Historical History on your way to Karreekloof

Prieska – place of the lost she-goat

Prieska is situated on the south bank of the Orange River at the foot of the Doringberg and it was originally named Prieschap, a Khoisan word meaning “place of the lost she-goat”.

It is renowned for its semi-precious stones. The Schumann Rock Collection, including semiprecious stones and Khoisan stone implements, can be viewed at the municipal offices.

The area between Prieska and Vioolsdrif is often called the “Rock Garden Route” – where the rare halfmens and succulents of the Lithops family can be found – and the Ria Huysamen Aloe Garden outside town contains a large array of succulents.

Battle of Magersfontein

The Battle of Magersfontein, just outside Kimberley took place during the Anglo-Boer War on 11 December 1899. The Boers scored a decisive victory in what became known as Britain’s ‘Black Week’.

The Battle of Magersfontein was a triumph for the Boer forces, a disaster for the British army, and came close to wiping out Scotland’s proud Highland Brigade.

During the second South African War, the Boers had besieged Kimberley and its 50 000 inhabitants since November 1899. Supplies were scarce in the diamond-mining town and relief was imperative.

The British public and press were demanding action. British forces advanced north along the railway line in an attempt to relieve Kimberley, but a Boer force was in their way at Magersfontein.

https://www.places.co.za/html/prieska.html

http://www.britishbattles.com/great-boer-war/battle-of-magersfontein/http://www.thesolomon.co.za/magersfontein-battlefield-museum.html

Game drives on Karreekloof

The word ‘game drive’ can be split into 2 different words: Game and Drive

Over time, however, the word became mostly known as a ‘drive with a vehicle in Africa, in order to find (large) game for photographic reasons’.  Not every game drive has the same level of excitement.

If you go on a game drive, make sure you carry your camera, binoculars, some reference books (if they are not in the vehicle), your sunglasses and a hat of some kind. In case you come back after dark, don’t forget to take something warm to wear.

A game drive, the main activity on your safari, morning or evening, depending on what type of person you are or maybe both.  Early morning fresh air or relaxing sunset moments. Experience both here at Karreekloof, with its wide-open spaces and unique surroundings.

This adventure offers the perfect introduction to South Africa’s wildlife and is a must for first-time safari goers.  Great way to transform yourself for just a short period of time in the Karoo.

Nature and it’s attractions

The love for living systems “biophilia” makes the simplicity of the word nature sound like a gift, it will open any moment.

Attraction to the wildlife comes from inner excitement, wanting to experience and to see more. The chasing of cars, trucks, and smoke from buildings that fill the blue sky will make you want to breathe clean air. Stare at the extreme starry night and live life’s adventures to the fullest. Hoping that one day all adventures can be written in a diary for grandchildren to be found so they can keep nature alive.

Karreekloof offers the inner beauty of the Karoo, breathtaking scenery from sunrise to sunset. A star night that lets you get lost in another world and forgetting about the problems of yesterday and today. Breathe with the feeling of relief and relax for a while.

For the adventure-loving people who is crazy about water, the Orange River’s kayak rides can only be worthwhile or even take a trip down memory lane with white water river rafting.

Historical history from Magersfontein to Prieska will let your whole body fill up with goosebumps. Indulge your lifestyle for a moment, understand nature, experience it and you’ll never regret it one day. For that more social kind of feeling and tranquility of spirit, a boat on the river will work wonders, good company and the simplicity of the day as the host.

Come and feel the power of nature, admire the birds, smell the different flavors of plant life and let the animal kingdom entertain you.

Now comes the challenge, grab your bag, put both feet outside your front door, get in your car and experience all these unforgettable feelings.

“If you truly love nature, you’ll find beauty everywhere” – Van Gogh –

A Karoo road trip is one of the best ways to travel the vast expanse

THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO DO A KAROO ROAD TRIP

Route 62, the world’s longest wine route that winds through the Klein Karoo, or the upper Karoo sparsely populated plains southwest of Kimberley.

“Its particular rare mix of rugged mountains, vast open spaces, idiosyncratic little towns, star-studded skies devoid of light pollution, sheep farms, and back of beyond windmills make it road trip country like nowhere else in the world.”

No matter what Karoo road trip you choose, here are a series of great places to stop

Kimberley

The surprisingly interesting town and site of South Africa’s Big Hole, Kimberley might have begun as a diamond rush town but today its wide streets are lined with Victorian mansions, museums, galleries, gardens, battlefields and ghost routes aplenty.

Victoria West

Its name might hale from the Victorian era, but the only thing Victorian about the town today is its charming architecture, which survived both the effects of a disastrous flood in 1871 and the deluge of wagons en route between Cape Town and the diamond rush town of Hopetown, during the late 1880s. Today it’s a typical Karoo dorpie with plenty of accommodation and good antique shops.

The Karoo, a area of little rainfall, blue and cloudless skies, and extreme temperatures may have acted as a barrier to the interior from Cape Town for early settlers, but today it has come out of isolation to become a major tourist attraction – its immense spaces, incredible mountains, idiosyncratic towns and promise of escape the reason for its popularity.

Why good accommodation is important

Accommodation is a necessary aspect for all the tourists and travelers who are traveling far away from their homes.

The accommodation provides safety for all those travelers who are unaware of the new places. It also helps the tourists to explore their desired city in a better way. It is essential to find a good place of accommodation for enjoying your vacations in an advanced manner.

The advantage that you will get while accommodating at Karreekloof is the warm hospitality and welcoming faces of the staff members. The love for the Karoo nature will make you come to Karreekloof again and again.

After settling in, our luxurious rooms will take your breath away. With each room being unique in its own way and with all the necessities you need.

We have our own little shop with some unique stuff to buy and enjoy. Sunsets sceneries that will make you come back for more. Endless night skies that will make you addicted by looking up, time and again.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the stay!

Wildlife photography tips

The day breaks, with the wind that starts to light up from early morning. I hear the windmill wheel cracking while turning slowly.

Thinking, how do the people who call themselves photography experts takes such beautiful scenery scenes? Well, it looks so easy with those grand lenses of them. But what makes that special moment to press the button? Google is wonderful to find out, but it’s about the moment you find yourself in. That perfect time and the perfect place where the particular moment or picture is captured. Many people can look at the same picture but not many people see the same picture. That makes every moment so special. Let’s look at some of the experts’ advice:

They say that the most important tip is to ‘Train Your Eye’ a photographer’s most important tool.  First, look at a scene, close your eyes and open them again. Does the scene cause the same effect as when you first saw it?  Go for walks and practice framing in your mind different scenes.

Beginners photography:  it can be overwhelming because photography is about more than pointing a camera and pressing a button.  It’s about getting a shot to match your vision.  Don’t shoot your subject straight at eye level every time.  Change your elevation, your angle, your distance.

That golden hour occurs generally about an hour or so before sunset and an hour after sunrise and produces some of the gorgeous light ever.  At that moment you should start taking your landscape shots.

Get in close, the closer you are to the subject, the better you can see facial expressions too.

Shoot every day as much as you can that is the only way you can practice your skills.  Before you raise your camera, see where the light is coming from, and use it to your advantage.  If it is an extremely bright day outside and the sun is creating harsh shadows on your subject, switch on your flash.

Be present, make eye-contact, engage and listen to your subject.  With the eyes – lower that camera and be human.  Bring the camera up for a decisive shot.  Keep it simple, don’t try to pack too many elements into your image; it will just end up looking messy.  Shade can be your best friend.  If there is no way you can make the available light work for your photo, shoot in the shade.

Never shoot with the sun directly behind you.  It creates boring, flat light on the subject.  If you shoot with the light source to the side or behind the subject, you are able to shape with the light, creating a more interesting photo – Patria Jannides

With time, patience and perseverance, you will get better; with each and every photo you take!  Make jokes, natural smiles on photos are much better than to say: ‘smile’.

Break the rules, experiment and have fun.  Learn from your mistakes and make memories where ever you go!

Wildlife Tourism

Nature tourism is based on the idea that the destination and purpose of travel is nature itself.

Specialized forms of nature tourism focus on e.g. specific groups of plants or animals. Wildlife tourism is an element of many nations’ travel industry centered around observation and interaction with local animal and plant life in their natural habitats.

Wildlife photography is about capturing a split second when the light and the animal behavior come together to create an emotional image.

The beauty and also the curse of wildlife photography is that one cannot change almighty Nature. One cannot change the weather and the light, where the wild animals want to go, what they want to do, and when special things happen to them.

When that moment comes, we know we have conquered nature. Maybe this is what some people mean when they say “becoming one with Nature.” Yet one does not need to travel to these grand locations to see wildlife. If you look closer, you will see that it is all around us.

Nature is not always sunshine and rainbows. Yet if you keep looking—enduring rain and wind—miracles can happen.

“The wonderful thing about nature photography is that you are continually humbled and amazed by the delightful surprises that come from it—and horrified and disappointed when it doesn’t work as you predicted.” – Jim Brandenberg.

The Power of Nature is in Your Hands!

A true safari experience at Karreekloof Lodge

Karreekloof is an incredible place, the only one of its kind.

On the road to Karreekloof with the big star country surrounding him, and wide-open spaces where the sun is so slow that the colors slowly change from yellow to deep orange and pink. Here you literally feel the goosebumps on your skin, it’s like magic.

In Swahili, the word safari means ‘journey’. Take the ‘journey’ to Karreekloof Lodge with its natural beauty and its breathtaking wildlife with endless wilderness plateau and warm hospitality.

Karreekloof is a family-friendly destination, its sheer size, clear skies, elaborate sunsets, dazzling starry nights and incredible silence, is mesmerizing.

Come and experience the endless landscapes, feel the heat of the sun on your shoulders as you explore the upper Karoo with its wide-open spaces.

Relax, enjoy a sundowner in a peaceful evening, take in so much fresh air that your toes will turn around. A must-see destination rich in history. Sit back and relax at our own trading store, shake it up with a milkshake and take a look through our own little shop.

The Karoo has a rich human record. People have continuously inhabited the area, so as I would say:  The Upper Karoo is a cool place, you just got to love it!

Nature gives in so many ways – we just need to tune in.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing” – Helen Keller

The Northern Cape is South Africa’s largest province and a must-see destination

Exploring a land of ancient deserts, deep canyons, winding rivers and unique flora, the Northern Cape promises an unsurpassed experience.

The Northern Cape is all about wide open spaces, a magnificent coastline and a number of unequaled National Parks. Offering the tourist a very different experience of the South African experience.

Northern Cape’s sheer size, clear skies, elaborate sunsets, dazzling starry nights and incredible silence is mesmerizing.

The ideal habitat for some of the country’s most beautiful and exciting predators and prey. Experience the solitude of the landscapes, the heat of the sun on your shoulders as you explore the game reserves and parks of this fascinating part of South Africa.

The Northern Cape has always been a family-friendly destination and the region has a distinct and rugged natural beauty.

Northern Cape’s natural beauty is enhanced by its enigmatic wildlife. From the “Small Five” to the Big Five, watching wild animals at close range is something truly unforgettable. Just thinking of the Karoo and its endless wilderness plateau, unique flat-topped koppies, warm hospitality, wide open spaces and mysteries. Each region will capture the imaginations of those who dare to explore its rugged mountains, endless flatlands, and undulating dunes.

There’s an outdoor adventure activity or experience for everyone.

Agricultural road to Karreekloof

The world we live in today, we sometimes miss the little things in life that actually provide life itself.

The food we eat, the food animals live on and clothing that protects our bodies. Take the time to appreciate the beauty of agriculture.  So, start thinking:

Once in a while maybe, just maybe in a totally impulsive moment, you decide on taking a road trip and of course, it must be one to be planned to perfection, one not to be forgotten easily.  Not everyone has the same taste in destinations on where to go. But what if your decision is based on taking route N12 into the upper Karoo to a farm not far from a little town called Strydenburg. By now your head is spinning and thinking but what to do and see while taking this route to this farm I need to see, to spend some quality time and to understand the history of the name Karreekloof.

Agricultural things to do on your route to Karreekloof:

Stimulus your taste by taking a little detour to Jacobsdal where a peaceful and calm atmosphere Landzicht Winery will greet you and where you as a visitor are welcome for tasting and a tour through the winery.  Landzicht Winery has two cellars – one in Jacobsdal and one in Douglas.

Or, what about something a little bit sweeter maybe something a little bit Italian?  A brand-new Farm-Foods-Fabric opened at Modderivier next to the N12 where you can find nice pasta and delicious cookies.

In light for a movie feeling? But this time the movie takes you to greener pastures. Biggie Popcorn and country shop in Hopetown, has been popping the most scrumptious, crunchiest and the freshest popcorn.

Getting in the mode for that farm feeling.  Britstown Farmstall sells jams, chutneys, canned fruits, dried fruits, quince sweets, fruit sweets, homemade ginger beer, lemon syrup, rusks, biscuits, spices and much more.

Or just take a break at Victoria Trading Post Stop in Victoria Wes for some ginger beer, succulent biltong, and preserves, only because you want to take in as much as possible fresh air, after all, it’s a road trip to your final destination, Karreekloof.

Live your journey!!