is a vast mountain range, known for its high cliffs, unique biodiversity interspersed with rolling hills. It is also a UNESCO world heritage site. We are there in early summer (November), so we can enjoy fresh green and fresh blooms.
6. Giants Castle (Drakensberg)
We visit the Drakensberg at three different locations, where we do walks.
The first stop is at Giants Castle. The walk we make there is not entirely successful…
We initially climb about 500 meters. But the sky that is initially clear and tight blue, changes rapidly into pitch-black storm clouds. There is only one option... turn around as quickly as possible and return to the camper.
But it is already too late…the rain and hailstones are coming down in buckets. Moreover, the storm complex is right above us so that there is no time between the flash and the deafening claps. There is no place to take shelter.
And so we are only too happy to reach the camper again in one piece, but feeling like drowned cats.
7. Cathedral Peak (Drakensberg)
A place you should definitely visit if you are in the area. Such an overwhelming experience, steep rock walls alternating with rolling landscapes and meandering rivers. We take a few shorter walks, take photos and swim in rock pools. Unfortunately, the large numbers of different birds are difficult to photograph. For the walk to the high Cathedral top you need about 11 hours. We decide not to do that, given our experiences the day before.
8. Tugela waterfall and gorge (Drakensbergen)
The last stop in the Drakensberg is near the Tugela River, where the highest waterfall in the world is located and you can view the waterfall (partly) from an impressive gorge.
The walk there is not terribly difficult and about 7 km long. On the way you have the “amphitheatre” in front of you, a gigantic rock wall, from which the waterfall eventually comes. Arriving in the gorge we are momentarily silenced by the impressive high rock walls. We take our sandwich there and then climb a fairly steep rock wall from where we have a beautiful view of the waterfall. A waterfall of almost a kilometre high is hardly possible to capture with a camera and besides it was quite cloudy. But, with the naked eye it was a great spectacle.
9. Hluhluwe-Imfolozi National Park
We move east, straight through Kwazulu-Natal, the once so famous province where to this day mainly Zulus live. Rich in tradition.
We choose to go straight through the province and avoid the highway. On the way we see, among other things, a large production of eucalyptus trees. The long, straight trees are used for many applications.
We arrive at the campsite at the NP when it is already dark. That is not our habit, but the ride was a bit disappointing.
The next morning we wake up with a beautiful view over the park.
After we have left our details with the friendly ladies at the entrance, the adventure can begin. Elephants, giraffes, warthogs, zebras in abundance. For a moment an elephant walks so close to the car... as long as he doesn't hit it with that enormous trunk.
There are also lions in the medium-sized park, but unfortunately we were not able to spot them. If we had spent a bit more time, that would have been possible, but this will not be our last park.
Furthermore, the park is known for the protection of the white rhino. An animal that absolutely needs protection to prevent extinction. We were able to spot four of them, at a considerable distance.
The park is home to many, many animals including the “big five”.
10. Diving in Sodwana…or not
A little further north, stretched out along the coast, lies the protected “wetlands” park iSimangaliso. In addition to the many animals that can be spotted here, there are two larger places that attract quite a lot of (domestic) tourists: Saint Lucia with its Cape Vidal and Sodwana. We stay a night in both. Sodwana caught our attention because of the excellent diving opportunities.
At 7 o'clock Cor reports to the diving school, after which we go to the beach. Grietje also goes along to have a look. Because a tractor still has to be arranged for the launching of the boat, everything takes a bit longer.
It's blowing hard, very hard!
We enter the water with the help of the tractor that pushes us from the beach into the water. Immediately we are thrown in all directions by enormous swell.
The skipper tries to find a good course through the surf, but has to sail a few laps to do so. And yes, then we go, out to sea. At first straight towards the waves. They are as high as houses... if we sail on the head of such a wave, a deep hole follows into which we fall.
But then it starts…the nausea…and it gets worse. Hoping it will pass.
Cor decides to put on his flippers and put his diving goggles on his nose. And then he goes…together with the instructor.
But unfortunately, completely disoriented and powerless, it is not possible to reach depth.
Cor has only one wish…to have stability under his feet as soon as possible.
Back in the boat, the stomach contents come out in full gulps.
A little later, Cor lies on the beach like a dead fish, recovering from something that will not be on the agenda again for a while.
11. The Panorama Route
The “panorama route”, included in many travel magazines, also attracts our attention. After we have been in Eswatini for about 6 days, we pick up our journey through South Africa again at Nelspruit, or nowadays Mbombela. In this big city we replenish our supplies, but are oh so happy to be able to leave the hustle and bustle again.
Towards Graskop -because that is where the panorama route starts- we take an alternative route through the mountains where we witness an enormous wood production. We see pine forests of different ages in a hilly landscape with processing companies every now and then.
After another walk at the MacMac pools we end up at a campsite where they have a swimming pool on the edge of a high cliff. Unique!
We travel further along the route that includes waterfalls and views in many places. In most places an entrance fee is charged for visiting such a place. Buses full of tourists are dragged from highlight to highlight. God's window, The Three Rondavels and Bourke's Luck Potholes are such names that you see again and again.
Since we usually look for unique places in the world, this is not really our thing.
What does catch our attention is a walk around Blyde Canyon. The walk is more or less self-constructable and is well marked.
We slowly descend into the gorge and from here we have a beautiful view of the straight rock walls and behind them "The Three Rondavels". Via a tributary and gorge we slowly climb back up. But oh, how beautiful, right through the dense forest and as the icing on the cake various rock pools and waterfalls where we swim wonderfully.
What a party!
This walk is definitely in our top 10.
12. Kruger National Park
As a final highlight on our overland journey through South Africa we visit the Kruger Park. One of the most praised national parks worldwide. We let ourselves be surprised… We were here about 25 years ago, but the journey we made then was so fleeting that we can hardly remember it.
In the park, which covers about 300 by 60 kilometers (half the Netherlands) we take the Punda Maria entrance in the north. At this entrance we camp the first night. Wild camping is not an option in Kruger. Not allowed.
The campsite is fine as far as we are concerned. The next day we slowly descend to the south.
Everything is well organised in the Kruger Park, the reservations, the campsites but also the roads and signage are all top notch.
The enormous vastness is striking, there is no end to it. And then the many animals, it is unbelievable. We pinch each other in the arm to make sure we are not dreaming.
Somewhere on a bridge above the Olifants River we have one of the most beautiful views ever. While the river meanders in many mini rivers below us we see crocodiles, zebras, wildebeests, hippos, elephants, giraffes, impalas, kudus, waterbucks, turtles and countless birds almost in one glance.
Going on safari is a fantastic experience. Besides spotting a number of common animals, it is always a challenge to spot fewer animals. They get really happy when we see a honeybadger or a leopard. But lions and cheetahs are also a welcome surprise.
At the time of writing we have seen all the popular animals except the leopard. We will keep looking!
Between Satara and Lower Sabie we were specifically looking for lions, but as so often… no lions, but something else!
At a river we find a waterbuck lying on its side. Its legs are still moving a bit, as is its tail. But otherwise it is fairly motionless. Our conclusion: sick, in its last convulsions and waiting for death. At the same time a crocodile slowly crawls out of the water. It goes to the almost dead waterbuck. It takes it easy, takes one of the legs in its big mouth, pulls it a bit, but eventually leaves the waterbuck for what it is and goes back into the water. Probably too big.
In Lower Sabie resort and the road to it we start to understand what mass tourism means here. The road along the Sabie river with the views and the wildlife is beautiful. But it is hopping from viewpoint to viewpoint. Busy, busy, busy! Then the resort, looks more like a Centerparc. Bungalows, restaurants and everything big and spacious. Well maintained and neat. The view of the river is overwhelming. Families with children spend their holidays there, both South African and international.
We enjoy the facility for a while but then quickly move on to quieter places.
South Africa, our conclusion
Included Lesotho and Eswatini we stayed 102 days in South(ish) Africa. Such a big country, so much to see and so much to experience.
We had a great time there. We compare it to West African countries we visited. In that sense it is a homecoming in the "western" world.
Our visit to the country was mainly about discovering the wonderful natural wonders, which seemed to have no end. The beautiful coastline and the fantastic national parks are all worth a visit. Even places that were overrun with tourists we could really appreciate.
As far as safety is concerned, we unfortunately have to conclude - despite the fact that we are not easily scared - that it is an issue. The safety business is one of the largest industries in the country, that makes you think!
Entire residential areas, highly fenced and heavily secured, give residents a comfortable feeling, something we would never have to think about.
And then there is the apartheid of the past. In our opinion, the scars have not disappeared by a long way. Most companies are still run by whites and the work on the floor is done by blacks. People try to reduce the differences but time and again they find out that it is a long way. Yet we think that the vast majority of the population has a certain degree of happiness.
