The Karoo National Park is just outside Beaufort West, in the Great Karoo, and situated in the Nuweveld Mountains and surrounding plains. It was established in 1979 after decades of efforts by local people to preserve the original veld in this area.
The Potlekkertjie Loop in the Karoo National Park is 45 kms and the suggested time is 2.5 hours although it took us rather longer. We set off in the morning to explore in a clockwise direction. We didn’t see many animals on the first half of the loop but the scenery was magnificent. However, those dirt roads with their corrugations were to prove my undoing – but that is another story.
Sometimes the animals were hard to spot!
And sometimes there just weren’t any!
The road turns a corner into Doornhoek where the river has created lush greenery. We hopped out at the picnic site and that evening talked to other campers who had seen lion here earlier in the day…
After Doornhoek the road is in a valley encircled by the mountains, before climbing up to a plateau. The views were spectacular from the lookout point. There are lion in the Park but we left the car to enjoy the views – perfectly safe, said the leaflet.
Up on the plateau we found some real treats – mountain zebra and gemsbok
Klipspringers Pass returned us to the campsite. It had been a wonderful drive for the scenery alone – the animals were a bonus.
Further information
The Karoo National Park
The Best National Parks
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