go! YOUR JOURNEY STARTS HERE

If you’ve never been to Keimoes before and want to orient yourself, take a drive up Tierberg. Even though the hill rises only 100 m above the town, the views of the Northern Cape landscape stretching to the horizon and the tidy patches of green vineyard in the crooks and bends of the Orange River are worth it.
“It’s the only place around here with good views that you can reach in an ordinary vehicle,” says Dirk Malan, farmer and owner of the Kalahari Water Eco-Nature Resort.
It’s quiet at the top; the only sound reaching us is the rumble of a tractor in the distance. Dirk unfolds an aerial photograph of the region on a concrete table under a thatched canopy. “Hamerkop, Bok, Ram and Rondemuis, Vyebos and Kar islands,” I read.
In the 1800s, two Koranna chiefs named Klaas Lukas and Piet Rooi are said to have stolen livestock and then hid the animals in this maze of islands. The hill was the only place from which they could be spotted – hence its other name, Loerberg, or “peeping mountain”.

Where? Turn left at the four-way stop on Main Street; the Welkom Café is on your left. Continue for about 2 km until you see the Tierberg sign. It’s a good gravel road to the top.

A bright yellow, green and red windmill welcomes you to the Akkerboom Farm Stall on the R14. Pink petunias planted in an old car and a painting of a big green crocodile on a dam wall contribute to the cheerful atmosphere.
Trudie de Wet, owner of the stall, joins me in the back yard under a camel thorn, for a cup of coffee. Then I browse the shelves packed with honey, nougat, jams, rusks, nuts and canned fruit. I admire a small replica of a windmill (R125) that looks just like the real McCoy – it works if you turn the blades.
I buy jars of marmalade, prickly pear jelly and quince jam, as well as bars of home-made soap.

Where? 14 km outside Keimoes on the R14 to Kakamas.
Hours: Monday to Friday 8.30 am to 5 pm (Saturday  from 8 am).
Contact: 054 463 0066; 082 534 7433

The Keimoes Farm Stall is probably the best-known farm stall in town. It’s tiny, but brimful with all the dried fruit and nuts you can think of.
In the fridge I find fresh Adam’s figs (R16/250 g) and dates (R12/400 g).
Alida Snyders started the business 11 years ago, selling dates and raisins. Nowadays, she gets orders from all over South Africa. “We’ve even posted dried peaches to Germany,” she says.
From November to April you can also buy fresh grapes at the stall. Alida encourages visitors to first have a taste to make sure they like the fruit before they buy.

Where? Main Street.
Hours: Mondays to Saturdays 7 am to 5.30 pm.
Contact: 054 461 1641

“When people phone us to book, they usually ask first if we’re the place where the springbok graze in front of the houses,” says Aletta Baard of De Werf Lodge.
“The springbok moved in of their own accord,” adds Gideon, co-owner and manager. “They came from the koppies behind us. By day they lie on the lawn and check out the goings-on, and at night they sleep in the koppies.”
Where, just ten years ago there used to be dry shrub and stone, you can now have a picnic under a tree and enjoy two hectares of peace and quiet.
De Werf’s restaurant, where Aletta is the chef, is open to everyone, not just lodgers. You can also braai under a camel thorn, or cool off in the pool.

Where? De Werf is just outside Keimoes, on the road to Upington.
Cost: R330 for a single room, R440 for a double room and R560 for a room that sleeps four.
Contact: 054 461 1635

“Many people who come to Keimoes want to cool off or fish in the river,” says Dirk Malan, owner of the Kalahari Water Eco-Nature Resort. “But there’s virtually no access to the river, because most of the farms front on it.”
Rows of grape vines stretch from the river to the rocky koppies. And where the vines end, quiver trees and the rare Aloe gariepensis take over. “It’s like a big rockery,” Dirk says
This aloe is found only near the river from Keimoes to the Richtersveld. Look for the plants on the Aalwynrant Hiking Trail (8,5 km) or the Tussen­strome Trail (3 km) along the river’s edge.
There’s also a 4x4 trail of 3,5 km, and you can go tubing, paddling or fishing. Dirk also takes visitors by pont across the river to see African fish-eagles from a bird hide.

Where? 4 km from Keimoes, en route to Kenhardt.
Cost: Entrance fees are R20 per adult and R10 per child.
Contact: 054 461 2404; www.kalahariwater.c

“Quiver trees are just like people,” says Marina Bothma of the Koms Quiver Tree Nursery. “You can plant two next to each other; one will do well and the other one will battle.”
Marina and her husband moved to the Northern Cape from the Boland 14 years ago.
“I’ve always loved succu­lents, but the quiver tree with its unique shape fascinates me.”
At the nursery there are more than 12 000 quiver tree saplings. A year-old tree costs about R60.
“Birds and mice love eating the seedlings, which is why so few survive in the veld,” Marina says. “And they grow only about 10 cm in a year.”
To see these trees in their natural habitat, drive the Quiver Tree Trail – it’s basically the R356 between Neilersdrif and Kakamas, a 40 km gravel route. Just past Rondemuis Island you’ll see the first stand of quiver trees on a koppie.

Where? At Neilersdrif, turn onto the R359 gravel road and follow the small nursery signs to the Koms nursery.
Hours: Monday to Sunday, all day. Call ahead to make sure Marina is there.
Contact: 054 464 0195

Driving into Keimoes from the south, you’ll see the Kalahari Vleishuis on your right, next to Avbob insurance and funeral service. “Fortunately, this branch only sells insurance policies,” jokes Trisha van Niekerk, nicknamed Patrys.
Patrys is the owner of the Kalahari Vleishuis. Her grandfather and father also owned a butchery, and she got the recipe for her famous chilli bites from Oupa Koos.
Patrys’s other speciality is “Flip se rib”.
“Our pharma­cist from across the road, Flip van As, once asked me to prepare special ribs for him. I deboned ribs and marinated them in my secret blend of herbs and spices, and the rest is history. These ribs sell like hotcakes!”
The skilpadjies, pof­adder and game carpaccio are also delicious, not to mention the droëwors, biltong and lamb.

Where? Opposite Keimoes Pharmacy on Main Street.
Hours: Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5.30 pm (6 pm in summer); Saturday from 8 am to 1 pm.
Contact: 054 461 0134

From the early 1920s, Keimoes was known for the “Keimoes-blits van voortreflike kwali­teit” (“Keimoes witblits of excep­tional quality”), it says in the book Keimoes en Omgewing.
Today, it’s the good pot-still brandy produced by Bezalel Estate that gets plaudits.
“My son Jan-Adriaan, Gert Joubert of Prieska and I made the two 680 ℓ copper stills our­selves,” says Inus Bezui­den­hout, owner of Bezalel.
Like Cognac, this brandy is distilled twice in the copper still, then matured for five years in French oak barrels.
Bezalel also produces red wines, port and liqueur, as well as raisin chutney and ginger-and-fig jam.
The Green Fig Café on the farm always has cakes and quiches on the menu, but for a large group it’s best to book beforehand.

Where? 15 km from Kei­moes on the N14 to Upington.
Hours: Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm (Saturday to 1 pm).
Cost: R15 for a tasting, which includes a tour of the distillery.
Contact: 054 491 1325

How do I get there? Keimoes is about 35 km from Upington via the N14. If you’re driving from Cape Town, take the R27 from Kenhardt to Keimoes. Keimoes is 836 km from Johannesburg and 834 km from Cape Town.

Contact: Keimoes Tourism 054 461 6400; www.upington.com/Keimoes.htm; 
www.greenkalahari.co.za/keimoes.html

(Note: Prices accurate in February 2009)