KAROO catharsis
The Karoo is no secret, and yet it remains remarkably under-explored by locals and foreign visitors alike. Perhaps the arid landscape isn’t the lush Africa that people grow up learning about, or maybe it’s just too far inland to appeal to conventional holidaymakers. In any case, it’s an overlander’s paradise, blending rough terrain with unparalleled isolation.
The Karoo National Park is one of several SANParks reserves in the region, but it’s arguably the one that best captures exactly what the Karoo is about. Knobbly hills topped by desolate plateaus dominate the landscape, giving way to sparsely-vegetated valleys and plains that are home to some of South Africa’s most interesting – and elusive – critters.
Established in 1979, it’s become a haven for the unique flora and fauna of the Karoo, including brown hyena, aardvark, aardwolf and black rhino, as well as a small number of lions, reintroduced to a habitat they once dominated. Despite its size and wild ambiance, however, the park is quite literally down the