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in partnership with Skoorsteenberg Farm & Cottages
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The best of both worlds – home comforts in the middle of nowhere. Welcome to the offline life!
Tankwa Karoo National Park is a national park in South Africa. The park lies about 70 km due west of Sutherland near the border of the Northern Cape and Western Cape, in one of the most arid regions of South Africa. In the middle of this national park, away from all signs of civilization, you will find the amazing festival called AfrikaBurn once a year. This is why I found myself searching for Tankwa Karoo accommodations on Google a good six months in advance. I didn’t know what to expect, but when you least expect something…
When we planned on going to AfrikaBurn, I imagined I had to swallow my pride and buy a tent reluctantly. Don’t get me wrong – I know living in a backpack and having minimal sleep in a tent or under the stars are a dream of many, especially when you go to a desert festival in the middle of nowhere. But, to me this has never been the dream. I like to shower the dust and sin away after a long night, I like to feel clean when I wake up – and what I love most of all is to sleep in a comfortable bed. Yes, call me a diva, but that’s just me.
With that being said, you might understand my excitement when we found Skorsteenberg Tankwa Karoo accommodation in the middle of Tankwa Karoo National Park. This beautiful place is located in the dry and arid Tankwa Karoo region of South Africa, not far from the infamous Afrikaburn site, 4,5 hours north from Cape Town. Here you can rent two fully equipped farm cottages who sleeps 6 in each. They are separate from each other, so you will feel screened with just you and nature.
Skorsteenberg Tankwa Karoo accommadation is such a unique campsite with amazing countryside views. An unusual sense of place. The accommodation is a working farm with animals and olive- and date groves. Encounter the African wildlife when you sip your morning coffee on the terrace in the middle of the powerful Tankwa Karoo National Park.
To be able to live here in the middle of nowhere, but at the same time have the necessities we are used to at home like electricity and hot water (provided by solar energy) is just outstanding. Clear blue skies and powerful sunsets, but the best thing – the silence. Sit outside at night and watch the starry sky in total silence.
We stayed at Skorsteenberg Tankwa Karoo accommadation for 9 days during AfrikaBurn 2018. If you are used to checking your phone every 5 minutes and can’t do any activities without telling your followers where you are and what you are doing at that exact moment, this will be a challenge for you. Because – in Tankwa Karoo National Park you don’t have any cellphone connection. Yep, that also means NO Wi-Fi.
Hello offline-world, happy to re-encounter with you.
You also need to take in consideration that getting to Tankwa Karoo National Park can be quite a hassle. You need to know how to drive a 4×4 because the roads are pretty heavy the last hour or so. Since we are 2 hours from cellphone connection, that also means that supermarkets and restaurants are even further away. Prepare for a long camping trip at this Tankwa Karoo accommodation – you need to bring all the food and drinks you want, and to be safe, I recommend packing a little extra. You don’t know when the sugar rush hits.
This is by far one of the most memorable trips I’ve ever been too. And that is of course also a big thanks to my lovely host Nana at Skorsteenberg Tankwa Karoo accommodation. A more warm and thoughtful host is hard to find. She helped us out with everything, from how to get to Tankwa Karoo National Park and how to survive at AfrikaBurn. I’m so grateful to have met her!
Our South African adventure in Tankwa Karoo National Park is one for the books.
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