I had a lovely trip to this hiking area with my uncle and aunt in 2022. Grahamstown, or Makhanda is quite hard to get to from Gaborone. There are no direct flights, the nearest you can get to Grahamstown is either Port Elizabeth or East London. So I decided to bus it. What a crazy mistake! The buses were all on time and actually pretty comfortable, but my coccyx hated me by the end of the trip.
However coming from a chilly dry Gaborone to a misty cool Grahamstown in June was magic. The Grahamstown Arts Festival was on, and the mood was buoyant, everyone looking to catch a few shows, drink some microbrewed beer, buy some local crafts and have a holiday.
I stayed with my cousin at Blue Skies Backpackers, just near a small airfield on the outskirts of Grahamstown, The collection of succulents is outstanding, and displayed in the most arty way, coming out of mossy gumboots, and toilet pots and driftwood, beautiful rusted tools and sculptures jostling for space with the plants. (Pics from the November 2020 issue available for download in Archives).
Walking around the area are lots of beautiful indigenous plants, many of them fynbos species, like Ericas, Helichrysums and Proteas.
Surrounding Grahamstown is a beautiful mountainous area with some great trails to walk, it was a really blustery day when my uncle and aunt took me for a drive up to see the views over Featherstone Kloof, but it was still easy to see some really special plants, and gorgeous views. I’ve taken out the original audio of the video I took, as it was just too windy!
I ended the trip with a stay in Port Alfred at Rugged Rocks. One of my favourite places in South Africa.
Gardens Botswana 