Tipi Bush Camp, on a private reserve adjoining Addo Elephant National Park. There are three large 6.3 metre diameter TiPi’s, based on the American Indian style can each accommodate 4 people on a self catering, un-serviced basis.
South Africa: Camdeboo National Park: Karoo Wilderness
🚗 Arriving in Graaff-Reinet
The 19,400-hectare Camdeboo National Park is, in our experience, genuinely unique in South Africa — and that’s not the sort of thing we say lightly. It takes in some of the most rugged and visually spectacular Karoo mountain landscapes you’ll find anywhere in the country, includes a sizeable freshwater dam, and — here’s the bit that really caught our imagination when we were planning the trip — it almost entirely encircles the historic town of Graaff-Reinet, meaning the town sits inside a national park like a settlement in a snow globe. Graaff-Reinet itself is no mere footnote: founded in 1786 and named after the then-Governor of the Cape Colony, Cornelis Jacob van de Graaff, and his wife Hester Cornelia Reinet, it holds the distinction of being the fourth-oldest town in South Africa. It was, for a brief and rather turbulent period in 1795, its own self-declared republic — the Graaff-Reinet Republic — after the Boer settlers expelled the Dutch East India Company’s landdrost and went their own way. The British sorted that out eventually, as the British tend to do, but the town has retained a fiercely independent character ever since, along with an extraordinary number of Cape Dutch and Victorian buildings — over 220 national monuments at last count, which gives the place the feeling of an open-air architectural museum that happens to still have people living in it.
We started the day with overcast skies, which, if we’re being honest, is rarely how you want a road trip to begin. There’s something deeply uninspiring about driving through the Karoo in flat grey light — the landscape already has a reputation for being relentless and austere, and cloud cover doesn’t exactly help its case. However, as we made our way along the road towards Graaff-Reinet, the weather made a sensible decision and started to improve. The clouds parted obligingly, the sun came out, and the Karoo began doing what it does best: revealing itself slowly, in shades of ochre, rust and olive-grey scrub, with those enormous skies that make you feel very small in a rather pleasant way. It turned into a genuinely beautiful day, which always makes driving through an unfamiliar landscape considerably more pleasant. We pulled into our accommodation for the night — Rietjiesbos Guest House — at around lunchtime. It was a beautiful property sitting just outside the town centre, occupying what had clearly once been a working farmstead: a handsome main house surrounded by guest rooms that had previously served as stables, store rooms and various other outbuildings, all sensitively converted. Our room was an absolute treat — everything had been painted white, including the original brick walls, which Karen is constitutionally incapable of not loving, and the whole space was pin neat, not so much as a stray sock out of place. The gardens were lovely too, the sort you might happily spend an afternoon pottering around in. We did not spend an afternoon pottering around in them, because I had a national park to get into before the light started going, so we had a swift sandwich and headed out.
🏔️ The Valley of Desolation
The national park is positioned immediately outside the town boundary — and when we say immediately, we mean it in the most literal sense: it’s a matter of a few minutes’ drive from the centre of Graaff-Reinet to reach the entrance gate on the R63, the road that heads northeast towards Murraysburg. The park is divided into several distinct sections, but the one I had my heart set on visiting was the Valley of Desolation — a name that we thought was rather spookily appropriate given that we happened to be visiting on Halloween. The Valley of Desolation is, geologically speaking, a spectacular example of what happens when millions of years of weathering and erosion get to work on a landscape underlaid with dolerite. The short version is this: roughly 175 million years ago, hot molten rock intruded into the existing sedimentary layers of the Karoo Basin, cooling and hardening into the exceptionally resistant igneous rock we know as dolerite. Over the subsequent aeons, the softer sedimentary rock surrounding it gradually eroded away — washed off by rain, blown away by wind, worn down by the slow persistence of geological time — leaving behind these extraordinary jointed columns of dolerite standing in jagged, vertiginous profusion along the southern slopes of the escarpment. The columns rise to heights of between ninety and one hundred and twenty metres. Standing beneath them and looking up is a genuinely humbling experience, the kind that makes you feel approximately the size and significance of a well-meaning beetle.
We left Graaff-Reinet heading northeast along the R63 and reached the Valley of Desolation park entrance just a few kilometres outside of town. After paying our entry fee — R160 per adult for international visitors at time of writing, which we thought perfectly reasonable for what was on offer — we followed Valley Road from the gate, a route that climbs steadily upward from the valley floor towards the viewpoints above. It is, to put it diplomatically, a curvy road. To put it less diplomatically: it corkscrews up the mountainside with the kind of enthusiasm that had Karen gripping the door handle and gazing at the steep drop-offs on her side with what I can only describe as respectful terror. Karen has what I would characterise as a healthy and entirely rational concern about sheer drops. I would characterise it that way to her face, anyway.
The first stop along Valley Road is a place called Toposcope, where a short trail leads out along a narrow, rocky peninsula of the mountain, affording views in several directions at once. As we set off along the trail, we fell into conversation with an older South African gentleman who was visiting the park with his wife. He was, by his own cheerful admission, not terribly confident on rough mountain trails, and had stationed himself at the bottom of the path whilst his wife — clearly the more intrepid of the two — had gone on ahead alone. I left Karen in his very capable conversational care and headed up the trail to have a look. When I turned back, I noticed a large tortoise making its purposeful way along the road directly behind Karen, who had her back to it and was completely unaware of her new companion. I gave her a shout. She looked at me with the expression of someone who has learned, through experience, that a shout from me can mean almost anything. I followed up with what I believe were fairly unambiguous gesticulations. They were not immediately interpreted as such. After a moment of what I can only call enthusiastic semaphore on my part, she eventually got the message, turned around, and went off to make friends with the tortoise — which, being a tortoise, accepted this overture with the particular brand of dignified indifference that tortoises have perfected over 220 million years of evolution. Meanwhile, the gentleman’s wife had returned from the far end of the trail, and I had a very pleasant chat with her about the park, the area, and the peculiar business of visiting a place called the Valley of Desolation on All Hallows’ Eve. Eventually, Karen, having completed her social obligations to both the tortoise and the gentleman, the four of us headed up the trail together. The views from the top — down to the valley floor, across the rooftops of Graaff-Reinet, and out towards the vast flat plains of the Camdeboo stretching away to the horizon — were, and we do not use this word carelessly, amazing.
🦌 Trails, Rock Formations and the Game Area
At the end of Valley Road there is a second car park, from which several walking trails fan out in different directions. The showpiece is the Crag Lizard Walking Trail, a roughly 1.5-kilometre route that skirts the precipitous mountain edge and visits a succession of viewpoints looking out over the dolerite spires and the valley below. There is also a more substantial 3.5-kilometre circular trail that takes approximately an hour to complete in its entirety — longer if, like us, you keep stopping to peer over edges and take photographs of things. We opted for a shorter loop, partly because we were mindful of the time and partly because the trail surface was narrow and rocky in places, the sort that rewards a degree of attention to where you’re putting your feet. About 300 metres from the car park, the trail delivers you to a series of viewpoints looking out onto a rock formation that really does need to be seen rather than described: the dolerite columns up close, with the valley stretched out beyond them in the afternoon light, present a view of considerable loveliness. We stood there for longer than was strictly necessary, taking it all in. Then we took some photographs. Then we stood there a bit more. You know how it is.
From the top of Valley Road we headed back down and exited the park via the R63 entrance gate. It is worth noting that there are further sections of the Valley of Desolation area to explore, but the tracks leading to them require a 4×4 vehicle — our car, capable as it is, does not fall into that category, and we weren’t about to test it on rocky mountain tracks in the interests of completeness. Instead we drove approximately 3 kilometres further along the R63 and entered the game viewing section of the park through a separate gate. This part of Camdeboo is a genuine draw, though it requires a slight adjustment of expectations if you’re arriving fresh from a safari in Kruger or the Addo Elephant Park — there are no Big Five animals here, and this is not that sort of experience. What you will find is a peaceful, spacious game area inhabited by various antelope species including springbok and kudu, wildebeest, ostrich, and well over 200 recorded bird species, all going about their business against the backdrop of characteristic Karoo scrubland. The roads through the game area are unpaved gravel but in genuinely decent condition — manageable without any specialist vehicle — and the park provides a clear map when you enter, which made navigating the circuit straightforward. It is a modest-sized area, and we were through it comfortably within the hour, though we stopped several times to watch a particularly inquisitive group of springbok who seemed to find us as interesting as we found them.
🍕 Dinner at Hello You
Our original plan for the evening had been sensibly low-key: head back to Rietjiesbos, put our feet up, and make do with another sandwich for dinner. The Karoo has a way of making you feel pleasantly tired, and the prospect of going back out again into the dark in search of a restaurant was not, initially, enormously appealing. However, the owner of Rietjiesbos — the excellent Vanessa — had mentioned, with some enthusiasm, a restaurant called Hello You in town, and when a local recommends somewhere with that kind of conviction, you’d be foolish not to take the hint. We changed our minds, changed our shoes, and headed into Graaff-Reinet. Hello You occupies a characterful space in the town centre, and when we arrived we were among the first of the evening’s diners, which meant we had the luxury of choosing where to sit. The restaurant had clearly been put together with real care: several distinct seating areas, each with its own atmosphere, and candles on every table that did exactly what candles are supposed to do — created warmth, softened everything, and made the food, when it arrived, look considerably more appealing than it would have under strip lighting. We were particularly impressed by the vegetarian menu, which on most menus in this part of the world can be a somewhat desultory afterthought — a token pasta dish and maybe a salad. Hello You treated it as a genuine opportunity. We went with the veggie burger and a vegetarian pizza, and we’d make that choice again without hesitation. The pizza especially was, and we say this as people who have eaten a great deal of pizza in a great many places over the years, one of the finest we’ve ever had. In Graaff-Reinet, in the middle of the Karoo, on Halloween. You genuinely cannot predict where the best meals are going to come from.
About Camdeboo National Park
The 19,400-hectare Camdeboo National Park is unique in South Africa encompassing some of the most rugged and spectacular Karoo-mountain landscapes, a large freshwater dam and it almost entirely surrounds the historic town of Graaff-Reinet.
The Park is located in the foothills of the Sneeuberge, or Snow Mountains, with an elevation of between 740 and 1480-metres above sea level. The beautifully situated Nqweba Dam, which services the water requirements of Graaff-Reinet, covers approximately 1,000 hectares at capacity within the Park’s boundary.
The Camdeboo National Park is probably best known for the spectacular view site situated above the vast flat plains of the Camdeboo, known as the Valley of Desolation. The jointed dolerite pillars of the Valley of Desolation were formed when the softer sedimentary bedrock eroded away leaving these stark dolerite pillars which frame the southern slopes of the escarpment which rise in jagged profusion to heights of between ninety and one hundred and twenty metres.
The view site overlooking the Valley of Desolation is reached via Valley Road from the entrance gate on the R63 linking Graaff-Reinet and Murraysburg. The Crag Lizard Walking Trail starts at the Valley of Desolation parking area and extends for about 1.5-kilometres skirting the precipitous mountain edge and provides access to a number of magnificent viewpoints of the rugged valley and across the dolerite spires of rock to the vast plains of the Camdeboo.
Planning your visit to Camdeboo National Park
The best time to visit Camdeboo Park
The Eastern Cape occupies a unique position in South Africa’s climate map. Straddling the subtropical east coast and the drier interior, it receives rain year-round rather than in a single defined wet season, and its temperatures stay moderate enough that no month is truly off-limits. The Wild Coast in the north-east is warm and lush throughout the year, the semi-arid Karoo hinterland bakes in summer and freezes on winter nights, and the southern coast around Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and the Garden Route fringe enjoys a mild, temperate climate more reminiscent of the Mediterranean than tropical Africa. The result is a destination that rewards different kinds of travellers at different times of year, with each season offering its own distinct character.
🌞 Summer — November to February
Summer on the Eastern Cape coast is warm, humid and punctuated by heavy afternoon thunderstorms, particularly along the Wild Coast and the hinterland. Daytime temperatures along the coast sit between 25°C and 33°C, climbing higher inland across the Karoo, and the landscape is at its most lush and green following the spring rains. The sea reaches its warmest temperatures of the year, making Chintsa, Coffee Bay and the beaches around Port Alfred genuinely inviting, and whale sharks have been recorded off the coast from December into March. Sea turtles nest along the remote Wild Coast beaches through summer, and the region’s coastal forests are alive with birdlife at its most active.
The downside is the humidity, which can be stifling on still days, and the afternoon storms, which roll in quickly and can disrupt outdoor activities. Summer is also peak domestic holiday season in South Africa, meaning the coast fills with local families from Johannesburg and beyond between late December and mid-January, pushing up accommodation prices and making popular beaches noticeably busy.
Packing: Lightweight, breathable clothing in natural fabrics, a swimsuit and reef-safe sunscreen, a compact waterproof jacket or poncho for afternoon storms, insect repellent, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, and a dry bag for beach days.
🍂 Autumn — March to May
Autumn is widely regarded as one of the most pleasant times to visit the Eastern Cape. The humidity and storms of summer ease off, temperatures settle into a comfortable range of roughly 20°C to 30°C along the coast, and the landscape retains much of its summer greenery before the dry months arrive. Visitor numbers drop considerably from the December–January peak, accommodation rates ease, and the region’s game reserves — Addo Elephant National Park in particular — become noticeably quieter and easier to explore.
Game viewing improves as autumn progresses and vegetation begins to thin, making it easier to spot elephants, buffalo and the Cape’s iconic fynbos-adapted antelope from open vehicles. March can still carry the humidity of late summer, but by April the air has typically cleared, and May offers some of the most reliably clear, still days of the year along the coast. The Wild Coast hiking trails are in excellent condition, and the sea remains warm enough for swimming well into April.
Packing: Layerable clothing for warm days and cooler evenings, a light waterproof jacket, comfortable walking shoes or trail runners, sunscreen, insect repellent and a pair of binoculars for game reserves.
❄️ Winter — June to August
Winter in the Eastern Cape is dry, clear and considerably cooler, particularly at night and in the elevated Karoo interior, where temperatures can drop below freezing after dark. Along the coast, daytime highs sit between 18°C and 22°C — mild enough for walking and wildlife activities but chilly enough to require a fleece or light jacket, especially in the morning and evening. The lack of rain and the thinning vegetation make this the best season for game viewing in the region’s malaria-free reserves, particularly Addo, where elephants congregate around permanent water sources and sightings are reliably excellent.
The Wild Coast is at its most dramatic in winter, with strong southwesterly swells producing world-class surf breaks around Morgan Bay and Nahoon Beach in East London, and the coastal hiking trails are cool and comfortable underfoot. The annual Sardine Run — one of nature’s great wildlife spectacles, in which billions of sardines migrate north along the coast, drawing dolphins, sharks, gannets and whales into a feeding frenzy — begins in June, making the KwaZulu-Natal border region of the northern Wild Coast a remarkable destination for divers and snorkellers willing to take the cold water in their stride.
Packing: Warm layers including a fleece and a windproof outer jacket, thermal base layers for Karoo nights, sturdy waterproof walking boots, gloves and a hat for game drives, a wetsuit or thick wetsuit for diving or surfing, and sunscreen even in the cooler months.
🌸 Spring — September to October
Spring brings warming temperatures, sporadic showers and a spectacular burst of colour across the Eastern Cape’s fynbos and coastal meadows. Daytime highs climb from around 18°C in early September to 26°C or more by late October, and the landscape transitions quickly from the dry browns of winter to the lush greens of the growing season. Southern right whales, which congregate along South Africa’s southern coast from August into November, are at their most active and visible during September and October, often approaching close to shore along the bays around Plettenberg Bay at the western edge of the province and Port Elizabeth further east.
Baby animals begin appearing in Addo and the private reserves during spring, and the birdlife along the coast and in the Valley of Desolation near Graaff-Reinet reaches a seasonal peak as migrants arrive from the north. Tourist numbers are building but have not yet reached the summer peak, accommodation rates are reasonable, and the balance of good weather, wildlife activity and manageable crowds makes September and October a strong choice for almost any kind of Eastern Cape trip.
Packing: Versatile layers for mornings and evenings that can be shed through the day, a light waterproof jacket for spring showers, comfortable walking shoes, binoculars for whale and game watching, sunscreen and a sun hat for increasingly warm afternoons.
Overall Best Time to Visit
The Eastern Cape’s year-round appeal makes it a genuine all-seasons destination, but the clearest recommendation points to the period from late May to early October — the dry winter and early spring — as the most rewarding time for the majority of visitors. Game viewing in Addo and the malaria-free reserves is at its best when vegetation is sparse and animals concentrate around water, the Wild Coast and Garden Route fringe are bright, clear and uncrowded, and the Sardine Run adds a wildlife spectacle unlike anything else on the continent. For those whose priority is warm-water swimming, sea turtle encounters or the lush green drama of the Wild Coast forests, December to March carries its own considerable rewards, provided the heat and afternoon storms are planned for. September and October offer an excellent middle ground — warming, blooming, with whales offshore and baby wildlife in the reserves — and tend to combine the best of both halves of the year without the extremes of either.
Where to stay
🏡 Rietjiesbos B&B, Graaff-Reinet
Rietjiesbos is a self-catering bed and breakfast tucked into a residential street in Graaff-Reinet, a historic Karoo town in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Run by owners Malcolm and Glynis, the property offers five individually named rooms — each themed after a local bird — set around a garden with two large shading trees and a braai area for guests to use. The rooms are simply but thoughtfully furnished, with touches such as electric blankets, quality bed linen, flat-screen televisions, kettles, and en-suite bathrooms with complimentary toiletries. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout, and secure off-street parking behind an automated gate is provided, which many guests travelling through the Karoo find particularly useful for vehicles and trailers. The property is within easy walking distance of Graaff-Reinet’s town centre, where restaurants, shops, galleries, museums, and numerous historic monuments can be found. Camdeboo National Park and the well-known Valley of Desolation are a short drive away. The nightly rates vary by room type and the number of guests, ranging from around R950 for a single occupant in a standard room up to R1,950 for a four-person arrangement in the larger Bee-Eater room. Rietjiesbos consistently receives strong ratings across booking platforms, with guests frequently noting the cleanliness of the rooms and the helpfulness of the hosts.
More to Explore
