The final leg of our journey. Day 33 we were back in South Africa and on our way to Springbok. Another interesting drive from the border through the Northern Cape to the largest town in Namaqualand. Springbok is situated in one of the driest areas of South Africa. A nice little town, which has been home to the copper industry, great for provisions and home to many quiver trees. We were able to revitalise our phone Sim at a very helpful garage and fill up with fuel before shopping. Then we set off for the campsite Springbok Caravan Site.
Web cam of the journey from Ai-Ais to Springbok. About 13 minutes.
The site at Springbok was not one of the best although it was clean and quiet. We were only staying one night. A better stop would have been at the Geogap Nature Reserve up the road. The reserve is known for its collection of rare drought resistant plants. If we travelled this way again we would stop there but we would probably stay for two nights.
We did have a wander around Springbok and went to look at the "Klipkoppie" which was used at a fort during the Boer War. Next to the "Klipkoppie" is the beautiful Klipkerk, a stone church built in 1921. Sadly it was closed.
The last webcam of the holiday. Springbok to Cape Town via Citrusdal with views of Table Mountain. 9 mins.
The next morning we were up early for the drive to Citrusdal. The drive took us through the Cederberg Mountains well known for climbing and hiking routes. Sadly we would not have time for either. The drive however gave us another insight into South Africa. The area around Citrusdal is known for its citrus fruit farming. We arrived in good time at Citrus Creek Caravan Park a lovely location in the town and easy to find. The campsite was set amongst the trees with plenty of wildlife ( domestic varieties ) to keep us company.
The pool looked inviting but we didn't have time to try it out.
The friendly cockerels. There were also horses, geese and ducks wandering about.
There was a short walk to a local supermarket where we stocked up for our final few days.
Citrusdal is pretty much a one horse town which looks as if it has seen finer days.
The Spar was well stocked and used by the locals.
The High Street. Not much going on here.
High spot of Citrusdal. The jolly old PEP stores are everywhere.Good place to buy a blanket.
The dummies outside the shops always amused me.
The local liquor store. Bet that was interesting on a Saturday night. Lucky for us it was mid week.
However, everywhere was pretty central. We chatted to the friendly campsite owner who told us the town was very quiet during the week but at weekends there was a big influx of itinerant workers who worked in out lying farms. Looking at the houses you could see the reflection of their former glories. In it's heyday Citrusdal would have been a lovely place to live. The campsite was beautifully tidy and the ablution block spotlessly clean. We enjoyed a BBQ with the help of the friendly cockerils, ear plugs optional! Strange but I never heard them in the morning.
The next day we set off for our last campsite at Melkbosstrand north of Cape Town the Au Skip Resort.
We choose the scenic drive along the coast and stopped at a few pretty places on the way. The sea was pretty rough! It was windy but not really cold. Probably like one of our normal summer days. The beaches were pretty empty but I guess it was early in their season.
The beach at Yzerfontein. We had a meal in one of the beach cafes here and had a little wander about. The cooling breeze was great after the desert winds of Namibia.
By the time we got to Au Skip we were pretty tired. Only two more sleeps in our tent. We met up with the Camping & Caravanning Club group we had first met in Pretoria and swopped stories. Everyone had had a fantastic holiday. They left before us so we were on our own again. We drove into the town and had a brief look around then back to the campsite for tea.
The next day we decided to make the most of our time so near to Cape Town and spent the day driving into the town centre and going up Table Mountain. We were so lucky as the weather gods smiled on us and we managed to get to the top of the mountain to enjoy the fabulous views.
The famous Table Mountain cable car. We managed to find our way around Cape Town fairly well. The traffic back to the campsite was dreadful but we still enjoyed the drive.
Views from the top of Table Mountain. Very touristy and some long queues but we did not have to wait too long.
One of the local residents. A draisy hiding from all the tourists
Well worth a trip to the top. Take plenty of water and a camera.
Our last night on the beach at Melkbosstrand. We had a lovely meal in a local restaurant before going back for our last night in the tent. The next morning we packed the tent down for the last time. We were off to a hotel in Cape Town for two nights in a luxury hotel. We were getting used to Cape Town traffic and managed to find the hotel without too much trouble.
Time to unpack and unwind. After 36 nights in a tent and many adventures we needed it!
Our hotel was slap bang in the middle of Cape Town. We were around the corner from Kloof Street where there were loads of different restaurants to try.
The hotel pool a peaceful oasis on a hot day.
Our room overlooked the pool. We stayed at the Derwent House Hotel. A really friendly lovely place to stay.
We jumped on the City Bus, an open air tour bus and spent an afternoon cruising around the beaches and sites of Cape Town. The tour has a commentary and you can jump on an off where you want. We jumped off at the Kirstenbosch Gardens and spent an hour or so looking at the plants and sculptures. This world famous garden ranks as one of the best and most beautiful gardens in the world. The bus was a great way to travel around Cape Town and really cheap at around £12 for both of us. We were pleased we did the Chapman Peak drive in the bus with the spectacular views but very narrow roads.
All too soon it was time to go. We squashed everything back into our cases and ditched a load of paper and any toiletries we didn't need. We drove our van back to Bobo Campers depot and were soon on our way to the airport.
The sum total of our trip. 4700 miles, 4 countries, 27 camp sites, 1 hotel all in 38 nights.
Another adventure over. What's next?
Well a trip to Russia, courtesy of Camping & Caravanning Club European Holidays is on the cards in May this year. Taking our own van this time. Also Greece in September this year again with our van. A busy year ahead then.
So keep tuned in.
Are we going back to Africa? YES.October 2019!! Can't wait.
No comments:
Post a Comment