The Namibian border is about 678 kilometers away from Cape Town. The journey may be long, but it presents the opportunity to enjoy the best of both the Western and Northern Cape on your way to your destination. The N7 is in excellent condition with no tolls, traffic is minimal, and even in season, there’s a palpable sense of calm, as soon as you hit the Swartland.
ALSO SEE: Exploring Namibia: 15 must-do activities and places to visit
Here are 7 spots to spot off at along the N7, on your trip to Namibia:
1. For breakfast
Leave Cape Town at around 6.30 AM to hit the Desert Rose Farmstall at 8am (open every day from 8-5pm) on the N7 near Koringberg. It’s an hour and a half’s drive. Settle with one of the best boerie rolls you’ve ever had, and sit alongside the giant penguins, dinosaurs and trippy art whilst you marvel at the succulent garden.
EXTRAS: They sell a wide range of well-priced leather bags and veldskoens.
Desert Rose, desertrosefarmstall.co.za
2. For oranges and jam
Feeling like a sweet dose of vitamin C on your trip? Die Kleine Schuur, just after the Algeria turn-off beyond Clanwilliam is great for cheapie oranges in season (R20 a pocket) and has a shaded stoep for restful refreshments.
EXTRAS: The owner is something of a magpie, collecting scarves and shawls – find hundreds of them to buy here.
Die Kleine Schuur, tel: 084 6567566
3. For lunch
Stop for a R60 chicken burger and a coke with lemon at the wonderful Die Skoorsteentjie in Vanrhynsdorp. There’s always someone interesting walking by who stops for a chat.
EXTRAS: A delightful range of children’s books is on sale.
Die Skoorsteentjie, Namaqualand Road, Vanrhynsdorp. 027 219 1763.
4. For woollen waistcoats and bespoke clothing
How about picking up a trendy outfit from the middle of nowhere, along your trip? Bitterfontein might just be the last place you’d expect to fine one, but that’s exactly what’s on offer at Gerber & Co, just off the highway. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because their main branch is on the R45 outside Simodium. They do decent coffee and lemon milkshakes!
EXTRAS: The Tough Love clothing range includes a selection of hard-wearing, logo-ed T-shirts, very collectable.
Gerber & Co, jsgerber.com
5. For coffee and memories
The old Kamieskroon Hotel is untouched by time, cool slasto behind drawn curtains, reupholstered ball and claw, and climbing delicious monster plants. Sit on the stoep or in the warm breeze under the apiesdoorn and enjoy the silence of the ages.
EXTRAS: You can even stay over!
Kamieskroon Hotel, kamieskroonhotel.com
6. For photographic brownie points
The astonishing Kamieskroon’s granite boulder landscape from Garies to Springbok is of course the highlight of the N7. Lost in the larger Namaqualand sell, it deserves a much higher profile. Why those hills aren’t on every visitor’s must-see list is beyond a mystery. The best granite ‘bubbles’ for pictures are at Bowes Dorp, 10km north of Kamieskroon, on the N7.
7. Springbok Lodge, for everything
The Kotzé family started this business in 1947 and truth be told it hasn’t changed much in 80 years. That’s a good thing; for those who haven’t had the pleasure, it is a lodge, restaurant, shop, library, museum, gallery and geology treasure trove all rolled into one very old-school, very red vinyl treat. The Boere breakfast alone is worth the trek from the Cape.
EXTRAS: The shop sells one of the best ranges of South African travel books in the country, at reasonable prices.
Springbok Lodge and Restaurant, springboklodge.co.za
Written by Peter Frost.
ALSO SEE:
10 travel packing tips to ensure a holiday without any hiccups
Feature Image: Pexels
