Our Great African Adventure, Garden Route section - days 6 to 9

At Africas southernmost point L'Agulhas

The Garden Route: day 6

A mostly driving day to Montagu, through the Overberg till we hit the Langeberg mountains. However we weren’t going the most direct route as we had to go via Cape Agulhas to see the southernmost point where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. No surprise I suppose, it was windy, particularly when we went up the lighthouse! By the time we got to Montagu, away from the coast, there was still a breeze, but it was hot! The drive was scenic, particularly the last bit, through an arch in the rock. Fortunately we hadn’t had to wait 20 minutes at the traffic light as they warned this was the longest wait, but “it would be worth it” for the view or the road improvement eventually we don’t know! By the time we’d had ice cream/milkshake and made a fuss of Kittykat the big old friendly cat there wasn’t time for much before we went out to dinner (4 Oaks Guest House location: 4 Oaks).

Interesting curry for dinner, walking home via the dam which is home to huge numbers of tree egrets and sacred ibis.

The lighthouse at the southernmost point, Cape Agulhas

Cape Agulhas

The Garden Route: day 7

Cloud, hurrah, we are British and do love to moan about the weather! It actually made for a really pleasant day. Our first day with no real plan. We walked to the nature garden, which had some interesting plants, but no tortoises. We had suddenly all become tortoise obsessed, seeing a tortoise in the wild is not normal. We thought we’d passed a couple on the road yesterday, but not when we could stop.

We then followed the town walk, a leaflet from the room, which was interesting enough, just told us a little about some of the buildings in town. We finished at the tourist information, who told us tortoises like it when it’s sunny, so good weather for us, was not good weather for tortoise!

This is an aerial view of the monument at Cape Agulhas

It's actually quite large when you're there

The Garden Route: day 8

Cloudy again, so tortoises or not? A 200km drive to Oudtshoorn would soon let us know (along the very scenic Route 62)! We stopped at Barrydale, at the  Country Pumpkin for a drink, and to look in the curio shops. Some very curious curios!

And look at this cloud formation at the point where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. Western SA have a Mediterranean climate, meaning wet winters and dry summers, Eastern SA have wet summers and dry winters, fed by the circulating currents in the two oceans, so could this be the junction of those two great weather systems? Jackie and Pauline poo-pooed me. What do you think?

The steps up the lighthouse were pretty steep

STOOOOP, tortoise alert. He dutifully stopped, turned round, went back, and there it was. We took pictures and moved it across the road in the direction it appeared to be travelling. It hissed at me when I picked it up. Didn’t know they did that!

It was a long drive, through some varied, and some scenic countryside. About half an hour before Oudtshoorn was Calitzdorp, the centre of Port making in South Africa, though they can’t call it Port. Anyway, we stopped for a tasting at Boplaas, as recommended by Chantel. I volunteered to drive after as I don’t really like Port. They also did

And it was very windy on top!

Whisky, so B and mum shared a tasting, 3 ports and 3 whiskys! No buying as it would have been a lot to drink before leaving!

We arrived in Oudtshoorn to our B&B (location: Owerpalms B&B)which feels much more like an Airbnb, we are in a gated cul-de-sac and have the upstairs of a house, just us as the other two rooms are currently unoccupied. It’s been lovely. The owners downstairs have been away for the weekend but breakfast has appeared every morning, we’ve been tidied up after and we have a lovely balcony to bird watch from.

Saw a number of these rare Blue Crane birds on the drive

The Garden Route: day 9

Pauline here.

Thanks to the many people who got me here. if they are reading this they will know what I mean!

An early start at 04.45 to be in position, comfortably seated in camping chairs, before the meerkats woke up and bless me, once we were all settled they came out, as if to order. They were very cute, as you can imagine. Then when the sun had got them warm and properly active they scampered off and so did we.

We had some arrow straight roads through the Karoo semi-desert

After breakfast we went to see the ostriches. That was interesting too. So by lunch time we had had a full day of activity and thought a nap might be nice!

J and. B have worked really hard to give me a memorable trip. Am sure they will be rewarded in heaven.

The Garden Route: day 10

Today was Cango Caves, the adventure tour for them, The Heritage tour for me. quite spectacular, as was the drive there.(Thank

The narrow rock arch approach to Montagu on Route 62

goodness for Brian and his camera. He is a pretty good chauffeur too!)

Then on the way back I was a bit peckish so someone who shall be nameless thought the kids animal play park might be good as we could then feed the animals, which we did. More tortoise rescue on the way back.

I was lulled into a false sense of comfort in the first few days which were not too hot but Africa is now telling me what it is about! It’s hot!

Entering the unmanned Montagu Nature Reserve. In case there is any doubt where to deposit your entrance fee the arrows point the way!

The dam in Montagu with egrets and ibis viewed beneath a setting sun 

'Take some photos of the beautiful scenery' Pauline said. Well, here's one, but as usual photos don't do it justice

When two women say 'Stoooop' you don't ask questions. I hadn't even seen the tortoise about to cross the road in front of us

This is just after Jackie had turned it around and he happily walked off into the bushes on the side. I got a great video of him walking off and ducking inside his shell when a truck went past, but the WiFi is so crap here it would take too long to upload and dinners calling!

Route 62. It is a very scenic drive, and they do seem to be trying to follow the Route 66 in the USA theme. And why not

Ronnies Sex Shop on Route 62. Many people stop here for photos, as we did, but we don't really know why, its not a sex shop its just a bar in the middle of nowhere. Apparently years ago he wasn't doing very well, but after someone added the sex to the name people started coming in droves and its now nationally recognised

This was a much better stop at Boplaas in Calitzdorp for Port and Whisky tasting. This one was Pauline and my favourite. Jackie had to drive after this stop!

Look at these really cute meerkats. It was worth the early start to be be in position at dawn to see them get up. The people who run it follow them on the evening before to find out which hole they will go to sleep in and we turn up before dawn, put out the deck chairs and watch them get up. They were totally unconcerned about us all being there.

Here we are gathered around waiting

As usual, I took many, many photos (and some videos, but again the WiFi here is too slow to upload them, which is a pity as they are really good). Look at this one of one youngster cuddling its sibling

Just look at them!

I could go on and on, but I'll let them have the last word!

Off to the ostrich farm and here I am having a neck massage from one

As did Jackie

This is a dwarf ostrich, he's got very short legs and neck. In the wild these would be killed but its kept alive here at the farm

I know this doesn't really give an impression of size but they are quite big and heavy and the light shows the dark area of yolk inside. An adult ostrich lays one egg every two days and if the yolk rises to the top, as this does, when turned it is infertile. It's equivalent to 24 chicken eggs

Today we went on an adventure tour of Cango Caves, while Pauline did the more sedate Historical Tour of the caves. There were only the two of us and an American plus our guide so the hour and a half tour took us only just over the hour. These are our American friends photos (I can't even remember his name now)

There were lots of narrow passages

And squeezes

And bits to climb up through

The horizontal bits are ancient lake surfaces and we had to climb up and down and around them

And it was all fabulous fun

This is Jackie popping out of a squeeze

This video was taken by our American friend. I probably shouldn't say this but, every two years I have a colonoscopy (google it if you don't know what it is) and watch the image from the camera. Looking at this video it reminded me of what that looks like. Sorry!

I have to put this little bird photo on last as we've had a bit of WhatsApp banter this afternoon with the Exodus trip group. Chantel, our leader created a group for us and we're still having a few messages come through. I asked them if they could identify it. Quick as a flash Peter came back and said it was a Cape Robin-Chat. Almost as quick Chantel said 'I will second that Peter! Cape Robin-Chat'. I then asked 'Can you identify the berry for a further 3 points'. Chantel, within a minute said 'Its a Syzygium Cordatum, we used to eat them when we were kids'. Seemingly nothing can get past our Chantel - well done! Also, for the record, Peter said he saw 257 different species of bird during the trip, including 130 he hadn't seen before. Thats quite impressive.