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The Prince Albert district includes Prince Albert Klaarstroom Leeu Gamka The Swartberg Nature Reserve Swartberg Pass Meiringspoort and the magical valley of Gamkaskloof
Prince Albert
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the tranquillity of the town with it's water furrows, lush gardens and orchards and well preserved Victorian and Karoo architecture |
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art galleries, a weavery, tannery and craft and curio shops |
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the Fransie Pienaar Museum |
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a story-teller who brings the history of the district to life and can take you on a ghost walk |
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the Swartberg Pass and Gamkaskloof |
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prehistoric reptile footprints and the remains of the 1890 gold diggings |
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fig, olive, deciduous fruit and angora farms |
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prize-winning dairy with cheese room |
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spectacular sunsets |
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restaurants, farm stalls and coffee shops |
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accommodation to suit every taste and every pocket |
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The Olive Festival every April |
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Swartberg Pass Meiringspoort Hiking in the Swartberg
The Swartberg Nature Reserve incorporates the Swartberg Pass and Meiringspoort. Both offer geological and natural splendours and the construction of each was a spectacular engineering feat.
| You can wonder at the folds of the Table Mountain sandstone strata which constantly changing colour as you move through sunlight and shade. |
| Look out for the bright green lychen - an indicator of the sparkling clear, pollution-free air which we enjoy. |
| See some of the 130 species of bird-life. Watch out for black eagles. |
| Baboons, klipspringers and dassies are often seen along both routes. You might also see kudu and grey rhebuck. Leopard, karakal and jackals are there too - but very rarely seen. |
| Vegetation includes renosterveld, mountain fynbos, Karoo-veld, spekboom veld and numerous geophyte species. Tenacious succulents, pelagoniums and other hardy plants cling to rock faces. On the plateau at the top of the Swartberg Pass and down towards the Oudsthoorn side you will drive through Cape fynbos, in autumn this stretch is bright with erica's and proteas - look out for sugar birds and sunbirds. |
| In winter you can see snow on the Swartberg, where temperatures drop well below freezing. In summer we experience temperatures of 40oC and more. |
A day drive over the Swartberg Pass and back through Meiringspoort is a real treat.
The 27km Swartberg Pass is considered one of the most spectacular
mountain
passes in the
world. An untarred road winds to the summit 1 583 metres above sea level in
steep zig-zags and sudden switchbacks, with breath-taking views at every turn. The
turn-off to Gamkaskloof lies near the summit
of the pass.
The Swartberg Pass was designed and constructed by the great road engineer Thomas Bain using convict labour. Completed in 1888, the dry stone walls and gravel road have been declared a National Monument.
Driving through the Pass is a spectacular experience - from Prince Albert the
road
takes
you through a gorge surrounded by weathered, convoluted Table Mountain Sandstone
walls, up the side of a sheer mountain through the "zig-zags" and onto
a broad plateau where fynbos forms carpets of colour. From "Die Top"
you look down into the Matjiesrivier valley and across to the Outeniqua
mountains. The drive towards Oudtshoorn reveals more of Bain's incredible
engineering skill and stunning views.
Photo's: Reinwald Dedekind, Prince Albert
The Swartberg National Hiking Trails were officially opened in October 1988 having been carefully planned by the Department of Nature Conservation and Swartberg foresters Pierre Weinberg and Hennie Homann. At the start of each trail there is a concise route guide to ensure hikers know exactly where they are.
Hiking in the Swartberg mountains is a very special experience and various options are available, from easy day-hikes to a fairly demanding five day trail. The best times for hiking are April to May and September to October.
Overnight huts are situated at the Old Toll (sleeps 24 people), Bothashoek (sleeps 18 people) and Gouekrans (sleeps 24 people).
Over six hundred plants have been identified in the Swartberg Nature reserve. A large variety of proteas, tolbosse, pincushions, erica’s and shrubs can be seen.
Klipspringer, grey rhebuck, kudu, baboons and dassies and more than 130 bird species have been recorded.
Photo: Reinwald Dedekind, Prince Albert
Permits and information about the Swartberg Hiking Trails are available from The Manager, Swartberg Nature Reserve, Private Bag X658, Oudtshoorn, 6620. Tel: 044 279 1739, fax: 044 272 8110, e-mail: sberg.cnc.karoo@pixie.co.za
Also known as "The Hell" - a secluded valley of legends, accessed from the peak of the Swartberg Pass. The first settlers wandered into this valley in 1830 and for a century its only access was along mountain footpaths. Gamkaskloof attained fame as one of the world’s most isolated communities, then a road, constructed in 1963, opened the valley and led to its decline as inhabitants drifted out to nearby towns. Photo: Reinwald Dedekind, Prince Albert
The farms were bought by CapeNature who are
restoring some of the homesteads so that visitors can experience the magic of
the valley. For more information visit the Prince
Albert website.
things to see and do accommodation history
Photo: Derek Thomas, Prince Albert
Klaarstroom
at the entrance to scenic Meiringspoort,
has remained virtually unchanged since the days of Queen Victoria. The hamlet was
the home of South Africa’s last operator of a transport wagon
and on Vrolikheid, a
farm in the district, you can see a licenced
witblitz still, which
has been declared a
National Monument.
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Gideonshoop
Tel: 023-541-1757 |
On gravel road at the foot of the mountains, a
venue with rich, romantic history linked to Afrikaans writer and poet, C
J Langenhoven.
Host: Ann Muller
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Middleplaas
Tel: 023-541-765 |
A delightful venue filled with secluded picnic spots
and specialising in honeymoon accommodation
Host: Katie Klue
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Wilgemond
Farm B & B and self-catering cottage
R185 p.p.p.d. Tel: 023-541-1756 |
Idyllic country retreat nestling between vineyards, veld and fynbos at the foot of the Swartberg. Two tastefully decorated en-suite bedrooms, breakfast included. Our breakfast is made from local produce. Self-catering cottage for 4 with braai facilities. Enjoy glorious walks, cycling, scenery. Children are welcome - there are farm animals and donkey cart rides to entertain them. Breakfast and traditional dinner on request.
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Klaarstroom Guest House R175 p.p.p.n. bed and breakfast |
Come away to somewhere really special. This gracious Victorian homestead is situated in the quaint farming village of Klaarstroom, 58km from Prince Albert on the N12, only 2km from the Northern entrance to Meiringspoort . We offer 5 tastefully decorated, well-furbished double/twin rooms, all en-suite with ceiling fans and heating. Guests can enjoy the tranquility of a large Karoo garden with swimming pool and the spacious homestead as well as the charm of this tiny Karoo village. Enjoy a traditional breakfast. Evening meals are available on request. Be spoilt by old-fashioned hospitality.
Hosts: Jeremy and Sharon Witts-Hewinson Tel: 023
5411474
For more information and photo's visit www.klaarstroom.co.za
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Vrolikheid
– Self-catering from R70 p.p.p.d. for 2 people to R50
p.p.p.d. for a group, children under 10 half price.
Tel: 023-541-1958 |
9km from Klaarstroom on the Willowmore gravel road. Modern, very private farm cottage which sleeps 6 - with beautiful views of the Swartberg Mountains and Karoo. Situated on the historical farm Vrolikheid where Witblits is "stook"-ed in the traditional way. Consists of kitchen, bathroom, lounge, 2 double beds & 2 single beds - ideal for a big family. Sundowner stoep overlooking a little dam filled with fish. Safe undercover parking. Hiking, walks and mountainbike trails. Game drives at night on request – optional extra.
Host: Vincent Marincowitz
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Wilgemond Farm B & B |
Idyllic country retreat nestling between vineyards, veld and fynbos at the
foot of the Swartberg. Two tastefully
decorated en-suite bedrooms, breakfast included. Our breakfast is made from local produce. Self-catering cottage
for 4 with braai facilities. Enjoy
glorious walks, cycling,
scenery. Children are welcome - there are farm animals and donkey cart
rides to entertain them. Breakfast
and traditional dinner on request.
Hosts: Guillaume and Nelmarie Swiegers
Helena Marincowitz, an amateur historian in Prince
Albert, has written a fascinating booklet in Afrikaans about the history of
Klaarstroom. Klaarstroom en Omgewing is
available from the Fransie Pienaar Museum in Prince Albert,
Tel: 023 5411 172.
The first wool washery in South Africa was opened here in 1874 by a Canadian, PJ Allport. It was designed and constructed by George Wallis, the architect who designed the Moederkerk in Oudtshoorn and built the Anglican churches in Willowmore, Oudtshoorn, Klaarstroom and Prince Albert.
things to see and do accommodation history
This
small village straddles the railway line and the N1 between Laingsburg and
Beaufort West. The last of
the now extinct Cape Lion, was shot here in 1857 and Private Schultz,
said to be the tallest man in the British army, died here from wounds received
in combat during the Anglo-Boer War.
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Rietfontein Farm Stall |
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The Nursery run by the local dominee |
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Imagine the scenes at the dressed stone railway station in Victorian days when famous men trod the platform, including President Paul Kruger, Cecil John Rhodes, President Jan Brand of the Orange Free State, President Marthinus Theunis Steyn of the Transvaal and Lord Alfred Milner. |
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Visit the grave of the tallest soldier in the British Army and the first Australian to die in the Anglo-Boer War. Private Schultz, of the 3rd Battalion, Grenadier Guards, stood almost 7ft tall. |
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See the ruins of an Anglo-Boer War blockhouse near the bridge over the river. |
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Buildings of interest include the tiny post office, the original Dutch Reformed Church and the Dutch Reformed Mission Church on the opposite side of the N1. |
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The Leeu Gamka Hotel, built in 1898 and revamped in 1910, has a collection of tavernalia and other bar items, including early cooldrink samples. Also on display are old farming implements, sewing machines and lamps, as well as a fossilised elephant tusk found in the Gama River bed in 1938. It is thought to be about 900 years old. |
Photo: The Olive Grove Guest Farm
Rietfontein Plaas Stalletjie, south of town Tel: 02082 ask for 1812
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Leeu Gamka Hotel,
2km from the N1
Tel: 023-521-2758 |
Small traditional country hotel with six en suite rooms. Tavernalia
on display.
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Rietfontein Guest House,
alongside the N1, near the Shell Ultra City
Tel: 023-521-2329 |
Six homely rooms, mostly en-suite. Shaded parking. Braai facilities. Host:
Annelise Botes
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Noordhoek Guest Farm,
near the N1, south of Leeu Gamka Tel:, 023-521-1812 |
Ideal overnight or holiday accommodation for a family wishing to discover
more about farming in the Karoo. Hosts: Junior and Amanda Rossouw
Leeu Gamka began as a pleasant outspan on the Karoo plains where travellers paused to rest and refresh. It was a favoured spot because there was drinkable water. First been named Bitter Water by road builders Thomas and Andrew Geodes Bain, because the underground water is hydrogenous (brack), it soon became the choice stop of adventurers, explorers, missionaries, settlers, "trekboere" (migrant farmers) and even outlaws. They all camped near a grove of indigenous sweet thorn trees where the Leeu and Gama rivers meet. It was cool and there was grazing. But it was far from idyllic. Constant watch had to be kept for wild animals and roaming bands of Bushmen, also in search of food and water.
This outspan was officially named Fraserburg Road when the railway line reached it in 1879. The railway, planned by engineer W Brounger, followed the old "Wapad" or Wagon Route. With the rail came stone station buildings, railway single quarters and an hotel. The final shift in naming came in 1950 when Leeu Gamka was adopted. These are the names of the rivers, and both mean "lion".
Early travellers often wrote of lions here. In 1776 explorer Hendrik Swellengrebel reported finding the body of a Bushman woman mauled to death here by a lion. By 1803 German explorer Heinrich Lichtenstein mentions three lion species and the Cape lion as "most magnificent". George Thompson camped here in 1823 on his way to Beaufort and mentions having to build a huge fire "to keep off lions which infest this path." On his way through here in 1839, the old Quaker gospel preacher and explorer, James Backhouse, also took precautions against lions. The Cape lion is now extinct. The last one is thought to have been shot at Leeu Gamka in 1842. A specimen is on display in the Natural History section of the Cape Town Museum. The Cape lion was smaller and slighter than the common African lion and had a fuller, darker mane.
The bitter, flat-tasting water is caused by seepage of salts, mineral and trace elements into underground sources. These give the water a sulphurous odour, but have led to Leeu Gamka now producing what is claimed to be the best lucerne available in South Africa. First introduced in 1870 as a feed for ostriches, lucerne is now grown under irrigation.
The history of Leeu Gamka starts with the earliest farmers who moved into this area of the Karoo, known as the Koup. It is flat and barren and was not highly thought of as farmland. Grazing was poor and not easy to find, the rivers were mostly dry, underground water brack and drinking water scarce. The first farmers to apply for land, however, were taken aback when the Dutch Government was not keen to allocate farms between the Gamka and Dwyka rivers. They wanted to preserve what little grazing there was for "trekboere and cattle speculators." Settlement of the area was thus slow.
The discovery of diamonds at Hopetown in 1867 and at Kimberley in 1868, benefited Leeu Gamka as traffic on the road increased vastly. Hoards of fortune hunters camped at Bitter Water as diamond fever gripped locals and foreigners. The discovery of gold in the Transvaal in 1886 brought a fresh rush of fortune hunters to Leeu Gamka’s small railway station. Many important men of the day strutted along the platform. Among them were President Paul Kruger, Cecil John Rhodes, President Jan Brand of the Orange Free State, President Marthinus Theunis Steyn of the Transvaal and Lord Alfred Milner.
In 1880, a telegraph line was laid alongside the railway line and communications with the outside world improved. Late in the 1880s, a road was built to join up with the Fraserburg road, and at the same time the Oukloof Pass, between Leeu Gamka and Fraserburg was completed.
Excitement spread through the village like a veld fire when gold was discovered only about 60 km away at Prince Albert in 1889. Leeu Gamka blossomed as diggers rushed to Klein Waterval and Spreeufontein farms. A small town, Gilbertsville, mushroomed up nearby, but vanished almost as quickly. Many local farmers registered claims and many are held to this day, but insufficient quantity gold was ever found
When the Anglo Boer War broke out in 1899, troop trains and wounded soldiers almost immediately began passing through Leeu Gamka. The hotel and the railwaymen’s single quarters, the picturesque little stone cottages still standing next to the railway line, were used as a hospital and convalescent wing. The first Australian to die in the war, and the man who was also the tallest soldier in the British Army, is buried near the station. He was Private Schultz, of the 3rd Battalion, Grenadier Guards, and he stood almost 7ft tall. He was a favourite at Royal functions, but obviously also an easy target for the Boers. He and Private J Lynn, of the first Scots Guards, were wounded at the Battle of Belmont on November 23, 1899. They share a grave and headstone erected by their comrades It bears the inscription "and there was no more war." Sgt P Fallon, 3rd Battalion Royal Lancaster Regiment, who was accidentally killed at Luttig station on November 2, 1901, is buried in the same little cemetery.
In 1901, the British forces built a blockhouse on the banks of the Leeu River. Its purpose was to guard the railway line and the bridge over the river. The ruins of this stone blockhouse can still be seen.
the coast. Built between 1856 and 1858 it
was regularly closed due to flash floods and after the spectacular floods of
1998 the road was reconstructed at a cost of R70 million. Stop at the info
centre at the waterfall and discover the stories associated with each of the
drifts across the river, all of which bear fascinating names, such as ontploffingsdrif
- the explosion drift, spookdrif - ghost drift, pereboomdrif - pear tree
drift, and many more. Take a walk along the path into the kranz which
was constructed in the 1920's so that the Prince of Wales, later the Duke of
Windsor, could walk up to see the bottomless pool where the mermaid dwells.
At each of the rest sites through the poort information boards give you
insight into the animals, plants and birds to be found in Meiringspoort.
Photo: Reinwald
Dedekind, Prince Albert