East Griqualand - Where the Spirit Roams Free

East Griqualand - Introduction: How the West was Won

zoom A white Christmas in Kokstad Photo:uMgungundlovu District Municipality

Shielded from prying eyes by omnipresent mountains on three sides - traversing endless grassy plains, primal wetlands and crystal streams - you'd be forgiven for imagining an untamed frontier where outlaws reign and contraband flows. Which was exactly the scenario...some 150-plus years ago.

Colonial authorities had begun carving up the Zulu Kingdom, bestowing on each new 'conquest' a suitably imperial title such as Victoria and Alexandra. This peak-cradled triangle, however, was No Man's Land... where smugglers and gun-runners ranged with impunity between the already-established Cape Colony and these fledgling fields of opportunity. In 1863, the Griqua people under Adam Kok staked their claim to this 'wild west' after a two-year search for a second promised land...having lost their original hinterland home to voracious white settlers. The Griqua relocation piqued British interest in the district, though, and on the first day of 1866, the Union Jack fluttered over a newly annexed territory called Alfredia - in honour of Prince Alfred.

zoom Arnolds Dam Photo: Max Bastard

Colonial fondness for 'bagging trophies' saw the introduction of bass and trout as recreational alternatives to hunting wild animals and game birds...pursuits that today continue to attract growing numbers of outdoor adventurers. If, on the other hand, you're content to shoot with a camera, the diverse array of habitats invites birders to record rare species and gatherings-including the largest remaining flocks of young wattled-cranes. Golf, polo and all things equestrian maintain a certain sophisticated, colonial charm, but the rugged and spectacular terrain also presents pulse-racing challenges to exponents of more technology-driven exploits. Paragliding is, literally, a peak experience in these parts...along with the pitting of man and machine against precarious mountain-bike and 4x4 trails. Most daunting of these is undoubtedly the Thule Rustlers Route, a series of steep cuttings and plateaux carved out by local farmers in response to livestock raids from neighbouring Lesotho. This thankfully short-lived return to the lawless era of No Mans Land is today the ideal opportunity to advertise the prowess of off- road vehicles. If this sounds too noisy for your dreamed-of getaway, take to the hills with nothing more than a stout pair of boots and walking stick to propel you...time-worn pleasures can still be the most satisfying!

zoom Stoney Brook Photo: Max Bastard

If you prefer bird-calls at dawn to early-morning traffic hum... mountain silhouettes at sunset to tower-block outlines here's the destination you've always imagined. If the bright lights you crave are those beamed from above through a crystal-clear night sky...you're one of us. For the preservative-free, rejuvenating holiday of a lifetime, join the friendly folk who'd rather commune with nature than commute to the city.

Welcome to the Wild West-without bandits!

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