“You’re so lucky, you work and live in the most amazing place,” I blurted out to the bewildered guard at the security checkpoint. He stared back at me, not quite sure how to handle this over-enthusiastic tourist nut.
“No, seriously bru, how awesome is this place? What an office you’ve got,”I continued.
By now the national parks employee was wary of the raving lunatic whose eyes were filled with the zeal of the converted, hands waving in the air.
Okay, so I’d probably overdone the coffee that morning, and was in all likelihood scaring the poor guard at the entrance to the Golden Gate Highlands Park.
My brother (with whom I’d been camping for three days) had prepared one of his extra-strong brews to see me on my way, as I left at dawn so I could get home in time to see off a deadline.
When I say stiff, I mean the spoon was almost standing up in the cup… by now my heart was pumping and I was experiencing some kind of spastic euphoria.
Or was it just that the park really is supernaturally beautiful, and on that morning it was in another class, the plains full of game (zebra, blesbok, black wildebeest, springbok and red hartebeest to name a few), the air fresh, warm morning light washing over the grasslands and a clear blue sky above.
Fresh in my mind also was the perfect sunset we’d had the previous night, when the seemingly divine light of early evening, for which this region is famous, brilliantly touched the Maluti mountains.
I’d set off from Durban along the N3, headed through Winterton and Bergville, up the Oliviershoek Pass and around Sterkfontein Dam before taking the R712 towards Phuthaditjhaba.
Sterkfontein Dam is a wonder, its vast waters seeming infinitely calm until vicious winds whip up, threatening those brave or stupid enough to still be sailing its waves.
There’s a fantastic exclusive lodge on the dam, by the way, for anyone with a bit of spare cash to burn.
Wild Horses Mountain Lodge is the kind of getaway where the chef pops in for a chat during the day and discusses the evening’s menu, while the lodge’s management will take you out for a quick spin in a James Bond-like speedboat, perhaps dropping you off at a secret fishing spot if that takes your fancy.
But more than anything else, the quiet of this place is powerful medicine for the soul.
Golden Gate Highlands National Park has a number of accommodation options, which include self-catering huts and chalets and the new-looking Golden Gate Hotel.
The Highlands Mountain Retreat appears inviting, perched on a hill off the beaten track within the park.
With some of the best views you will ever find, the four-sleeper units there might be a tad more expensive than the regular chalets, but they offer exclusivity and a guarantee of genuine peace and quiet in the mountains.
We opted to camp at Glen Reenen Rest Camp, which has top-notch facilities (for those who are a bit squeamish, these include plenty of modern, clean toilets, showers and basins… there was even a plug to charge your cellphone).
Units come with or without power, depending on your requirements, and there is a fairly well equipped shop just across the road.
The hotel is also nearby if you feel the need for a beer at the action bar or a meal at the restaurant.
But the weird thing about Glen Reenen is that the main road connecting Phuthaditjhaba and the hippie village of Clarens runs right past the camp. This means that around 9pm, as you turn in for the evening, there’s every chance of a heavy truck gearing down as it approaches the speed humps outside the camp. Klunk, klunk ka-klunk go the trucks, an interesting sound to nod off to.
Then there’s the odd car with house or kwaito music blaring out of the windows.
I asked a few people around the camp what they felt about this racket and the consensus was that they were happy to live with it because they loved the camp. After three nights, I must say I felt the same way.
While it’s not quite on the same level as Mahai or Garden Castle, for example, because you rarely feel like you’ve truly got away from it all, Glen Reenen has its own charm.
The site is stunning, a number of walks and trails start from the centre of the camp and the facilities, as mentioned, are first class.
Then there’s the small matter of being just 25 minutes from Clarens, a definite attraction once you get weary of pounding the trails.
www.sanparks.org
how golden gate got its name
The Van Reenen family bought the Vuurland farm in 1878.
When moving to their new farm, the Van Reenens reached the valley in the late afternoon just as the sun was setting behind two magnificent sandstone cliffs. They named the land Golden Gate. - Sunday Tribune