Meet Jacobus Masent, tourist hero. Why? He drives the Northern Cape‘s grader.
It’s flower season in the Northern Cape and the best places to see the bloomin’ marvels are reached by gravel roads. The shortest route to Namaqua National Park‘s dazzling carpets of daisies is from Kamieskroon and is 17 kilometres of badly corrugated dirt. The degree to which you’re shaken and rattled depends on your vehicle and its suspension – presuming you’re prepared to subject it to this kind of ageing treatment.
Being in the Getaway Land Rover, (that you can win here) I felt tough enough to drive the long way out, from the magnificent flower displays in the Skilpad section and along one of the park’s mountainous 4×4 routes to exit at Soebatsfontein, then tackled the scenic drive over Grootvlei Pass back to the N7. The roads hadn’t seen a grader in recent history and I arrived back at the Kamieskroon Hotel shaken and stirred.
A party of Getaway readers assured me the Northern Cape did possess a grader – they’d spotted it on the Groenrivier road south of Garies. Great, I thought, you’d have thought SanParks had enough clout to get the roads to their top tourist attraction in flower season graded.
On the recommendation of Kamieskroon Hotel owner Helmut Kohrs, the next day I skipped the N7 to Springbok and drove via the intriguingly named No Heep back road. The impressive granite-domed koppies and flowers blowing in the breeze looked even more wonderful than expected, thanks to the fact that I didn’t have to concentrate on the road – it had been freshly graded!
When I caught up with the farmer who owned No Heep farm, he modestly acknowledged having got the grader to visit. “˜Ek het dit spesiaal vir julle gedoen (I organised it specially for you),’ he beamed, adding that all his Verbe farm cottages were full of visitors. (He also explained No Heep was derived from a Nama word that no one had been able to explain to him.)
Two-thirds of the way to Springbok, I caught up with the actual grader. Driver Jacobus Masent was pleased with my compliments, but took credit only for the roads east of the N7. “˜The other grader does the roads west of the N7.’ He assured me that it would get to the roads around the Skilpad section of Namaqua National Park, as it worked its way north from Groenrivier.
“˜You are a hero,’ I told him. “˜All the visitors who come to see the flowers thank you for doing this important job.’ I should have added that their vehicles are even more grateful.
Recommended accommodation
Kamieskroon Hotel is a favourite base for photographers seeking to capture the stark beauty of this arid region. It’s a comfortable, old-style two-star country hotel that’s had a makeover with fresh linen and renovated bathrooms, and the friendly staff makes you feel welcome. It costs R300 a person a night sharing in flower season (R220 a person in low season) and R80 for a great breakfast that will keep you going for hours.
Tel 027-672-1614
Email [email protected]
www.kamieskroonhotel.co.za
Going to see the spring flowers? Find more accommodation options here.
You may also like
Related Posts
The Northern Cape landscape and its characters are full of life. Here are some of...
read more
If you're feeling a bit tired of the usual scene, take a tip from urban...
read more
The east coast is our very own tropical paradise with warm waters and laid-back vibes....
read more
