Photos of Kagga Kamma |
Kagga Kamma Private Reserve
Surrounded by fynbos and the Cederberg mountains, Kagga Kamma is truly an out-in-the-wild experience. It's well known for its cave-accommodation and ancient rock art. There's no cellphone reception and no ambient noises or light - expect deafening silence and crystal-clear skies!
Getting to Kagga Kamma
It's situated near Ceres, about 3 hours north of Cape Town. So, hop onto a flight to Cape Town, and then either hire a car & drive, or charter a flight for the short hop to Kagga Kamma's airstrip. Because Kagga Kamma is so deep in the wild, expect to drive along a long gravel road for the last stretch to the reserve. Here's a Cherokee 6 parked on their runway.
Sundowners at Kagga Kamma
"As a child I saw the cave paintings at Lascaux in the South of France, and since moving to South Africa I have had a hankering to go and see the San paintings in the Cederberg. Bushman's Kloof was out of our price range but when a voucher came along to stay at Kagga Kamma I leapt at the chance. We drove from Cape Town through the scenic Bains Kloof pass and the small town of Ceres. We made excellent time but things slowed down considerably when we turned off at Op Die Berg onto the dirt road, particularly as the map from Kagga Kamma was deceptive - where the road sign said 35km, the map claimed 19km and in the end it was 55km from leaving the tar road but fortunately we weren't close to the 5.30pm cut off when the nature reserve closes its gates. On our first night we stayed in a cave room which, while unlikely to set a trend in interior design, was fun and novel and the views across the Cederberg are stunning. It's like instant relaxation to look across the craggy landscape and breath in the hot air scented with cape snowbush."
"We climbed up to the star gazing platform for romantic sundowners with a high view across the rugged plain littered with sun baked rocks and dotted with bright spring flowers. There were two really disappointing elements to Kagga Kamma - the food and the staff. The food was just about edible if you were really hungry and since we were there for two days (and we'd already experienced the dirt road and distances to the nearest town) we had to get involved with greasy breakfast omelettes and buffet food straight from a packet. The staff were like friendly ghosts - pleasant when they were around but nowhere to be found when you wanted something. And if you don't speak Afrikaans your sign language better be top notch. Wessel Fourie, a loveable eccentric, was our guide for the morning game drive and we were delighted to be the only guests up early enough to go. His enthusiasm was infectious and his 'no-nonsense' approach was refreshing - any questions we asked that he didn't immediately know the answer to, he looked up for us later. There are a few antelope about but this really isn't for those 'tick list' tourists into the big five. We enjoyed being horrified by the skaapstekers and puff adders and the smaller creatures; who knew a red velvet mite could be so fascinating?! Wessel took us out again later to visit the San paintings - wow! It was incredible to see how well preserved they are and how detailed. It wasn't all that hard to imagine people living harmoniously amongst the majestic lichen covered rocks, periodically chomping on hallucinogenic plants and dancing in the fire light. The highlight of Kagga Kamma is undoubtedly the outcrop where we stayed for the second night. It is worth every rand of the extra charges to stay there. We donned helmets and drove quad bikes (somewhat precariously!) out to the outcrop where our outdoor room had been beautifully prepared. We watched the setting sun with a bottle of delicious Arendsig and braaied supper over an open fire. It was really magic to sleep under the stars in the open air and to wake up in the morning with a bontebok frolicking in the veld a few meters away! Once you've worked out how to get the warm water flowing, the open air shower just topped off the experience of luxury in nature. I'd love to go back...but next time I'll be taking my own provisions!" ~ Emily Blott
There are a number of ancient (up to 6000 years old) rock paintings on the reserve.
There are a variety of snakes in the Cederberg such as Berg Adders, Black Spitting Cobras and Puff Adders.
There aren't any trees in the area, and the shrubs in the area are known as mountain fynbos; part of the smallest floral kingdom in the world.
Bookings
Book Kagga Kamma via Nightsbridge. phone 021-872-4343, email info@kaggakamma.co.za or skype kaggakamma.
Ask our travel consultant your questions here. She would love to assist.
