On the 8th of September 2024, we decided to pack our little Chevrolet bakkie, and head up the West Coast, aiming to be on the road for about 2 weeks. We had two objectives: to see our friend off on the Kalahari Extreme desert race in Augrabies, and to visit Acacias dad in the North West Province, where he is currently doing some serious roof building. As for the days in between, we had no real plan.
We took the West Coast Road, and headed straight to Elands Bay, to go check out some flowers. Not having a place to sleep, we made a few phone calls, and after a friend recommended Jackal Creek, we decided to head out there to check it out.
Met by a well sauced man, he showed us the way to the campsite. Bearing in mind it was a Sunday, there was no one else around. Great for a jol like weekend with the mates, but as for the two of us, we decided to head on to Clanwilliam and try our luck in the Cederberg area.
We found a spot called Jamaka farm, and decided to park off here for three nights. Welcomed by the friendly family who run the organic farm, we set up camp and spent the next three days cooking on the fire, swimming, trail running, hiking and doing some remote work (they have wifi in the campsite).
After our three nights in the Cederberg, it was time to hit the road. We drove back through Clanwilliam, and it was time to hop on the N7. The goal was to get a camping spot at Delwerskamp in the Namaqua National Park for the evening. This is part of a 4x4 trail, however we knew this particular camp was accessible for us with the small bakkie, so we made the call, got the spot, and hit the road after stopping for a bagel.
After taking a left about 20 kilometers before Garies, we found ourselves on a very gnarly dirt road. About 60 kilometers of it to be exact. Somewhat doable in a 2x4, we made it to the SANParks gate 2 and a half hours later where we were met by some seriously good hearted people. We knew we were in the heart of the Namaqualand. A short drive after checking in at the gate, we found our campsite. This was hands down our most remote spot of the trip, as there was no cellphone signal and only a toilet.
We parked, lit a fire and took in all the deep West Coast has to offer. An incredible sunset, a spectacular moonrise, a wonderful untouched coastline, incredible stars and just a lot of nothingness. Perfect.
We woke up, brewed a coffee and watched the sun rise over the fields on the Namaqualand. It was time to hit the road again.
The plan was to hop back onto the N7, make a pit stop in Springbok for some supplies, and then to hop onto the N14 and make our way to the Augrabies National Park where we wanted to set up camp for the next two nights.
After a very beautiful drive, we arrived. We knew we were pretty deep into the country as we were met with fully kitted Land Cruisers, camps that looked like houses and a campsite that had a laundromat in the middle of it. We set up our humble little tent in between these villages of people sitting in one spot for a week drinking brandy and coke, and decided to light a fire. We took in some of what Augrabies has to offer. We also surprised our friend, Tessa, who was there to participate in the Kalahari Extreme 250 kilometer race through the desert.
After a few days in Augrabies, it was time to hit the road to go to this place in the North West Province called Vryburg. Our destination was a cattle farm outside Vryburg, very much in the middle of nowhere. This province was definitely the least traveled for both of us. We didn’t expect much, and the drive there proved us right. Lots of trucks on the N14 and plenty of overtaking later, we finally arrived at the farm. We parked off for 5 nights, using the opportunity to fully reset, do some work and really absorb the beauty of nothingness and the quietness while we were there.
The original plan was to head back the way we came and to stop over to participate in Run West, a trail running event from Papendorp to Doringbaai, but we had to get back to Cape Town asap to deal with some work related issues.
After feeling somewhat rested, we decided to hit the road back to Cape Town, in one go. This is definitely not recommended, but we had to do what we had to do at the time.
We arrived safely back in Cape Town, and decided to still head up back to the West Coast a few days later to do Run West.
