Tourism information in the Garden Route and Knysna in Southern Cape, South Africa

If you're coming to witness the stunning beauty of the Cape in South Africa, the back route from the Moordenaars Karoo to Knysna is a must! Cape Town can offer you a cosmopolitan nightlife, breath taking scenery and enormous shopping malls but no where else in the Cape breathes beauty into its locality in quite the same way as the old towns and roads of the Karoo. Unspoilt and unpretentious, the Karoo is a jewel box of surprises. We hopped onto the N1 just outside Paarl and drove up to Matjiesfontein for mid morning coffee and lemon cheesecake in the Coffee House which was rebuilt after a fire in a rather un-Matjiesfontein manner in Georgian style. Outside, we pause to cool our feet on a large, grassy field which was once a cricket pitch. The first international game of cricket played in South Africa was at Matjiesfontein on this very field, with Lord Hawke's team, where George Alfred Lohmann was the bowler. The red double decker bus glares in the shimmer of the mid morning heat as temperatures rise. We lark around on the railway tracks and hang out of the bus snapping pictorial memories. Back on the road we pass 'Hilandale' and slowly meader into Sutherland at about 1:30pm. It's like a Western. Dusty street. Old red Cadillac parked up outside the hotel whose sign reads 'Going nowhere slowly'! A deserted street then a sign reading 'Halley se kom eet'!!! Its our B&B - Kambro-kind. The contrast is startling. Green picket fence, white walls, roses in the garden. We sit out under a shade tree with light lunch and tea served by the chattering domestics and revel in the peace. Our hosts Rita and Jurgens Wagener give us the history of the town and book us on their star gazing expedition at 8:30pm. That night we eat lamb shanks with light chilli seasoning in the 'voorkamer' of a 'huisie' just off the main drag! Recently opened by a couple of English journalists who reveal that they just 'stayed'. There are about a dozen other diners and the conversation flows easy over the room. Nathan and his wife are building restorers, her Mom is visiting from a farm deeper in the Karoo, Sally and Khati are intrepid explorers from Canada, a quiet couple at the back of us eavesdropping......... all on a comet quest. Full of shanks and red wine we make our way to the 'boma' just outside of town to join our hosts. As we walk up we see it. A fountain of light trailing behind a fireball that looks as if it is landing on the horizon. Its dusk now and the bats are swooping feeding on the mozzies that in turn, are feeding on our sweet blood. Silence. No one speaks. We all face SW towards the comet McNaught in awe as she traces her path back to where she began. `

As dusk indolently falls, multiple streamers of reflected light fan out into the sweet, clear, Karoo night air. The 'head' of the comet is a true fire ball shedding debris behind it on its inimitable path through our galaxy. Rita brings out much welcomed sherry and we stare and 'suip' in companionable silence. As the night draws in, Jurgens, our host, shows us Saturn in all her ringed glory, Orion and his belt. Just above this the gap in the sky where stars are born (or the pan handle to novices), then on to the tarantula, the spiders web, the jewel box with its flashing green, red and yellow 'stones', the 21 stars of the seven sisters. It is a treasure chest of delights - each of us exclaiming at the sheer magnificence of it all! After a while there are just sighs as we watch the comet slide past the horizon and the fan of her tail throws eerie 'sprays' of light against the encroaching darkness for mile upon mile. We arrive back at 'Kambro-kind' satiated and weary. It's been a long day. In the little guest lounge we have wine and reminisce over what we have seen and then turn in. The bed is firm and I smell lavender as I sink in. Rita gives us a quick town tour the following morning showing us the 'Skrywershuisie' with its little dam full of gold fish and Koi. 'You can swim in there' she tells us and we laugh at the thought but its welcome in the heat of the morning. The accommodation is first class. Clean and with thoughtful touches everywhere. Clearly these people care! We feel welcomed and are sad to depart but Knysna beckons. We decide to take in the observatory on our way out. Driving up to SALT takes about 5 minutes. Easy to access but tours only at 11:30am and 14:3pm during week days. Sally and Kathi later tell us that they booked online and took a night tour of the observatory. During our discussions we all realise that they saw no more or less than we did out in the bush with Jurgens. We decide to retrace our steps and brave the Moordenaars Karoo on the way to Prince Albert to experience the astronomical temple-observatories of the QUENA. Down through the Moordenaars Karoo and I finally understand Coenie de Villiers lyrics embracing the majestic mountains, dry river beds and rock formations. A steep bend and we stopped in awe..... wave upon wave of karoo colour and atmospherically faded mountains. We had to get out. The heat slams into our bodies and dust eddies swirl around coating us a richer colour. We scan the horizon and drink it all in. The utter silence presses the heat of the day closer.

The spell is broken as I pick up a rock and it falls open in my hands. We fall about laughing as my travel companion believes for an instant that I am Superwoman! Back in the car, air conditioning on high. Prince Albert is quaint and shimmering in the heat. We take an iced coffee and lunch at the road side Hotel and bump into Sally & Khati again who challenge us to a race back to Knysna where they are booked into the cool sounding Island Lodge on tranquil Leisure Isle. A small island in the famous Knysna lagoon. Challenge accepted we hare off again only to be seduced into dipping our feet into the rock pools and drink champagne at Meiringspoort. Enjoying being off the beaten track, we turn off at Dysselsdorp and head through the Kammanassieberge down into Kleinplaat coming back into Knysna via Karatara and the Homtini Pass that drindles into the Phantom Pass bringing us out just by the White Bridge. The vistas are breathtaking!! Egg shell big blue skies all the way, 32'C in the shade. A panorama of variegated rock from black to white against the russets and yellows of the Klein Karoo contrast startlingly with the lush green of this coastal town. We gulp down the sweet air and fill our lungs with the smell of the ocean. Passing through the town on the N2 we are surprised by the cosmopolitan ambience, roadside bistros and mysterious looking shops. Right into George Rex Drive towards the famous Heads of Knysna, past the golf courses and a sharp right onto the causeway. A kingfisher hovers. We are not prepared for the beauty of the island. Hibiscus and frangipani bloom wildly and mingle their scent with jasmine. Ibis waddle across the rugged roads, and tiny jewel honey birds dart in and out of the verdant green. Excited, we drive past the small, silver bay and back again to Island Lodge. Ours is the only car there so we go in to wait for Kathi and Sally. Inside it is cool and vibrant and the azure pool beckons beneath the palm trees. We dive in and wait for the others to catch up. They arrive as the hostess - Jane - uncorks the wine. It is a perfect beginning to our adventures on the Garden Route

About the Author

Jane van Velsen. For more info on tourism and places to stay and things to do in this area visit www.islandlodge.co.za or mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it