The Karoo is calling. Can you hear it?
2020 Has been a challenging year for many of us. Some of us have had to close the doors of companies that were like our children, some have lost their jobs or had to take salary cuts, we’ve had to sacrifice most of the activities we all loved so much, some of us have sadly lost a loved one to the virus, and we’ve all had to dig deep to look up, hear the call of something bigger and find the places within ourselves that we thought were long lost…
There was a point where I thought our small adventure travel business, SA Adventure, was not going to survive the devastating effects that lockdown had brought to the travel industry, with borders closed and travel banned I did not know where we were heading or how we were going to get through financially. Was it the end of my dream? It surely couldn’t be. After being locked up at home for a few months and staring into a very dark hole, I decided I didn’t like what I saw down there, victim mentality banished, it was time to step outside the box. Having only ever marketed and planned tours outside of the South African borders, I decided that is was time to look within South Africa and see what kind of off-road adventure I could put together.
As soon as interprovincial travel was allowed again we launched our Great South African Escape 4x4 Tour as well as our Extraordinary Adventure Motorcycle Tour. They were instant hits and it was clear that South African’s just wanted to get out and explore… The joy and amazement that I saw on our client's faces as they explored the back roads of their own beautiful country inspired me to think local…
We have some exciting changes coming to SA Adventure. The “SA” in SA Adventure always stood for "Southern Africa", now it represents "South Africa". I want to show you all how truly blessed we are to live in such a diverse, beautiful, colourful country that has so much to offer. We want to support the South African lodges, hotels, restaurants, cafes, petrol stations and tour guides that have been so heavily hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. We want to keep the money within our own borders to revive the struggling South African tourism industry…
As many of you know I have travelled on adventures pretty much all over the world, but one of my favourite places is the Karoo, which happens to be on our doorstep right here in South Africa. The Karoo is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa spanning across the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, and Northern Cape provinces. For many, it's just a dry, boring part of South Africa that you have to drive through for sixteen hours on the N1 to get to Cape Town. This could not be further from the truth. If you get off the beaten track you’ll find it’s actually an amazing place full of history, ghost stories, quaint little towns, villages, guest houses, fantastical museums, historical hotels, exquisite restaurants, quirky cafes, art and culture, a massive telescope and of course some amazing off-road gravel back roads for us to explore in our 4x4’s and on our motorcycles. It's a place where everything always feels clear. The massive blue sky, the crisp air, the beautiful smiles on the friendly faces of the local people and the windmills, don't forget the windmills…
So by now, you might be asking "what this is all about?" Well, I’ve come up with an idea, I want to take you off the beaten track with me, I want to show you the real Karoo, the little gems I’ve found over the years of exploring the arid area on my own, that I’ve selfishly been keeping to myself… My idea is to have a series of five "Karoo is Calling Adventure Tours" over the course of 2021 and beyond. Each one focusing on a different region of the Karoo. What this allows is for you to come on a tour with us and have enough time to explore the area completely, take in the magic of that specific area and really get the most out of your time there, instead of just driving from point A to B. And, if you listen and look carefully, you’ll also find places within yourself you did not know were there, this is the magic of the Karoo…
The idea is that once you have completed the series of all five "Karoo is Calling" tours, you would have seen the best that the Karoo has to offer, learned an incredible amount about the history and cultures in your own country and supported the local economy and helped to rebuild the South African tourism industry.
A year like 2020 comes by pretty much once a generation, and having lived through it, getting some perspective, seeing the silver linings and rainbows, perhaps it becomes easier to see that it was a character-building year. A year that defined who we all actually are… After chaos clarity always follows.
I would like to thank each and everyone of you for your valued support, help and kind words throughout 2020. I wish you all well and hope that you also found your silver lining in this trying time. If you’ve managed to read this far, I would like to personally invite you on the first of the epic “The Karoo is Calling” adventure tours. In this first instalment, set to take place in March 2021, we are going to go off the beaten track to the area surrounding the Karoo town of Nieu Bethesda in the Eastern Cape. We are going to offer two variants of the tour one for 4x4 vehicles and one for adventure motorcycles. Some of you may have heard of Nieu Bethesda, you might have even heard of the Owl House, but have you ever been there and explored it properly?
There are two links below, one to the 4x4 tour and one to the motorcycle tour, click which one suits you the best, read a little more about what we’ll be getting up to on the adventure, fill out the form to register your interest, and we will give you a special VIP discount when the tours go live on our website in the next few weeks...
Set in the Nieu Bethesda area of the Eastern Karoo, this exciting new 4x4 tour is the first in a series of five back road tours through the Karoo. Scheduled to take place in March 2021, it brings a whole new meaning to the word “adventure”. We guarantee you will see and experience things you didn’t know existed in South Africa.
Set in the Nieu Bethesda area of the Eastern Karoo, this exciting new adventure motorcycle tour is the first in a series of five back road tours through the Karoo. Scheduled to take place in March 2021, it brings a whole new meaning to the word “adventure”. We guarantee you will see and experience things you didn’t know existed in South Africa.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Remember that there is still a virus out there, be responsible and protect the vulnerable by wearing a mask and sanitizing your hands regularly. Many businesses, especially in the tourism industry, can't survive another lockdown. A little care now from all of us can prevent Covid-19 from spreading out of control over the next few months. I don't want to endure another lockdown next year, I'm sure you all feel the same way...
Please share with your friends and family on your social media channels, it really helps us!... Please support local South African companies during this trying time... Stay Safe, Big Love, Tim and the SA Adventure Team!