Bakkrans
A view like this makes getting up early worth every groan. Reserve manager Arrie is more than willing to take you out in his Land Rover to explore the reserve.
It’s happened to all of us: You book a spot to escape the whirring hamster wheel of daily life. All you want to do is hide out in the bundu. Relax. Get a bit of peace and quiet.
You’ve chosen a lovely spot and you unpack and get the fire going. Then another car rolls in. The neighbours. Soon the teenage daughter is singing along to Justin Bieber blaring from the 6x9 speakers in the open boot and dad comes over to offer unwanted tips about the best way to braai kebabs. Before you know it you’re yearning for your own home and the comforts of urban life. Hang on. There is a place where you’ll never have to suffer the ordeal of lousy neighbours ever again: Bakkrans Nature Reserve, tucked away in the lesser known eastern part of the Cederberg called the Red Cederberg, owing to the colour of the mountains at sunset.
Whether you book one or all four stone cottages, this 6000ha reserve will be yours and yours alone. Other visitors will have to wait until the next available weekend. Except for Arrie Beukes, the 71-year-old reserve manager, you won’t see another soul.
Bakkrans 101
Rock art expert Janette Deacon recently completed a two-year project recording and researching Bushman art at Bakkrans. Arrie takes guests on a short rock art trail to a few overhangs and caves in the reserve.
Accomodation at Bakkrans.
Accommodation: There are four stone cottages (a fifth can be arranged), each with two single beds and bedding. Each cottage has a separate bathroom with a flush toilet and a shower with hot water. The communal kitchen is fully equipped with cutlery and crockery, and there’s a lapa with a braai. Wood is supplied. Remember that there’s no electricity, only lanterns and candles.
Best time of the year to go: In August and September, after good winter rainfall, there are beautiful flowers. In summer the temperature Know before you go can rise to 40 ºC and more, but you can always cool down in the pool. Winter is a good time to relax around the fire in the braai lapa. Snow often falls.
How to get there: Bakkrans is about 260km from Cape Town. The shortest route is via Ceres, Prince Alfred Hamlet, the Gydo Pass and Op-die-Berg, where you turn right into the Cederberg Wilderness Area. Carry on straight along the dirt road until you get to the three-way intersection at Matjiesrivier. Keurbosfontein (and the Bakkrans office) is 4km further, along the road to Wupperthal.
I don’t have a 4x4! You can reach Keurbosfontein in a sedan. Arrie will come and fetch you and drive you around Bakkrans at no extra cost.
Food and other supplies: You have to cater for yourself. Buy your groceries in Ceres or Prince Alfred Hamlet. I can recommend the braai chops from Geldenhuys Butchery in Prince Alfred Hamlet (023 313 3413).
Cellphone reception? There is MTN reception on the rock behind the bathroom of the backmost cottage and sporadic reception in other parts of the reserve.
Find out more: Explore Bakkrans from your desk with the click of a mouse – visit www.redcederberg.co.za for a virtual tour.
Cost: With bedding and towels supplied: R395 per person per night (minimum R1 185 for two nights); bedding and towels excluded: R345 per person per night (minimum of R1 035 for two nights). You have to book for at least two nights.
Contact: Johan van der Westhuizen 083 261 1934; www.redcederberg.co.za;
johan@redcederberg.co.za
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