Blog
Camping At Matroosberg Nature Reserve
by Minouw Coetzee
5 years ago
Despite the cold weather we decided to pack our bags and travel to the Matroosberg Private Nature Reserve for the Weekend.
The camping area is very spacious and there are ample trees that provide shade, this is, of course, a winter destination as people come to see the snow on the mountain. However, there are lots of fun activities in the summertime as well. Great hiking, 4x4 tracks and swimming in the rock pools are just some of the activities available.
We arrived on Friday evening and the weather was superb. There was no wind and we set up camp and had a lovely braai. Little did we know the storm we thought wouldn’t be so bad was still to come.
When we woke on Saturday morning it was raining, we had checked the weather forecast and were expecting it. We settled under our Frontrunner awning and made breakfast in the chilly weather.
Things got exciting when we were packing up to go drive the 4x4 route up the mountain. While making breakfast I had put the keys to the Fortuner in our cutlery bag (the designated place) but had failed to clip it onto the side (the specifically designated place). In the pouring rain we set up the tent 3 times looking for the keys, unpacked and repacked the Fortuner at least 3 times. Simon, the other half of Rolbos, assured me he checked the cutlery bag first but, after 45 minutes, I decided to give it another go. There, stashed in one of the compartments, I found the keys.
We ended up having a laugh about this and soaked through to our underwear proceeded to drive the 4x4 route up the mountain.
By this time it was pouring down excessively and I learned the hard way to always place everything in it’s designated spot when going camping, no matter what! I got soaked while filming and photographing our trek up but a packet of cookies provided some comfort. The ride was pretty awesome, the rain provided for some tough but exciting 4x4ing on the track.
That afternoon instead of resetting up our camp as we had planned to we had to head home, everything from camping chairs to our sleeping bags were completely soaked and because of my simple error, we had to leave. I have learnt my lesson :)
On Sunday we had to set up the tent outside our apartment to let everything dry. After Simon had been busy for a few hours I decided to go downstairs to see what he was up to. Being a true overlanding enthusiast he had started tinkering with our drawer layout as well as repacking and organizing all our gear. What a man! I went upstairs and got him a beer which he thoroughly enjoyed having worked up a sweat with all his effort.
We will be heading to Martoosberg again soon and this time I will make sure to put everything in its right place :)
