Seeking the Perfect Light: The Great TREK

Tuesday 2 September 2014

The Great TREK - #13

July the 13^th- On our way to the 4^thLeg

After an early breakfast at the Okiep Country Hotel (Beautiful little country hotel), we headed straight to our next overnight stay before our final destination of our 4^th leg (Tankwa Karoo National Park).

I booked 1 night at the best guest farmstead in South Africa (Papkuislfontein) which is about 25km west from Nieuwoudtville, so we visited first the falls and the biggest Quiver tree forest in the world. Not as nice as the one in Keetmanshoop (Namibia) but massive. From Nieuwoudtville we took one of the nicest roads passes of South Africa that is the Vanrhyns Pass. The pass itself is mesmerizing, with its steepclimbs and double backs offering us a chance to see where we have been for the last 8km and the views of the plains are just nothing short of breathtaking.

We stayed in an old stone cottage, surrounded by rock, gum tree and wildlife, not another human in sight (the cottage is about 3 km from the main house). The peace and silence is deafening, but oh man, brilliant.

We did a quick 3km sundowner hike to see the surroundings.

Dinner was prepared and served at our cottage by the owners of Papkuilsfontein, this is what I call personalized service. And what dinner it was. My son just loved it. That night I tried some star gazing photography (my first take) on this.