WHAT AWAITS YOU ON THE KAROO?

A vast semi-desert stretching across four provinces, the Karoo is characterised by extensive open plains bordered by dolerite-capped mountains, the immense, heart-lifting spaces of the Karoo have a unique, humbling kind of magic. The vast biosphere is split into roughly two sections: the expansive Great Karoo to the north-east and the smaller Little Karoo (Klein Karoo) in the south-west.

The name Karoo comes from an ancient San word meaning Land of Great Thirst, a reference to the arid landscape and harsh climate. Yet, for a semi-desert, the Karoo is extraordinarily diverse. It is known as the Camdeboo region serves as the meeting point of a variety of topographies, vegetation biomes and wildlife. The name Camdeboo can be loosely translated from San language as Place of the Green Hills. This part of the Karoo has been designated as the western-most extent of one of just 36 Global Biodiversity Hotspots, the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot.

FACTS

Western Cape province of South Africa.
The capital is Cape Town.

George Airport [George]
Port Elizabeth International Airport [Port Elizabeth]
Cape Town International Airport [Cape Town]

The park serves as a meeting point of five of South Africa’s nine vegetation biomes: Grasslands, Nama Karoo, Savanna, Thicket and Forest. This diversity of vegetation creates a multitude of habitats for species that are specially adapted to the Karoo’s arid environment. While this region is great hunting ground for cheetah and lion due to the grassland cover, herds of eland, black wildebeest, gemsbok, blesbok and Cape Mountain zebra, baboons, porcupine and aardwolf can be found here. The savanna on the other hand is preferred by the reserve’s elephant, buffalo, giraffe and plains game.

It has an oceanic climate, with mild to warm summers, and mild to cool winters. It has the mildest climate in South Africa. Rain occurs year-round with an average yearly rainfall of 770mm. The winter months run from May to August [low season] while the summer runs from September to April [high season]. The summer averages 26C [78F] while winter temperatures average 19C [66F].

English, Afrikaans and Xhosa

Rand [ZAR]
US Dollars are not accepted.
Foreign exchange services are available in big cities and airports.

Mountain biking
Guided & unguided hiking trails
4x4 trails