Albertinia is favourably placed near to the fabulous Garden Route here in the Western Province of South Africa, and provides an ideal base for visiting the popular destinations. So here we are!
Our wake-up call is provided by the tweeting guinea-fowl after a peaceful night at the appropriately named Guineafowl Guest Resort.
After a good breakfast we jump in Hilton’s 4wd heading to the spectacular scenic mountains of the Langeberg near to the quaint little hamlet of Albertinia whereby we have a scenic walk.
We bring the rain with us and everything is looking nice and green, but Hilton tells us the area has had a long drought. We cross many fields and nice country, with an accompanying smell of wet grass. After driving along some dirty roads we arrive at an isolated but fantastic farm at the mountain foot. Here we meet Chris, the owner of this corner of paradise. We change vehicle: the roads are getting worst and we need a special driver and a special vehicle. So me, Dom and the dogs get in the back of the truck and begin the terrifyingly steep climb up the mountain. The view is amazing with only a few other farms as we look South. We continue up and around the first small peak…where a pristine valley opens in front of us. There are no words to describe this beauty, just 100% nature. We leave the truck and we walk down to the valley to explore bushman paintings. Only a few people have had the opportunity to discover these paintings, and we are among them. Chris explains to us how some anthropologists are already studying the paintings and his interpretation and significance about them.
Fields are covered with a wonderful spectrum of indigenous species some endemic only to the area and nowhere else in the world. A definite must for flower and plant lovers. Baboon are running free through the sparse bush, we spotted a group with their young.
It is a hot day but humidity is condensing fast over our head and on this face of the mountain, wind starts to blow strong and a storm is on its way, our truck engine isn’t covered so better to head back to the farm…it starts to rain once again…lucky the engine is already running, the storm is getting stronger and we are completely facing it ahead, just in time to fit our equipments in the truck, and we drive the last km under heavy rain at the back of the truck…amazing… Great hospitality, great people, pristine mountains, undiscovered bushman paintings, sun a great storm…and now after a great dinner with Hilton and Cherry it’s time to bed. We couldn’t ask more from this country: just amazing!