Text and Photos by Louis Jordaan
W
ouldn’t it be wonderful to have the
breakfast menu pointed out in the veld
one morning: spekboom (bacon tree),
sausages, bread bush, botterboom
(butter tree), milk bush, sugar bush and tea bush? Or
to be told that a variety of animals are hiding away
quite close to you in such a manner that on close scrutiny only some body parts are visible? And when you
think that the guide is not all there, to be shown a
pig’s tail, an elephant’s foot, a baboon’s ear, a rabbit’s
tail, an ox’s tongue, an ostrich’s neck, an agama’s foot,
a horse’s teeth and a mouse’s nipple? And what is on
the menu for the animals? Rabbit food, tortoise food,
ostrich food and buck food!
These are only a small number of the host of plants
that occur the Klein Karoo (Little Karoo), from Montagu
in the west to Uniondale in the east and from the top
of the Swartberg Mountain Range in the north to the
tops of the Langeberg and Outeniqua Mountain
Ranges in the south. The name, “Karoo“ is a Khoi word
which means “dry place“, a fitting name, because it is
indeed a semi desert, but one with a difference.
The Klein Karoo is a transition zone between the
western winter rainfall area and the eastern summer
rainfall area and as a result receives both winter and
summer rain. In the area three biomes which are
international hotspots of biodiversity converge, i.e. the
Succulent Karoo, Fynbos and Subtropical Thicket
Biomes. Some plant species from the Great Karoo
(Nama Karoo Biome) also occur here. The result is an
astonishing variety of plant species – about 3200).
Apart from the multitude of plant species, the Klein
Karoo is home to about 250 bird species (including a
number of Western Cape and southern African endemics) as well as a good variety of mammals, reptiles and
invertebrates.
All these combined with hard to beat scenic views,
majestic mountain ranges, spectacular mountain
passes and wide open spaces make the Klein Karoo a
veritable treasure trove for nature lovers.
To the uninformed nature is a closed book and even for
those familiar with the natural environment there are
unknown areas or aspects which they would like to
Top: Spekboom
Centre: Cocktail Sausages (Worsies)
Bottom: Bread Bush (Broodbos)