The Karoo is a crazy, dry, desolate semi-arid region, covering part of the interior of South Africa. The Karoo National Park falls about 500km outside of Cape Town, just before the little country dorpie (town) of Beaufort West. Jake was invited to attend a camp there during his September school holidays with the Cape Town Junior Rangers group that he is a member of. And whoo-hoo, parents were included, so I got to tag along and join in the fun. The picture above was taken half way up a little mountain that we hiked on our first morning. The little cottages below are the ones that you stay in if you visit the park. We stayed at an education center some way away from these. The huts above cost just under R1,400.00 a night for 2 people, including breakfast - not bad at all.
A beautiful fever tree at our campsite in the fading sunlight...
The view from our hut. The fence is electrified, as the park has lions...
When you take the time to explore the Karoo on foot, it's amazing the beauty that you find. These plants are literally growing out of the dry earth and rocks...
There's so much beauty when you stop and look closely...
Our group learning along the way. After a restless night due to the heat, it was really COLD the next morning for our hike...
The barren landscape...
The kids found a tortie. He was hiding from the wind and cold in a small bush...
Checking to see whether this giant was in fact a boy or a girl. The indent in it's belly confirms that it is indeed a he...
Onwards and upwards...
And up some more. There's Jake...
Some of the scenery near the top of our little hike...
Finally at the top, the wind was howling and I was terrified that one of the kids were going to get blown off the mountain into the nothingness below. We had a good giggle at Jake's crazy hair dance though...
And more brightly coloured plants...
The views from the top were breathtaking...
Oh gosh, are you sick of the plant pics? These plants are so small and so perfect. Their struggle for survival is real...
A teeny tiny succulent...
A vast amount of nothingness, full of life. The little town to the right is Beaufort West...
And yet everywhere you look, there are different plants, struggling to survive the harsh conditions of the Karoo...
A tiny thorny succulent...
I could hold all three of these plants below in the palm of my hand...
No leaves, but plenty of pretty flowers to attract bees. These flowers are commonly called Karoo Gold...
Their tiny leaves help prevent the plant from drying out and their little thorns help stop animals eating them...
OK, last plant pic, I promise. Just look at these stunning colours...
The kids had a ball and our guide was really informative...
After our hike, we explored the Karoo National Park's fossil trail.
It's apparently tortoise breeding season and they were all about...
Just to show you how big they actually are, here's Jake touching one...
A river once ran through the Karoo and the region is well known for it's fossil finds. The park has it's own Fossil Trail...
It was very cool for the kids to get up close to real fossils, including real dinosaur fossils...
This one is a Bradysaurus... 
A fossilized tree...
A toothy grin...
It was pretty special, I must say. These remains are real and ancient. Jake loved dinosaurs when he was younger (oh the number of library books we rented on these fascinating creatures)...
And a highlight was dino poo...
There are a lot of ostriches in the Karoo. It's spring, so breeding season. This is a female, but the males were all decked out with their red socks, necks and beaks...
As with Kruger, the Vervet Monkeys are total pests at the picnic sites. Ever the opportunists and quite aggro about getting to the food...
The next morning, we took a walk through some of the dusty Karroo - it was quiet, but pretty and we saw plenty of evidence of animals. It's hard to believe much can exist here, but the Karoo National Park even has lions...
It's the end of the dry season in the Karoo, well, supposed to be. They are also having a severe drought there...
Ruins of an old kraal...
It's hard to believe that anyone would want to live in this hostile environment...
This handsome guy is growing up so nicely. He's found a new sense of confidence and has developed a great sense of humour. He's starting to take life less seriously and working harder on his school work. It's wonderful to see him taking ownership for his achievements. We had a good time in the Karoo together...
Heading back to our camp...
A beautiful red hartebeest...
A baboon taking in the view...
A bontebok - I'd never seen these guys before. They are beautiful...
The park also has a few picnic sites, with ablutions and braai facilities...
Being out of the car and walking through the bush gives you the opportunity to see the smaller treasures of the bush, like these ants dragging a moth into their nest...
We had hoped that the birds would be more abundant and we didn't see as many as we'd hoped. Here's a little robin on the fence at the picnic site - waiting for a crumb or two...
And this is apparently a fiscal flycatcher...
We did a few game drives around the park. The mountains are unbelievable and one can only imagine what fossilized treasures they hide...
A dry river bed...
A Verreaux's Black Eagle soaring up high in search of a snack. We were very lucky to see 2 of these guys...
The Cape Mountain Zebra...
They are different to the ones that we see in Kruger. They're darker, but also browner and they can climb...
A rock monitor enjoying the sunshine...
More beautiful bontebokke...
Part of the house where we stayed. This was the main house, with the kitchen and braai area. We slept in dormitories in bunk beds. Fortunately, Jake and I had our own room - they were tiny...
And I'll end off with a pair of beautiful European Bee Eaters...
As always, Jake and I loved the adventure and the trip was beautiful. I've wanted to visit the Karoo National Park for a long time and so it was good to finally get there. We learned a lot and met some amazing people. Camps always seem to cement friendships. The drive from home takes about 5 hours (at granny pace), longer if you make stops for food and bathroom breaks. Jake and I would both love to go again - the Karoo is such a stunning place and just so different. For example, we saw these unbelievable people, known to the locals as karretjie mense (cart people). They are direct descendants from the original San people and are migrants, moving from farm to farm to assist with sheep shearing and spring cleaning. They literally live out of their wagons, which carries all their possessions during the day. By night, the cart is turned upside down and everybody crawls inside to sleep. They own a donkey or two (wealthier families own horses instead) and so their cart is their mode of transport as well as their home/cupboard. With the modernization of sheep shearing, the farmers in the region have taught the karretjie mense how to use the machines in order to keep this traditional culture going. It's really so fascinating and truly amazing! We saw them all huddled around their fire early one morning and were super tempted to go join them and to meet these incredible people.
Anyway, if you find yourself with a long weekend to spare and don't mind a drive, I'd highly recommend a trip to the Karoo National Park. Go and experience life in the slow lane.
Much love,
Sue
