Witsand

South Africa is huge. Our journey takes a good five hours past Cape Town eastwards along the Garden Route. The country is also very dry on the Indian side. It hasn’t rained a drop for months. On the Sir Lowrys Pass, monkeys go about their business of mouth robbing. The dam behind it has dropped to 40% full. Cape Town will run out of water in 80 to 90 days.

After a good 400 kilometres through endless expanses of harvested wheat fields, we follow the sign to Witsand. The last 50 kilometres take us along a high-speed gravel road lined on both sides by ostrich farms. The small village of Witsand is idyllically situated at the mouth of the Breede River, one of the largest rivers in South Africa. Behind large dunes, the 300 metre wide estuary conjures up one of the most beautiful shallow water kite posts in the world.

Witsand is completely different from Langebaan. It is much further from the beaten track. The long journey and the gravel road keep the crowds of tourists away. There are a few hotels, three restaurants and two corner shops. The hotel has already sold rooms through estate agents and the restaurant is only busy at weekends, even in the high season. Witsand is currently home to perhaps 500 mostly South Africans, while Langebaan is home to thousands of empty holiday homes in gated communities.

The wind is blowing quite well on our first afternoon. I like spots that you have to find the right way to. They usually offer plenty of space and panoramic views. Just like Witsand. The wind is 25 knots from the south-east side onshore. Behind a dune that blocks the Breede River’s path into the Indian Ocean, the wind blows sideways across the last mirror-smooth estuary. I’m only out for a short time, then we drive back to the accommodation. The sun is setting.

Our accommodation is the Breede River Lodge – the only large hotel directly on the river. Our two-storey Room with a view™ has a bunk directly under the open thatched roof. You can hear sheep, birds and the sound of wind and waves through the roof. Best lullaby ever.

The wind blows on the second day. We continue eastwards along the Garden Route to Mousselbay.

On the third day, the wind shifts to the west and rattles across the river at a stubborn 30 to 45 knots in the evening before the first rain in two months. Nobody goes out. The sand on the dunes shines on our calves.