GOURITSMOND CARAVAN PARK

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Gouritsmond Caravan Park is a privatised previous municipal caravan park in the town of Gourits. It has 110 campsites and good ablution facilities.

We camped here in January after we spent December at Steenbokkie to see the children. We were now in the third year of our one-year camping trip – or “lifestyle” as The Wife calls it.

Gourits is a small coastal town filled with friendly people and a popular destination for serious fishermen, especially in December.

The town has an excellent general dealer who surprised us with their reasonable prices. It was good to have all you need within walking distance from the campsite and not pay inflated prizes. We paid the same, sometimes a little less, for the same products we usually bought at Checkers in Mossel Bay.

Inside the general dealer is a small restaurant/coffee bar called Koffie Stories. Here we were served by the owner. I ordered a peanut butter milkshake from the menu and got a big scare when she threw her arms in the air and roared “No!”. After I recovered and enquired what the problem was, I was told they did not have it in stock. We went there a few times and enjoyed the owner’s enthusiasm for her business.

There is a popular restaurant and bar just outside the camp gate. Here there are also unleaded petrol as well as diesel available.

At Innie Mond you can get fish and chips within walking distance from the camp.

Although the campsite is fenced with prefab walls and has an automatic gate, crime is not a problem, and manager Cornelius and the staff live on the premises.

Mossel Bay is the nearest large town, but people sometimes drive to Albertinia for services. We had a puncture repaired at the only tyre shop in Albertinia for R60 which is anything from 20 to 200% cheaper than we encountered on our travels.

Gourits is a good campsite for long-term camping although there are limited places to visit for the tourist experience. The facilities have recently been upgraded with gas water heating and continuous cleaning of the ablutions.

Gouritsmond Caravan Park — *Gourits Mouth Caravan Park viewed from site 10.*

Stilbaai is within an hour’s drive, even with roadworks on the N2. Do not use the shorter dirt road from Gourits to Stilbaai, you may just lose your false teeth on the corrugated road.

We enjoyed walking to the beach and the tidal pool. The tidal pool is a local favourite and with every afternoon high tide, it is full of silver-haired people exchanging news and playing in the waist-deep water.

There is a 12 km dirt road along the rocky coast with great ocean views and hiking trails around the town and in the area. On this road, you will encounter an important array of oceanographic sensors that measure currents on the ocean’s surface as far out as 250km offshore.

We visited Albertinia, Still Bay, Fransmanshoek Conservancy, Boggoms Bay, and the Hansie en Grietjie Padstal near Vleesbaai. All are easily accessible. At Hansie en Grietjie, we enjoyed tasty caramelized onion toasties. On the same premises, there is a fruit stall with fresh fruit, where we bought tasty spanspek (Cantaloupe) and watermelon.

In Albertinia we met up with lankstaners Carel and Ronelle who were camping nearby at Jongensfontein. We had a most enjoyable time at the Fire Roasted Coffee shop where we met the enthusiastic Pretorius family who roast their coffee on their nearby farm. Their coffee shop is in the Aloe Ferox complex.

Nico Prinsloo, Marthina Prinsloo, Carel du Preex, Ronelle du Preez and Fire Roasted Coffe staff — Behind: Jordan, Jannie, Alisia, and Michelle of Fire Roasted Coffee on the N2 at Albertinia.
Front: Lankstaners Carel and Ronelle and the All-Season Campers.
Fire Roasted Coffee was busy with training and we got a taste of the coffee made by the two baristas. Little Alicia bakes cookies which are also sold in the shop.
Encountering family businesses is one of my great pleasures. Not only are they the backbone of an economy, it is also where the nice stories are found.

Gouritsmond shop — *The Gouritsmond General Dealer sign you will see from the main road. Much cheaper than the shop at the caravan park entrance and well stocked. We bought exceptionally fresh fruit and vegetables here.*

Places we visited around Gourits

Road to Gourikwa Reserve along the rocky beach.
Excellent for hiking or driving.

Getypoel by Gourits — *Tidal pool at Gourits. Municipal workers clean the slippery access with high-pressure washers.*

Tidal pool at high tide — Gourits tidal pool at high tide.
Easy walking distance from the caravan park.

Gourits the dog — The story of Gourits Die Hond van Gouritsmond.
Memorial near the camping ground.

Once we were in the tidal pool one of the locals relayed a conversation he had with someone. He was asked why he retired in Gourits and what kept him busy. His reply: “I relax in the tidal pool!”

The campsites are fairly open and exposed to winds, Camping next to the border wall and behind the neighbouring houses (around stand 10), did help, but when the wind comes from the East or the West, nature has little sympathy.