卡加卡玛自然保护区(Kagga Kamma Nature Reserve)距离开普敦大约 250 公里,开车过去得耗上 3 到 4 个小时。这里不像花园大道那样满眼绿意,而是以超现实的红砂岩地貌和 1.5 万公顷的荒野震撼人心。很多人冲着这里的洞穴酒店来,但真到了这儿,你会发现那种被亿年岩石包裹的静谧感才是最难得的体验。从 1988 年正式成立保护区至今,这里始终保持着一种与世隔绝的原始张力。
既然大老远跑一趟塞德堡山脉(Cederberg Mountains),住宿肯定是重头戏。这里的建筑逻辑不是在荒野里盖房子,而是试图把自己藏进岩石里。
保护区里最有名的就是那 10 间依山而建的洞穴套房。这些房间的墙壁直接就是天然的红砂岩,摸上去还有粗糙的颗粒感。虽然说是洞穴,但里头的设施其实很现代,甚至拿过 2013 年的 RCI 绿色环保大奖。房间完全靠太阳能供电,晚上灯光暖黄,衬着暗红色的岩壁,确实有种回到石器时代却又舍不得现代席梦思的错觉。不过说真的,洞穴里信号微弱,正好给了你一个彻底断网的机会。
如果你胆子够大且追求极致浪漫,那套远离主营地的露天星空套房(Star Suite)才是王者。这其实就是一个安置在露天岩石平台上的巨大卧榻,没有墙壁和屋顶。晚上躺在上面,头顶就是南半球璀璨的银河。这种体验不夸张地说,比任何五星级酒店都要奢侈。不过得提醒你,塞德堡的深夜即便在夏天也可能有点凉,抱着厚被子看流星划过才是正确的打开方式。
卡加卡玛不仅仅是拍照好看,它的文化底蕴藏在那些不起眼的岩石缝隙里。这里是桑人(San)和科伊人(Khoi)曾经生活过的地方。
跟着保护区的向导去寻找那些距今 1200 到 6000 年的岩画。这些用矿石粉末和动物油脂画上去的图案,记录了当年的狩猎场景和宗教仪式。你会看到大量大羚羊(Eland)的形象,在古老的桑人心中,那是连接灵界的媒介。这种穿越时空的对话感非常神奇,比去博物馆看复刻品要真切得多。2022 年甚至还有游客在徒步时意外发现了一个保存完好的、数千年前的陶罐,可见这片土地下埋藏了多少秘密。
这里的驱车游猎(Nature Drive)和克鲁格那种追着狮子跑的风格截然不同。在这里,你更多是寻找那些适应了干旱气候的特有物种。运气好的话能见到罕见的邦特博克大羚羊(Bontebok),或者是像岩羚(Klipspringer)这样在垂直岩壁上跳舞的精灵。清晨六点半出发时,你会发现荒野里满是特有的开普芬博斯(Fynbos)灌木香气,那种冷冽又清新的味道会让你瞬间清醒。到了晚上,还可以去天象站观察土星环,这儿的海拔和无污染空气让观星效果极佳。
去卡加卡玛的路不太好走,如果攻略做得不细,很可能在半路就想打道回府。
虽然官网说普通轿车能开,但真心建议租一辆高底盘的越野车(4x4)。最后那段 35 公里的碎石路(Gravel Road)非常考验车技和车胎。如果是租的小型轿车,你会开得胆战心惊,甚至可能因为路况太颠而错过路边著名的“缝纫机岩”等奇特地质景观。车速一定要慢,开这段路预留出一个小时左右比较稳妥。
别被南非的阳光骗了。卡加卡玛位于内陆高地,昼夜温差大得离谱。夏季白天可能接近 40 度,但到了晚上可能直接掉到个位数。如果你是冬天(6 月到 8 月)来,清晨甚至会有霜冻甚至降雪。衣服一定要叠穿,防晒霜和防风外套是标配。另外,保护区内部除了营地餐厅外没有超市,建议在最近的小镇塞雷斯(Ceres)买好你喜欢的零食和足够的饮用水,一旦进了保护区大门,再想出来买东西可就难了。
是的,除了住宿费外,每位游客或每辆车通常需要支付一定的生态保护费(Conservation Fee)。这笔钱约 210 兰特左右,直接用于维护这 1.5 万公顷荒野的自然生态,建议预订时确认是否已包含在房费中。
信号非常不稳定,大部分洞穴套房内几乎搜不到 4G 信号。只有在主营地的公共休息区有微弱的 Wi-Fi 覆盖。如果你有必须处理的紧急工作,建议在抵达前处理完,或者干脆在这里享受一次“数字排毒”。
春秋两季(9 月至 11 月,3 月至 5 月)最舒服,气温在 15 到 25 度之间。春天能看到漫山遍野的野花盛开,那是塞德堡最温柔的时刻;如果想看最清澈的星空,冬季虽然冷,但大气通透度是最好的。
最直接的路线是走 N1 高速到伍斯特(Worcester),转 R43 经过米歇尔山口到达塞雷斯。过了 Op-die-Berg 小镇后就要留意指示牌了。全程大约 240 公里,虽然公里数不算长,但因为山路和碎石路多,一定要留足 4 小时的行驶时间。
Jaine Hannath We were gifted a two night Cave suite stay at Kagga Kamma. The gravel road access was easy in our little 4x4 Fiat even though a massive storm had blown over just an hour earlier. The Cave suite is comfortable and the hikes are amazing. It was too cold for me to try the swimming pools but both pools did look inviting. The highlight of the whole trip was how incredibly helpful and respectfully attentive all the staff and personnel were. An asset to Kagga Kamma was DJ. He was delightful, knowledgeable and reassuringly competent as Field Guide. The Al a Carte menu has delicious, well priced options for both vegans and meat-eaters. Examples being the sticky pork ribs and novele mushroom pasta. Best EVER! A special thanks to Jean-Marie, Johannes, and Reyna. Their name tags identified them as "Waiters", but all three were competent Maitre 'd's. Kagga Kamma was wonderful, and we intend to go back for more hikes and a few spa treatments.
Bodie Crossingham What an incredible experience! This is a must visit area of our beautiful country, and such a lovely lodge! The staff are great, Gaby in particular went out her way to make everything as wonderful as it could be. The hiking is spectacular. The accomomodation very nice (whilst just falling short of luxury) and the food was lovely.
Kristine Schiebroek Uniquely located hotel with cave dwellings and huts. The cave dwellings are not really cave dwellings but creatively made of natural stone and cement They are small inside, but contain everything you need. Furnishings are simple but comfortable. Fine shower and fridge in the room. We took the fullboard package. You do get all meals and drinks included and two activities a day. Taking the car more than twice is not necessary as there is not a lot of wildlife to see. We saw zebra, springbok, ibex and turtles. Nice to do the rock art Tour. That is special to see though. The surroundings are really beautiful. It is well worth the long drive. Hotel and restaurant is four stars, but we would rather give it three stars. Swimming pool is nice, but also simple. Staff are very nice but not very professional. But they do try to make you feel comfortable. A few small things went wrong for us and they were all corrected. In terms of atmosphere, there is room for improvement. Lighting for more atmosphere and, for instance, tablecloths on the table are just a bit more fun. For instance, they only turn on table lamps when someone sits down, but how much more fun would it be if they were all on the moment you walk in. On the terrace, you sometimes have a very bright lamp on your plate or you are sitting completely in the dark. As the owner, I would change this as soon as possible. In our case, stargazing was cancelled twice because of the wind, which was very unfortunate. There is wifi at the restaurant, which is great for disconnecting from the outside world while sitting on a chair by your room with a beautiful view. What would also be a real addition are two sunbeds by your room. Food is simple but good. The menu is very extensive and they are also willing to make adjustments to the dish. Very nice to eat by the fire in the evening. All in all, a pleasant stay but don't expect luxury. However, everything is comfortable.
Sakshi Doshi Absolutely loved this place, we stayed for 2 nights in cave 11. The view was too good and goes best with breakfast in bed. No network, It was a good mental detox. You will find dassies all over the property 😍. All the staff was kind with us but “Abby” was a bit racist when we were dining at the fireplace. During breakfast next day, we asked vegetarian food and explicitly told No Eggs, No Meat, yet she got us French toast(Eggs),We felt it was on purpose. Food menu can be better. Overall would definitely recommend this place to my friends and Family.
Frerk Frommholz I had high hopes with the 4 star hotel rating that not only the nature was beautiful, peacefull and breathtaking but also the whole accommodation. That was definetly not the case. The caves were disappointing, nobody of the personnel has a smile on their faces except the cleaning crew, nobody helps with your luggage and the food is medium at best. The rooms need work and just everything has aged. All good for half the asked price and a 3 star rating but unacceptable and bad value for the advertised experience.