Beaverlac – A bit of walking and swimming is all you need….

If you want a place to get away, relax and find yourself, consider Beaverlac. There is an array of accommodation options from camping to small cottages, all relatively basic and very comfortable.

Beaverlac is situated in the Western Cape region, hidden away in the Olifants River mountains. It is very secluded, surrounded by 5000 hectares of valleys and mountains from all sides, seemingly untouched and unpolluted by people. Basic rules here include no load music and pets allowed, which makes it an ideal getaway for friendly pets and their owners.

One of the top characteristics of this area is the walking and being able to swim at the same time, there are plenty of hiking trails that lead you in all sorts of directions. The area holds rock pools where you can swim in the cool fresh waters and under waterfalls after the hot hike through the sun-baked rocks. There are caves with rock art paintings that are preserved and protected by National Monuments Act with restricted access to these parts.

To the vegetation and wildlife enthusiasts, there are many creatures in this area, although they tend to stay away from people there are chances of seeing a few of the smaller antelope species, baboons and other mammals. Birds are common in this area from the small common little sparrow to the more majestic Black eagles. The Olifants river prohibits fishing, due to overfishing of rare species of fish. You can see the rare Clanwilliam Redfins and Clanwilliam Yellowfish that live in these waters along the banks during the flowering months and the endemic River Bells that grow along the Ratel river and the famous karoo biome to be admired.

I must warn you though if your addicted to your phone/internet, do not get your hopes up being able to call friend and spend the night looking through Facebook, there is no electricity and limited network coverage. Perfect for those looking to get a bit more quality time together, or alone undisturbed. The evenings are also spectacular with little light pollution, opening the skies beautifully on clear nights to see the kaleidoscope of stars.

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