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.

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.