Garden Route Unearthed

We stayed at Breathe Views cottage at Karoo Breathe in the Klein Karoo and had the most fabulous time.

I am fascinated and enchanted by both the Karoo and the Klein Karoo regions of South Africa.

There is something magical and majestic about their long straight roads and huge open plains which stretch from one dramatic Mountain Range to the next.

When you drive through these regions you think there is little to see but the vast veld areas and lots of sheep, but actually there are a plethora of wonders to explore in both regions.

The landscape of succulents, low scrub and rocky terrain is vastly different and contrasting to the lush green foliage and ocean blues of the Garden Route and even the temperature is significantly different, being several degrees higher than the Garden Route in the summer and several degrees lower in the winter.

And yet, the Klein Karoo starts within about a one-hour drive of Sedgefield and is really only a hop over the Outeniqua Pass from George.

Bryan and I were looking to have a few days away on a little road-trip, so we decided to go and explore a small part of the Klein Karoo we hadn’t visited before and what a fabulous choice we made.

We booked Breathe Views, a one-bedroom, two-person cottage on a farm just off the N9 in the Klein Karoo, about 16kms past the turn off for Herold Wines at Camfer and the Montagu Pass on the way to Uniondale.

Karoo Breathe have four different accommodation options and Karoo Views is a small cottage, tucked away from the others and described as being ideal for couples.

We had booked two nights and after enjoying our Tierkloofpad hike in the Outeniqua Nature Reserve we heading out of George on the N9 over the Outeniqua Pass.

After stopping at a Padstal for a bite to eat we soon arrived at Karoo Breathe, arriving just before 15h00.

It had been an incredibly hot day, with temperatures that day reaching 40º Celsius. With the sun beating down and a hot wind blowing (similar to a Berg wind), it felt I was sitting in front of a huge hairdryer, so we checked in to the cottage, unpacked the car in record time and were in the splash pool within minutes of arriving. What an absolute pleasure!

Breathe Views is wonderful. The owner is extremely welcoming and friendly and the cottage is newly renovated and beautifully decorated, with all attention to detail and your comfort considered.

The main deck offers a spectacular view across to the Swartberg Mountain range and with another separate patio off of the bedroom, you can enjoy the peace and quiet and Klein Karoo views from several directions.

The farm has a few geese, chickens and several goats, so their honks, clucks and bleats add to the ambiance and relaxing nature of Karoo Breathe.

The next morning, having eaten a delicious braai the night before and following a good night’s sleep, we were raring to go again.

We took a short walk to the river (2kms round trip), where Bryan fished and caught a couple of bass, and I enjoyed some time capturing photos of the dragonflies hovering by the water’s edge and the contrasting colours of the bright red succulents, against the stones and rocks in the dry earth.

We had then thought about hiring a quad bike to go exploring the area, but inevitably, the tranquillity of the area and the vibe of “stopping and taking a breathe” resulted in us slowing down relaxing on the deck and just revelling in the nature (there were dozens of colourful locusts hopping around and we saw a few small lizards / iguanas), views and scenery surrounding us. It was fabulous!

So, in summary, if you are looking for a place to stop and relax and enjoy the great vistas of the Klein Karoo, then I would highly recommend Karoo Breathe.

It is also a great location to base yourselves if you wish to visit some of the other nearby attractions of Oudtshoorn (45 kms away), Herold Wines ( 22 kms away) and the Outeniqua Mountains.

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