Great South African Road Trip: Karoo

After Oudtshoorn, it was off into the Karoo. On the way out of town I stopped at Cango Wildlife Ranch to see the cheetahs and other animals.

From Cango Wildlife Ranch

From there, I drove on to Graaff-Reinet.

From Karoo

The town itself is a well-preserved and nice town.

From Karoo

I stopped off at the Valley of Desolation on the way into town

From Karoo

and at the Camdeboo National Park to see some wildlife.

From Karoo

It turned out that I was the only person staying in the entire hotel, and there was only one woman working that night. I found it hard to believe, but she managed to make an amazing dinner while serving at the same time, and still managed to find time to sneak away and do the turn-down service. Consistently in South Africa, I have been impressed by the quality of the food and hotels, and the quality and attentiveness of the service.

The next day I headed out taking the scenic route to Bloemfontein. I stopped off at Mountain Zebra National Park because, well, I wanted to see some zebras.

From Mountain Zebra NP

I spent a few hours driving around the park and saw lots of animals up close, including lots of zebras.

From Mountain Zebra NP

From Mountain Zebra NP

From Mountain Zebra NP

Seeing animals when they aren't in a zoo is a lot of fun. And, I'm getting pretty good at finding animals in the bush and getting up close with the car. Maybe I should be a safari guide? The only animal I didn't get to see was the rhino, which I was told they have a few of.

From there, it was a long drive to Bloemfontein, with lots of road construction. The countryside was beautiful, especially when there were storm clouds on the horizon, but I just didn't have time to stop and take a look. It was 8pm before I reached the hotel, and I was ready for some food and some sleep. Bloemfontein itself isn't really worth mentioning, I didn't stop to see anything there and, from what I saw driving through, I didn't want to.