Budget-friendly Black Eagle Creek is the ultimate Klein Karoo hideaway

When arriving somewhere new long after the sun has set and leaving just after sunrise, it’s quite a challenge to write about a place. No matter how much I enjoyed those very few hours, I remain in the dark about its quirks and surprises. Still, it’s not often I get to such an out-of-the-way place, alone, on a detour for the night. 

Luckily, the moon was almost full and the hideaway powered by solar, so I didn’t mind looking for fiery-necked nightjars and feeling a bat fling itself quite close to my nest of hair. Then into bed because the wake-up call is for a dawn walk with a mug of coffee in hand to the top of the hill and the 360-degree view. That’s all there’s time for. Honestly, it’s really quite tantalising when you can’t have more. 

The wooden cottage had everything necessary for a night of dreams and silence. Usually I will unplug a noisy fridge, but this one bordered on the friendly. More a comfort than a distraction. My host, Nikki Britz, dropped me off and went to her house a few hundred metres further up the hill. There was tea and coffee, fresh milk and the most delicious borehole water. Crisp, clear, delightful. 

The reason I am here, in this far-flung place, is partly because Nikki is learning about birds and birding through BirdLife SA and is on the route of places where local tourism authorities are trying to get people to point their binoculars.

There’s an abundance of birdlife on this pristine 36ha farm just outside Van Wyksdorp, 5km from the village on the Karee Kamma ring road. I’m told black eagles have often been spotted.

I wish for morning, so I can see the view — and then it comes; pale mauves and pinks before the orange of the sun. The sky is perfectly blue and I see a Cape hare looking at me. Pretending to be a statue, its long ears upright. I stare. It stares. Then it bounds up the koppie and disappears into the bush. 

From the top of the hill, I watch the Groot River moving slowly, slowly (hoping for rain in the catchment area), and there are undulating valleys as far as the eye can see. Despite the remoteness, Nikki says there are often guests in the cottage. Someone lucky spent the whole of December there, doing day trips to the surrounding villages. Bliss. 

There’s no Wi-Fi in the guest cottage but it’s available in the main house if you really want it. There’s a huge bed in the open-plan area and another room on the other side of the bathroom (with shower) with two single beds. It’s perfect for a single, a couple, a family or a bunch of friends. Dogs are welcome too. 

Before we leave I breathe as deeply as I can. I try to photograph the vastness with my eyes and memory. And then we’re off to the dorp to catch up with the rest of the media group as we continue on our way. I’ll come back one day. 

GETAWAY AT A GLANCE

ACCOMMODATION: The solar-powered cabin sleeps four — one room has a double bed and the other has two single beds — and offers crisp, clean borehole water. Sleeps two in one double bed in the bedroom and two single beds in the living room. The bathroom is shared with a hot shower, basin and flushing toilet. The chalet opens onto a large deck, outside firepit, and braai area. There is also space outside to park a camper van, with a plug point. 

RATES: R1,200 per night for four people.

EATING: No catering on offer but the kitchen is fully kitted with a fridge and a gas oven and stove. There is an outside braai area. The owners can supply groceries for overnight bikers, as this is a popular request.

CONTACT: Call Nikki and James on 083-747-9196, email Blackeaglecreek@gmail.com or find them online. 

• Scop was hosted by BirdLife SA