Keep calm and travel on…

I got the chance to join STA Travel (one of our epic clients at CN&CO), SA Tourism, Acacia Africa and Cape Extreme on a four day adventure travelling through the Western Cape.

We all gathered bright and early at the UCT middle campus in Cape Town to meet our fellow travellers that would be joining in on the four-day adventure. As I arrived at the pick-up spot I saw the massive Acacia Africa overland truck awaiting us. For someone who isn’t a morning person, this was very exiting as I’ve never been on a truck like this before.

We set off to our first stop which was the sand dunes in Atlantis out on the West Coast were we did some sandboarding with the guys from Cape Extreme. We had so much fun! Even though we were all covered in sand from head to toe because we all had a wipe-out moment while boarding down the sand dunes, we had a great time.

After the sandboarding we made a quick stop in Atlantic City to grab some lunch. From there we headed out to our first camp site for the night at Khwa ttu.  As we got to Khwa ttu a bit of excitement struck when the truck got stuck in the sandy roads. After a 4X4 tractor and a funny looking self built truck pulling us out, we were on the road again. We got to the camp site and it was absolutely beautiful. There were little tent huts that we would be spending the night in. The staff from Khwa ttu made us dinner that night and it was divine. After dinner we all sat around a bonfire and just appreciated the beauty of this wonderful country we live in with a milky way of stars above us.

The next morning we got up early again, had a quick breakfast and had the people from Khwa ttu telling us more about the San people who used to live there; the things they would do to survive; and even gave us a class on how to say a few things in the San language.

After this we ventured on to our next camp site – where we would be staying for the next two days – Highlanders in the Cederberg Mountains.

On the bus the excitement was running high, music was pumping, drinks were flowing and everybody was ready for the long day on the road.

We arrived at Highlanders in the afternoon and started setting up camp. We all had to help set up the tents and make dinner for the next two days. After everything was set up we decided it was time for a swim. Everyone got into the pool and soon discovered that not everyone in the pool had ever played Marco Polo. So, as one does, you play Marco Polo, which carried on for at least three hours.

The next morning we got up at 5am to go on a refreshing 4km hike on the Sevilla rock art trail. There are nine rock paintings that were painted by the San people over 3 000 years ago. It was such a great morning, with breath-taking views and interesting history lessons.

After this we went back to our camp site at Highlanders for lunch and a bit of a rest. Later that day we went down to the river for a swim and to relax a bit. Before we knew it everyone was covered in clay from the river and looked like they were having some kind of spa treatment!

Rounding up the day, we went back up to the camp site where Sparky, the owner of Highlanders, prepared a wine-tasting for us from Klawer Cellars overlooking the Cederberg Mountains. As we headed into our last night, the guys decided that we should have an “ABC party”. I bet you’re wondering: “What the F- is an ABC party?” (That was my initial thought.)

As I came to find out, it stands for “Anything But Clothes” and is exactly what it says. You can were Anything But Clothes to the party. This is where people really got creative. Some wore black plastic bags and others wore their sleeping bag! It was hysterical and so much fun.

The next morning we packed up camp and journeyed back to the Mother City. I recommend this trip to anyone who loves camping and seeing new places you would never think of going, in our very own backyard! South Africa is a beautiful place with many hidden gems to be found on a road trip.

Here are videos we made of the trip. They should give you an idea of the vibe:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

If you’re keen to experience this adventure as I did, contact the team at STA Travel.

Ps. Here’s an awesome Facebook gallery from the trip that the legend over at Student Village captured.