MY NAME IS PC
KHOISAN CONSERVANCY Mountain bike the ‘mini-Serengeti’
We left behind the seas of sand shaping the vast swathe of the Kalahari, sailing the tarmac tides into the heart of an endless grassland ocean. Our GPS pinpointed us at Faugh a Ballagh (an ancient Irish war cry translated as ʻClear the Wayʼ) but below our feet, the waving grass of the Karoo-Gariep Nature Reserve did an excellent impression of Kenya.
PC Ferreira and his family are deeply rooted to this land upon the sedge-lined shores of the windswept Seekoei River. ʻHere on the Gariep plains, itʼs about more than just family, thoughʼ, he explains to us. ʻNo man can be an island: our workers, our neighbours, our friends… they are all family, and the only way weʼre going to ever get through this horrible Covid thing is if we stand together.ʼ
PC is a local farmer-turned-conservationist and he has been instrumental in creating the Khoisan Conservancy
here in the Karoo-Gariep Nature Reserve. His mountain bike trails, hiking routes and running trails offer a human-powered escape into the expansive grassland plains and rocky outcrops where the Free State, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape overlap.
That night, I sat on a shale-stacked koppie while shooting a billion-star sky. I looked forward to the following day; bulleting by bike along goldwashed tracks; or paddling the glacial chop of the Seekoei River and being entranced by petroglyphs dating back to when Khoisan hunters ranged upon these plains.
DO IT:
Bike, SUP, paddle, trail run or flyfish for yellows within the expansive Karoo-Gariep Conservancy, or join them on a Shy Five Safari. karoogariep.co.za
The five-day Karoo Seekoei MTB Route follows a scenic trail along the Seekoei River. Cost is R8 500 pp, including all meals and accommodation at guesthouses, guides and support vehicle.
Contact David on 082 453 6357
STAY HERE
New Holme Nature Lodge: R450 pp; Shy Five Night Safari drive is R250 pp for a two-hour drive. 082 567 9211