South African Break Aways

ROAD TRIP – Sodwana Bay (3)

Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Free State Province

Welcome to our road trip of December 2021. We are travelling by car across South Africa (from the west coast → north coast → KZN south coast → back to the west coast). The distance we will cover, will be around 5,000km (3,106 miles).

Our main purpose for this trip, besides seeing places we have not seen before, is for Berto to scuba dive in Sodwana Bay and then to be a little more adventurous … diving with sharks in the ocean in Umkomaas on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal. We hope to share lots of pictures to show you our beautiful country.

Accommodation – Day 2 & 3:

Golden Gate Highlands National Park – Glen Reenen Rest Camp (outside Clarens, Free State Province)

We were woken up during the early morning hours with continuous thunder and lightning … and then hard rain for several hours. Hmm, I guess the hiking trip in the Maluti Mountains is not going to happen today 🙁.

Huge puddles of water outside our hut
Nature was crisp and green
Small waterfalls made their appearance in the mountains after hard and continuous rain

So, what would be our plan of action on such a stormy day? Well, exploring the nearby town sounded like a good option! We decided to drive back to Clarens (the closest town, about 17km from our hut).

The road back to Clarens … hmm, this is a proper rain storm

History on Clarens:

Clarens is a small town situated in the foothills of the Maluti Mountains and nicknamed the “Jewel of the Eastern Free State”. It was established in 1912 and named after the town of Clarens in Switzerland where exiled Paul Kruger spent his last days.

Even on a rainy day, this little town was beautiful. We found parking in what seemed like the centre of town and ran in the rain to the closest coffee shop … and what a great choice (without knowing it)!

The Courtyard Café in Clarens:

This coffee shop/bakery is a true gem in Clarens. The service was friendly and the food looked so delicious! We bought our take away coffee and sat down at one of the tables while the rain was bucketing down outside.

Take away coffee in the Courtyard Cafe
Berto ordered fresh bread rolls
Milk tarts (left) & Strawberry Custard tarts (right)
More sweet treats
My favourite spot in the cafe – Koeksisters (traditional South African confectionary made of fried dough infused in syrup) and Kumquat Gin

We waited for the hard rain to calm down, before walking swiftly to the next few shops. But soon, it appears we’re not going to miss out on the hard rain …

We spotted this unique attraction in the main square
Heavy rain continued while we were running for shelter

After a while we realised that more exploring in the rain would leading to us being wet to the bone! We found a small grocery shop where we bought a few items before returning back to our hut at Golden Gate.

The road back to Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Berto prepared a delicious lunch for us. He took the leftover steak of last night and cut it up in strips, then frying them in a pan with garlic and adding Nando’s Bushveld Braai Sauce. We added these on top of the freshly baked buns we bought earlier in Clarens – what a winner on a cold and rainy day!

Lunch time

For the rest of the afternoon (while rain was pouring down), I read a book and Berto was looking at the map, to find various options of how we should plan our drive to Sodwana Bay.

It was only after 4 o’clock in the afternoon that the rain gave us a break to quickly head out with our car to see more of the Maluti Mountains.

Time to see the beautiful Maluti Mountains
While driving to a lookout point, we had some stunning scenery
Low mist was still covering some of the higher mountain peaks
And the road was …. well, WET

Eventually we came to the well-known ‘Brandwag Buttress’. This sandstone cliff adorns all the postcard of the park as it has a golden glow at sunrise and sunset, hence the name Golden Gate.

The magnificent Brandwag Buttress
It’s a beautiful sight

There is a back-and-forth route from our camp to the top of the Brandwag Buttress, but in the rainy weather, it was not possible to hike to the top of this cliff. We therefor walked over to the lookout point and took a couple of pictures (before it started to rain again).

This is the closest we’ll get to the Brandwag Buttress today
The Golden Gate Hotel with another magnificent mountain as a backdrop

We then needed to hurry back to our hut as the thunderstorms were back, followed by heavy rain. When we got out of our car in front of our hut, we heard a roar of water … we got back in the car and drove on the road to the back of our hut. Here we saw a waterfall running into a natural rock pool – which I doubt anyone will enjoy today.

Water roaring over the cliffs
The natural rock pool is in such a beautiful environment

It was time to get back to the hut again – the only dry place at the moment! Berto prepared a delicious chicken pasta dish while we enjoyed a bottle of red wine.

Chicken pasta on a rainy night

Tomorrow, we will continue on our journey to reach Sodwana Bay. We will spend a week here – for Berto to explore some stunning scuba diving spots, while I will be enjoying long walks on the beach.

So, I guess … we’ll see you on the beach in our next post!

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50 thoughts on “ROAD TRIP – Sodwana Bay (3)”

  1. Dis ‘n magiese plek. Daar waar mens die hemel in jou hare voel. Het julle die mooi engelgrafsteen besoek? Jy laat my lekkerte met my man en kind onthou. In Golden Gate en ‘n viermantent, baie reën en twee verdwaalde Tsjegge. Ek gaan die storie sommer gou blog. Veilig reis.

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    1. Oee, daai storie van jou klink na pure lekkerte! Vertel hom tog gou!! Ag nee, ons het die engelgrafsteen gemis … in daardie gietende reen het ons maar min gesien. Maar jy’s reg, dit was ‘n ongelooflike ervaring en ‘n mooi wat moeilik is om te beskryf!

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      2. Dis so waar, daardie tipe plekke is enig in hulle soort … en dan wil ek nog ‘n stil aand in die Richtersveld ook byvoeg (en sonsondergang in die Tankwa Karoo) … sjoe, mens se siel vind ‘n soort vrede wat nie sommer op enige plek gevind kan word nie!

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      1. Nou’s ek darem regtig spyt ons het dit gemis. Ek onthou die piekniek area (maar dit het so gereen dat ons nie eens verder gekyk het nie)! Jy sal maak dat ons weer moet gaan kyk 😄.

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    1. Absolutely John – it was a great day! That’s interesting – I thought we got the idea of the yellow frames from overseas … but you’re right, I love that idea. We were very fortunate, Cape Town had a really wet winter this year – so I think the worst of the drought is broken (most of the dams were 100% full by the end of the season).

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  6. Die Maluti Berge is ongelooflik mooi en ek hou so baie van die formasies wat mens daar kan sien. Die omgewing is so mooi groen en alhet dit gereen het julle een van ons mooi dele van ons land beleef. Die watervalletjies en die hele omgewing het so baie herhinneringe by my opgebring! Geniet julle tyd by Sodwana!

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    1. Daardie berge is regtig so mooi – ek kan nie dink dat ons al so iets gesien het nie (want die Sederberge, waar ons gereeld kom, het weer ander tipe formasies). Ja, selfs in die reen was dit ‘n ongelooflike gesig om te sien. Dankie Aletta, ons het nou eers klaar gekuier in Sodwana – dit was HEERLIK! Het vandag in Umkomaas arriveer … en hoe mooi is dit nie ook hier nie!

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      2. Ja, die tyd gaan hopeloos te vinnig verby! Ons was net 5 dae in Sodwana (en toe so ‘n vinnige oorslaap in Ballito) en nou weer vir 5 dae in Umkomaas. Die dorpje is redelik afgetakel … maar tog, is daar dele wat nog baie mooi is (hulle het ‘n Spar “to die for” 😁) en ek’s mal oor die plekkie waar ons bly. Ek dink hierdie gaan nog ‘n heerlike week wees …

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      4. Baie dankie Aletta. Die weer lyk heel belowend … vir die week word ‘n reenbui hier en daar voorspel, maar gaats, dis so bedompig en warm. Hier is gelukkig ‘n swembad (en die kamer het ‘n “aircon”) 😄.

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  7. A shame about the rain but you made the best of it with delicious meals in your cosy hut (my mouth always waters at the sight of Berto’s concoctions!) and a brief visit to those dramatic mountains. They actually look really beautiful with that low mist over them 🙂

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    1. Thanks Sarah 🌸. Yes, come rain or shine, we always try to find ways to enjoy our stay at new places! The low mist did some magic tricks with the mountains – I think it added a bit of drama! Ah, Berto’s food … I love these impromptu meals that he always puts together ☺️.

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    1. Me too! I’m not the biggest fan of going out in the rain (maybe because we’re not really used to it here in South Africa 😉). But the mountains did look amazing – even in the rain! Oh yes, the weather at the beach is GREAT!! Just what you want when you’re going to the sea!

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  9. Well, you certainly didn’t let the weather stop you. More wonderful landscapes, especially those hills hanging in the mist. I would have helped myself to several of those strawberry custard delights. Onwards, upwards and drywards for the beach leg!

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    1. Yes, we forgot that we were travelling to a region with summer rainfall 😁. But it was still a wonderful experience and we enjoyed our (short) time there! Oh my, those treats in the bakery … that smell … yumminess in overload! Indeed, the beach is calling ⛱⛱.

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    1. We’ve been to several mountain ranges here in South Africa, but never before we saw something so amazing like these mountains! We will definitely have to go back (a great excuse)! That bakery was a delightful surprise … I wish I could buy one of each, but that would have been sugar in overload 😄.

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  12. Looks like you had a great time despite the rainy weather 🙂 I’ve never heard about Sodwana Bay and I have to say that it looks like a beautiful unspoilt jewel with those unique rock formations! Thanks for sharing and have a nice day 🙂 Aiva

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    1. Well Aiva, to be quite honest … I think there might be some South Africans as well that have not heard of Sodwana Bay 😉. The stunning rock formations were a surprise for us as well – we have never seen anything like this on our travels through South Africa. Thank you for reading and hope you have a good day as well. Corna 🌸.

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    1. Oh yes, those mountains are indeed stunning! We will have to go back one day to do some of the hiking trails (when it’s not raining). Driving definitely giving us the freedom of visiting places we won’t be able to see when flying … you just need to have time 😄.

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  18. Such a stunning share Corna, thank you so much 🌸💕 I have more reason to visit beautiful Clarens and the images of it in the rain is stunning. A must and on my list as it’s about 3 hours away from where I am. Happy holidays to you and hubby.

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    1. I’m so glad you like our pictures of Clarens in the rain Henrietta! We wish we could explore more of this beautiful little town, but the hard rain just made it impossible. Oh yes, you must certainly make an effort of visiting this stunning place – it’s great that this is so close to you!
      Thank you for reading and have a great time with your family as well 🌸.

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