December 23, 2013
After enjoying the beaches of Wilderness, I managed to convince M that there were more treasures to be found inland, and so we left the coast behind again and headed for the Swartberg Mountains.
This area is considered to be part of the Central Karoo- the entire area of the Great Karoo covers nearly one-third of the country of South Africa and spreads over three different provinces. We visited more of the Karoo later in our trip, but this mountain escape was our first introduction to this dramatic region of the country.
And since we were touring the above-ground part of the Karoo, we thought we should also check out the underground world here too. The Cango Caves are built into a limestone ridge parallel to the Swartberg Mountains, and are a major tourist draw to the Karoo area.
We drove the "Two Passes Route"; from the town of Oudtshoorn to Swartberg Pass, stopping in the artsy town of Prince Albert, and then looping back through Meiringspoort Pass. With incredible views, quirky-hip little towns and intense skies, we couldn't help but be reminded of the Rockies.
Heading towards the pass (and the last of the tarred road for a while…).
Stopping on the hairpin gravel road for a photo op. Totally worth it.
Pass one of the "Two Passes Route".
The Top of the Swartberg Mountain Range.
What would a mountain drive be without stunning vistas?
Doing the Robot on the pass.
Swartberg Mountains translates to Black Mountains in English, but I think it should be Christmas Mountains, with all the lush deep greenery and rusty red cliffs.
Prince Albert: Where the South African producer Anant Singh spends his summers (latest credit:"A Long Walk to Freedom"); so it only makes sense that this is a hip, artsy, edgy little town tucked at the base of the Swartberg Mountains. We spent a few hours perusing art galleries (seriously!), and taste-testing the Lazy Lizard Cafe's legendary apple pie. When in Rome…
Heading towards pass number two (and back on tarred road!): Meiringspoort Pass.
Ostrich country- baby ostriches!!
While not nearly as rugged as Swartberg Pass, Meiringspoort has the better waterfall. You can't compete with a good waterfall.
Cango Caves is a Khoe-San word for a "wet place" as the rock formations are the result of moisture.
This reminds me of a weeping willow tree.
No idea what kind of formations these are (I'm sure they have a very technical name…) but I think they look really cool.
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