KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Cost: R4 800 per person. This rate includes three meals a day, breakfast on the day of departure and transfers to and from the beginning and end of the hike to your vehicles, which are parked safely on a farm outside Laingsburg.

When? The hike takes place during the milder months and has a maximum capacity of 20 people. The remaining 2020 dates are 7 – 13 September and 4 – 10 October. If you’re interested in doing the hike in 2021 e-mail Franci Vosloo ( francivosloo1@ gmail.com) or send her a WhatsApp message ( 083 386 6270).

More info: Search “Buffels River/ Moordenaarskaroo hike” on Facebook, or follow them on Instagram: @moordenaarskaroohike

What do I pack? A tent, camping chair and sleeping gear. All your clothes should fit into a 50 ℓ ammo box. Water bottles are essential as you carry your daily drinking water with you. I easily finished a 3 ℓ CamelBak each day. Make sure your hiking boots are worn in.

As dry as the Karoo gets, there are always interesting things to see – and smell. Clockwise from far left: Khoisan rock art, vybos, a sun-bleached baboon skull, Franci fries tomatoes for breakfast, Klaus von Pressentin forges his own trail in the riverbed, Alma greets some friendly goats, a southern spiny agama, a brakbos in bloom.