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Tankwa Karoo National Park
As luminous clouds of dust swirl through the ancient landscape, a tortoise patiently ambles around in search of some succulent morsel, a lizard basks in the sun while suricates and mongoose share the arid plains with orb-web spiders, centipedes and leggy toktokkies…
Tankwa Karoo National Park is situated on the southern boundary of the Northern Cape with the Roggeveld Escarpment in the East, Cederberg in the West, and Klein Roggeveld Mountains in the South.
Just a four hour drive from Cape Town brings you to this unique national park situated within the Succulent Karoo Biome where you'll find rare and endangered plant species, rich endemic birdlife, and landscapes that will take your breath away – from the sheer cliffs of the Roggeveld Escarpment to the moonscapes of the Tankwa Desert.
While Tankwa Karoo National Park is still in a developmental and land consolidation phase, expanding from the original 26,000 hectares in 1986 to nearly 111,000 ha in 2007, it is the ideal destination for those seeking the brightest stars in Africa, a once in a lifetime glimpse of a rare endemic bird or perhaps nothing more than a silence that reaches deep into the soul…
Place Of Vast Horizons
By Sam Sterban, Edited by Letsie Coetzee 20 January 2008
The road from Citrusdal twists over the Middelberg Pass, affording grand views of cloud dappled mountains. It descends into the Koue Bokkeveld with its comfortable farms and well ordered orchards, and leads us to the little settlement of Op-die-Berg. If you turn east here, as we did, the landscape changes dramatically. The road crosses the Riet River, abruptly turning its back on the soft greenery of the Boland and heads into a rugged wilderness of rocky ridges and majestic, pastel shaded African views. At the crest of the Swartruggens Escarpment a splendid sight unfolds. Far below lie the tawny plains of the Ceres Karoo, sweeping away majestically to the eastern horizon defined by the purple ramparts of the Roggeveld mountains.
Cutting straight across the wide valley below us is a thin ribbon of road, the gravel umbilical cord stretching from gentle Ceres to the arid wilderness of the Hantam at Calvinia, the longest uninterrupted drive between any two towns in South Africa. The road had just been graded and was in excellent condition. It is a lonely highway and we encountered only a few vehicles which whipped past us, towing dense banners of fine dust and peppering our vehicle with small stones. Just north of the isolated farm of Gansfontein we turned right at a sign post to the Tankwa Karoo National Park, and travelled a further 70 kilometres on another gravel road before arriving at the park’s head quarters.
The Tankwa Karoo is not yet officially open to the public. It has, however, been accepting bookings for some time and is very popular. There are, at present, only 4 accommodation units, and it is essential to book well in advance, especially during spring, when one can expect an exuberant display of wild flowers if the preceding winter’s rains have been plentiful as was the case in 2007.
The Tankwa is a place of solitude and vast horizons. The nights are profoundly still with a lavish display of stars cascading down the ink black sky from horizon to horizon. It is a priceless addition to our national parks system in a world that is becoming ever more congested, noisy and threatening. Situated within the Succulent Karoo Biome, the park’s area has grown from the original 26 000 hectares proclaimed in 1986 to nearly 111 000 hectares in 2007.
From park head quarters, we drove to our first night’s accommodation in the new wilderness cottages at Elandsberg. The road undulates across a regal landscape painted with lavish brush strokes of gold and yellow. The intense colours of the floral splendour around us deepened as the golden afternoon eased gently towards tranquil early evening. Two of the five cottages at Elandsberg have been completed and their amenities are comparable with those offered by expensive private game lodges. The buildings blend superbly into the rocky landscape, being constructed on the contour of the hillside and positioned in such a way that they are not directly visible from one another. They have been built traditionally, using unbaked mud and straw bricks with sections of the walls constructed of rock recovered from the clearing of the site. Large picture windows afford wonderful views of the Roggeveld Escarpment.
As the sun declined, purple shadows crept over the crags and precipitous slopes of the distant escarpment. For a moment of sheer, joyous enchantment, the mountains were washed in a soft pink blush and then the sun was gone. Almost immediately, the first stars appeared, to be joined by hundreds, then thousands, then thousands upon thousands more until the vast bowl above us was pricked by a myriad of polished silver crystals, with the soft, silver cloud of the Milky Way arching from horizon to horizon.
There is no electricity in the park, and lamps and candles illuminate the spacious, attractively furnished rooms and heighten our sense of solitude. Not a light winked in the darkness; there was no thud of a generator, rumble of diesel engine, no sound of human voices other than our own. We could have been the first settlers in this vast and brooding landscape.
We spent one night at Elandsberg and then moved to the cottage at Paulshoek, about 5 kilometres from the park offices. While Elandsberg is modern (although constructed in the traditional manner) Paulshoek is a restored farm house, furnished in a Victorian style typical of old fashioned Karoo homesteads. It is a tiny isolated spot in the immensity of the Tankwa plains which press up to the house. One can walk out into the veld, climb a low, rugged ridge and gaze out over the golden landscape towards the distinctive Katjiesberg table land to the south and the crags and citadels of the Cederberg range dominating the western horizon.
The shadows lengthened and we returned to our temporary home, our boots dusted with yellow pollen. As at Elandsberg there is no electricity at Paulshoek. There are a few pleasant chores to perform before one can relax - the ancient donkey behind the cottage must be stoked before one can shower; the braai fire must be laid and lit. Then it is time to pull up some chairs at the little water hole near the front door and, glass in hand, await the evening arrival of flocks of rapidly flying Namaqua sandgrouse. We contemplated our good fortune, revelling in the immensity of the golden plains and warmed by the setting sun which painted the Roggeveld Mountains in gentle shades of pink and violet. Later the rugged koppies behind the cottage were thrown into stark silhouette against a radiant western sky. The donkey was drawing well and there would be plenty of hot water for our showers, there was red wine and brandy on the kitchen table and the braai fire was burning down into a glowing bed ready to receive our spare ribs and boerewors. We could not believe that we were only four hours’ drive from our home in Somerset West.
Some Tips
- Advance booking is essential especially in the spring months.
- At the time of our visit, the access road to Elandsberg was very rough, and a four wheel drive vehicle was a great advantage.
- The cottages are fully equipped but there is no shop in the park and visitors must be self sufficient regarding food and drink. Firewood is available.
- There are no fuel pumps in the park. However I filled my 90 litre tank in Citrusdal and had sufficient fuel to drive from Citrusdal to the park, drive around in it and return to Somerset West.
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