STEENBOKKIE PRIVATE NATURE RESERVE
Steenbokkie Caravan Park near Beaufort West is a popular sleep-over campsite and chalets on the N1, on the Steenbokkie Private Nature Reserve outside Beaufort West in the Karoo.
We spent December 2024 at Steenbokkie to see our daughter and her family on their way to Cape Town for their annual holiday. After two years of camping, I have learned that it serves one well to plan well in advance. It enables you to find the best campsites, allows you to plan your itinerary better, and saves time, fuel, and the distances you travel. I already have our route for 2025 in the back of my head.
Steenbokkie is an 8000-ha game farm where winter hunting is popular with biltong hunters. I came across the campsite while researching campsites for my farm camping website.
They have chalets and rooms and 23 campsites with electricity. You will need at least a 20m hose if you want to connect to a tap, depending on where you camp.
Gariep Dam is 368km or around 4 hours’ drive and Cape Town is about 470km or a 6-hour trip from Steenbokkie.
Steenbokkie does not have numbered, marked, or allocated sites. You camp where you find a spot, but there are adequate 10 amp electricity connection points to accommodate at least 23 caravans or tents. It can mean you end up very close to other campers because everyone wants to be in the shade.
Steenbokkie Ablutions
Although ablutions are rustic, the women’s ablutions are less so, which should keep most female campers happy.
The male ablutions are more rustic, probably because the winter hunters are mainly males who do not require frills.
Because Steenbokkie is a farm campground, water is supplied from boreholes. This may mean that the water flow and strength may sometimes pose difficulties.
I encountered showers with inadequate water, forcing me to move to another shower. I prefer the middle with the big head, which is where I always had adequate water.
The same goes for the toilets. I suggest using the second toilet on the left as it has adequate water and flow. Some other toilets did not always have enough water and strong flow to do what they must do.
Things to know about the male ablutions
- The types of taps used make it difficult to regulate the water flow and temperature. You will either “over-open” or “over-close”.
- The design of the shower cubicles is such that the construction lets the water, that runs down the walls, flow out of the shower cubicle onto the adjacent cubicle’s floor and out the door. This results in water on the floor when multiple showers are used.
- Tip: if you close the hot water tap and it keeps flowing, reverse the tap a little bit to completely cut off the water flow.
None of these are deal-breakers and we still enjoyed our “lankstaan” month. The swimming pool saved our lives when the December heat became so tough that the ample tree shade was not enough.
No problem as long as you find the “sweet spots”.
Female ablutions have the usual taps.
Steenbokkie is a campsite on a working sheep and hunting farm
Because Steenbokkie is a campsite on a working farm, expect activities such as sheep herding, loading and unloading of gymkhana horses, Angora goats, Karoo tortoises, and farm kids on quad bikes and motorcycles.
You may be “warned” about flies, mosquitoes, midges, and “malmiere” which are omnipresent but more an occurrence of the Karoo rather than just a result of farming activity.
We figured that any bug would be attracted to a green oasis in the Karoo, so we were not surprised that all the Karoo bugs descended on our tent! I have learned that I won’t ever succeed in killing all bugs, but that a fly swatter in the hand or insect repellent over the whole body keeps them at manageable levels.
Events
Steenbokkie has a farm venue and many events take place here.
Although we were told they don’t usually host events in December, there were year-end functions and even a wedding that took place while we were there.
These created no inconvenience to us. The only event that forced us the ask management for assistance was the year-end braai of one of the SAPS sections opposite our site. They were booked until 1600 but by 17:00 the “bittereinders” were talking the alcohol language, so we alerted management to the fact and they were quickly asked to leave.
Steenbokkie also allows day visitors but we did not experience anything that disrupted our camping.
Keep in mind your tolerance of people and noise. We are not easily upset because we enjoy people around us when we camp, especially if we are the only lankstaners and it gets a bit quiet at times.
Popular sleep-over venue
The location of Steenbokkie just outside Beaufort West and near the N1 makes it a popular place for people moving to and from the Cape or Gauteng to spend a night or two. It is also popular with the locals.
“Overnighters” sometimes arrive late at night and mostly leave early so, if you love your sleep, be prepared for that.
Our experience was that campers arrived and left quietly and we were often not even awakened by them arriving or leaving.
On days after busy nights, the staff were often kept busy with cleaning the rooms and chalets and we did have some days where the toilets went for most of the day without paper. We carry toilet paper in our bathroom bags, so it wasn’t a problem.
General
As I usually do, I asked to meet the owners.
It was promised but did not materialize, so I may be ignorant about many things mentioned here.
There is a small shop in the office, where you can buy ice, ice cream, wood and braai packs but we found the OK in Beaufort West to be well-stocked with fresh produce, good quality meat and ample parking.
We generally found Checkers to be good wherever we camp. In Beaufort West, it is the same although parking can be a problem.
Beaufort West is in the Western Cape so we did not feel uneasy anywhere we went (which is the case in all the Western Cape campsites where we camped). There is just law and order which we Gautengers are not used to.
But like in all the small towns where the control of the municipality is in the hands of the ruling party or is split, you will encounter beggars. We never felt threatened but when you leave Gauteng, it takes a long time to stop being aware of your surroundings and of the people around you.
After two years travelling in the Western Cape, Northern Cape, and KZN, one observation that stands out for me is the increased poverty in rural towns. Every town has a traditional poorer area but nowadays every small town also has a squatter township. Everybody moves to a town to look for non-existent work.
It is those job-seekers and their children who you will encounter as beggars on the street.
Benneth Smith
I must mention Benneth (Bennet) who maintains the campsite.
Benneth tries to keep all campsites watered, but I feel for the man as people arrive every day and they all want the shady sites.
It turns out that Benneth is a qualified ranger who did his training as a game ranger in Kruger and worked as a ranger in the Karoo National Park until South Africa changed and staff “rationalization” happened.
He is well-informed about the plants and animals of the area and he shared information from his vast knowledge of the habits of snakes.
I enjoyed his serious and responsible approach to his work and his going about his daily tasks around us. And every time the North Westerly wind rained dust rain over us, Benneth walked past and muttered “hier is die Karoo reën”.
Benneth’s wife did catering at Karoo National Park and is now one of the team at Steenbokkie.
December weather at Steenbokkie Caravan Park
We enjoyed typical December weather with a handful of exceptionally hot nights and no rain to speak of.
We enjoyed our month-long stay at Steenbokkie, got to see a part of the Karoo, and saw our daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter.
The campsite is unique due to its relatively small size and the fact that it caters to sleepover RVs and campers, holiday, and long-term campers.
All in all, we enjoyed camping at Steenbokkie.
It was a good Karoo camping experience. I believe you haven’t experienced South Africa if you haven’t experienced the Karoo. It is a very special place with special people.
Silwer Karoo Farmstall
On the way from Kleinplasie in Oudtshoorn, make sure you stop at Silwer Karoo Farmstall on the N12 about 70km from Beaufort West.
Then you can also stop at Boeteka Farmstall 20km before Beaufort West. We bought very good wors there.
Vodacom bad coverage
The Vodacom connection at Steenbokkie was so bad that I took on Vodacom via X (Twitter).
After nearly a week of frustration, they informed me that there was no Vodacom coverage at Steenbokkie, although their coverage map indicates the contrary.
It seems MTN has the same problem.
I presume the campsite is located in a blind spot, but be prepared.
What to do at Steenbokkie Caravan Park
- Self-drive on the farm.
- Karoo National Park 13km.
- Graaff Reinet 205km.
- Merweville 165km.
- De Jagers Pass 52km.
We visited Merweville
We travelled to Merweville to visit an old school friend of mine.
It is a 165km two-hour drive but you get to see the real Karoo. Use the N1 not the R61 road unless you are comfortable driving 160km on a “sinkplaat” road.
Merweville is the town where the TV series, Die Boekklub is set. If you enquire about where in the town the Boekklub was made, you get a Merweville giggle as only the “stoep” scenes were shot in the town. Everything else was not done in Merweville.
Karoo Blessings Nougat
All the equipment in the photo was donated by people who read about their project.
We did visit Karoo Blessings Nougat, a project run by Marian Esterhuizen with the help of Ina Barkhuizen.
Together, they run a nougat factory fund-generation project to support local farmers who suffered severe droughts in the recent past, and is expected to still experience disruptive weather patterns.
If you visit Karoo Blessings, make time (a long time!) because when Marian starts telling the story of Karoo Blessings, you will not leave soon.
Their nougat project raises amounts such as R70 000 for fodder for the farmers in their area. They sometimes have only smaller amounts to distribute and that is where we heard the story of a farmer who received R450,00 and was touched because it allowed him to buy a washer for his windmill which in turn enabled him to pump water for his sheep, as well as a sack of mealies (maze) to feed his sheep.
And the story of a farmer’s wife who received a credit of just over R200 at the local shop (paid in by Karoo Blessings) and who let the dealer know that they must just pack her a surprise packet of things she could (and would) not buy herself.
Call them to visit.
The Merweville area is also home to Koup Lamb, a Karoo lamb produced and marketed by Karoo farmers who did not want to participate in the Karoo Lamb meat project.
Steenbokkie slideshow
What Does Steenbokkie Caravan Park offer?
Safety: Safe
Wi-Fi: Yes
Private ablutions: No
Standard of ablutions: Rustic. Cleaned and serviced daily. Toilets, Showers and a Bath for women. .
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
Plugs in bathrooms: Yes (females)
Laundry: Yes, on request at R75 per bundle.
Condition of access roads: The last km is a well-maintained dirt road. Access gate must be opened manually.
Nr of stands: 23
Paved stands: No.
Unpaved stands: Yes
Shade: Yes. Prepare for tree flowers and pollen in Spring and Summer.
Shop on-site: No, CBD is 8-km away.
Nearest town: Beaufort West.
Pet Friendly: Yes.
Load shedding: Yes. Eskom power.
Hot swimming pools: No.
Pensioners rates: Yes.
Long-term camping rates: Yes.
Pet friendly: Yes.
Location:
3km on Graaff Reinet Road
Turn left at Steenbokkie sign
(follow tar road and then 1km dirt road. Gate on the right.
Beaufort West
6970
Western Cape
Map
Contact:
Cell:+27 83 540 4573
Email: steenbokkie@beaufortwest.net
Website