Vast relief

The silence out here is vast, the isolation immense, with the closest inhabitants from this traditional corbelled house 5km away, the nearest tar road 29. I was a little surprised at the extent to which the nothingness of the Great Karoo unhinged me. I am not known for my timidity. I tried to stay curious rather than turning in on myself, reminding myself that pretending can do great damage. 

I found soft, crispy cotton sheets, thick stone walls which hold the heat and big blue skies, with sunrises that move downwards through the landscape, not only upwards into the sky. 

Perhaps one day I will find words with which to describe this magical place. But for now I have only images with which to express this relief. 

Stuurmansfontein Corbelled House, Carnarvon

Stuurmansfontein Corbelled House

Daberas Farm, Augrabies, Northern Cape

Soulsoaring

This is true luxury – a spacious desert wilderness alive with texture and colour and movement of creatures, without another human being in sound or sight. Photographer’s paradise, this is a place of Kokerboom trees, boulders of Rose Quartz strewn casually about, thick golden grasses and rust-coloured rock. 

Daberas Farm is a 10 000 hectare protected conservation area which borders on the Augrabies National Park. You may choose to stay in the campground, surrounded by Dassie-filled cliffs and remote from any other habitation. Accessible only with 4 X 4, the campsite is nevertheless well equipped with two full bathrooms, fire pits and a slatted roof dining area. There is no electricity at the campsite, which is part of the charm, though one may hire a portable trailer with gas and utensils, stretchers for sleeping outdoors, along with elegant wooden tables and chairs for alfresco dining.

The softer alternative is a traditional cottage with wrap-around verandah, set up against one of the most beautiful Kokerboom trees I have ever seen. A farm-style kitchen and lounge feels part of the setting, and the cottage has 3 bedrooms, a shower and toilet off the verandah. A large fire pit will still draw you outdoors into the spacious openness.

And this place is all about that great outdoors. Despite how much there is to do and see in this vast wilderness, we spend an inordinate amount of time sitting around this open fire, watching the colours of the dawn change in layers from black to purple to orange to pink to blue in the sky and again later gazing as the process reverses as the sun slowly sets.

Accommodation Experience:

While mindful of the local leopard which moves through the campground on its way to the watering hole, we decide to sleep out in the open so that we may look up into the stars. It is winter and we light a fire and sleep close to it, with the shared instruction that if anyone wakes up in the night, that person should reach over and toss a fresh log on the fire.

The night is crisp clear. I open my eyes soon after midnight to see the Southern Cross right above me and as I roll over I see Hair of Berenice with my naked eyes (a constellation named after another goddess, while my own hat-head hair is well concealed under a beanie). I feel happy – as happy as happy can be – happy as only a child can usually feel. And this moment of happiness seems to stretch to forever, such that I can even draw on it now as I sit here and write.

Mark Nepo proposes “The soul’s only interest is for us to be as alive as possible. The aliveness of our soul is our career.”

It is all I can do to plot my return to this spacious rocky desert of Kokerboom trees, boulders of Rose Quartz strewn casually about, thick golden grasses, rust-coloured rock and starry nights so clear your soul soars with the not-quite-forgotten happiness of a child.

Naries Namaqua Mountain Retreat, Springbok, Namaqualand, Northern Cape

Stillness in the Desert

Throughout my stay at Naries Namaqua Mountain Retreat I had to remind myself to appreciate this present experience, rather than constantly planning a longer return stay.

The Naries characterful round thatched huts are nestled into similar shaped boulders of the Namaqualand desert. The cool interior surrounds one with thatched comfort which is complemented by the smooth polished floors, while the clean white linen of the King sized bed contrasts well with the thatched texture of the suite, creating an inviting pool of silky softness. My dark grey stone bath was decorated with pretty flowers, linking the interior to the views of the surrounding desert landscape.

Things I love about Naries Namaqualand Mountain Retreat:

• Being removed from one’s normal busy life, immersed in the remote, quiet desert landscape
• The unique architecture of the fully rounded thatched mountain suites, camouflaged into the landscape by mimicking the shape of the natural boulders in the area
• The contrast of thatch walls with cool polished floors and fresh white linen
• The windows creating framed views of the desert beyond the comfort of the interior
• The large stone bath and well designed bathroom
• The creative and delicious food served at the Naries Manor House

Accommodation Experience:

Despite the luxury of the interior and the fascinating style of the architecture, it is the vastness of the desert that silently calls to one from Namaqualand. I found myself sitting for hours outside on the deck of my suite, watching and waiting in silence as the desert stillness drew me in. As I sat motionless, watching the colour of the rock change from grey to pink to orange, I began to notice small movements in the surrounding sands. There was a quick scurry of a lizard and the flit of a butterfly. Although my first visit was not in the spectacular flower season of Namaqualand, my eyes gradually attuned to delicate blossoms coming out of the coarse gravel. In the distance I saw a herd of Springbok and Eland crossing the desert plains in search of their evening drink. A jackal called from the far horizon.

I felt vulnerable, thin skinned and awake, yet secure, stripped of any false self by the empty honesty of the landscape. No matter how busy or stressed one is on arrival, the desert will do its gentle work on one’s soul, calling one back to the essence of oneself and one’s integral connection with the ancient landscape.