Having just spent the last few days driving from Cape Town north on the N1 towards Dundee, Kwazulu-Natal, our destination was getting nearer and our arrival date closer. We decided that it was time to reach the end of our journey, but not before making one more stop.
So with the tents down and the car packed it was back on the N1, quick stop in Bloem, back on the N1 briefly and off onto the N5. The land all around us seemed to be bright green and lush, something which took some getting used to after having driven through the sparse, khaki-coloured landscape of the Karoo. Red Bishops (at least that’s what I think they are, being no ornithologist) seemed to be playing chicken with the traffic and the Paradise Whydas somehow managed to look elegant, struggling to fly with their magnificent tails dragging behind them.
Just after Bethlehem it was down towards the Drakensberg, through the beautiful Clarens, the second time on the trip I wished I had two or three days to spend in one of South Africa’s spectacular fly fishing destinations. The lodges and streams of Clarens looked very welcoming and I’m sure, had I had the chance, the trout would have been accommodating, but it was not to be this time. Our destination lay just ahead; the golden mountains surrounded us on either side and there it was, the entrance to the Golden Gate National Park. Every book I had read or person I had spoken to who had actually been to Golden Gate, said it was not to be missed and how right they all were.
As usual the SANParks staff were as helpful as can be and we managed to find a campsite in the middle of the park, surrounded by mountains and with a beautiful stream running through it. As soon as the tents were up, it was time to get up into the mountains and enjoy one of the shorter hiking routes in the park. We headed up towards Echo Valley, through the lush green bush, with the golden cliffs standing tall all around us. It was hard to believe we were still in the same country, looking at the amazing surroundings and thinking of all the beautiful landscapes we had passed through and then to think we had yet to cross a border or even see one. Echo Valley was our only real opportunity to hike as the weather gave in the next day, but what a great sample of Golden Gate National Park it was and it left us all with a yearning to experience more. Suffice to say, we are planning on visiting the park again in the near future and intend on spending at least four days there the next time.
The next morning started off with an icy swim in a rock pool above the SANParks chalets, taking in the amazing scenery one last time. On our way out of the park, we stopped off at the vulture feeding station, which seemed to be little more than a wooden sign, stating, “Vulture Feeding Station” because there were no vultures in sight. We admired the blesbok and the black wildebeest and gave into the fact that the time had come for us to head straight for our final destination, Dundee. It was not an easy decision to come to and it took some negotiating with ourselves to move on and not spend one more night in the park. With the Golden Gates behind us, we soon entered Kwazulu-Natal and finally arrived in Dundee. We were happy to have arrived safely at our destination but sad not to have had more time to spend exploring the back roads of South Africa.
