Green touring gets the wolf whistle

With the best of green intentions, I recently embarked on a weekend trip to the Cederberg to see what it was like to do some carbon neutral camping (a term that I find difficult to digest, given that burning wood is mandatory in any camping I do).

Careful to carpool and pack as many people into as few cars as possible, I loaded up my friend's Land Rover with bags of food, warm clothes and a few bottles of liquid heat for some fireside warmth. So far, so good. My carbon guilt was at a minimum.

With the Oliphants River flooded, we had to take an alternate route along 30 kilometers of dirt road north from Citrusdal. This slight detour added some time to our travels which totaled about two hours. Not bad, but I felt my carbon footprint growing...

On the Friday night, almost 20 of us eventually arrived at Gecko Greek Lodge, a self-catering camp on a large private nature reserve bordering the Cederberg Reserve. A truly special destination to escape to, it is a charmingly rustic camp that should remain a careful secret. With limited electricity; something only installed that week - many of the property's lights and all of the geysers are solar-powered. Two green thumbs up!

See more of the Cederburg and the amazing wolves here.

Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by our host and owner Linton Pope. A 15-year resident of Camps Bay and a veteran traveler with long grizzled hair, he is a wellspring of knowledge on a range of topics from nature to Native American culture to the local animal species. He also owns an enormous domesticated Timber Wolf called Hoka.

About 80 kilograms, our loupian companion was part of the charm of the place. Very visitor-friendly, we were reminded, however, that he is still an animal with hardwired instincts. As a result, there were a few rules one had to follow; like only one person at a time could pet him... carefully. The ultimate guard dog, he is the main reason why the place does not allow children under 16 or pets.

That evening, we braved the weather (about five degrees Celsius - what happened to global warming?) and watched as thousands of stars emerged like "diamonds on velvet" (an appropriate description found on www.geckocreek.com). Due to heavy winds, we were not allowed to light a fire (and therefore braai). Bad for us, good for the planet...I guess.

Although there was the option to use the on-site tents (R140 per person per night) or bring-your-own tent (R90), I opted for one of the three cabins (R180) on the property. Even though I was surrounded by walls rather thin nylon, I lay shivering in my bed praying it would warm up enough the next day to enjoy the delightful Boma and salt water swimming pool. Without electricity and no option of lighting a candle, I put on my beanie, thermal underwear and wool socks. As my teeth chattered, I felt a strange (i.e. numb) kinship with the planet.

I awoke to the smell of fresh, Fynbos-infused air and inhaled deeply, unsurprised to still see my own breathe. Fortunately, by noon it was 25 degrees and a delightfully sunny day, perfect for hiking to the local San Bushmen paintings, together with Linton's live-in Zimbabwean assistant Charles, a warm and welcoming man who also moonlights as a tam tam instructor/performer and a talented artist, specialising in beadwork.

From a nearby outcrop of rock, we enjoyed a 360 degree view of the rugged valley, unspoiled by the sight of modern structures; something Linton is careful to avoid in thoughtfully developing the property. His vision for Gecko Creek is to turn it into a relaxing playground for eco-enthusiasts, including creating a natural pond to attract more birdlife (165 species in the area), as well as other animals. Although there are plans to add more accommodation options, including several cave dwellings for guests, there is an intense focus on maintaining the camp's characteristic intimacy and tranquility, with a strict limit of 24 people once all the renovations are complete.

After an exploratory walk to check out the natural streams that supply the camp its delicious water and examining myself for ticks, it was time for a shower; an activity I was trying to avoid as much as possible in keeping with my green theme. With biodegradable shampoo and soap from the Hemporium- I made sure that the environment also remained clean.

That night we enjoyed some proper camping with braaibroodjies and a feast of grilled meats. Watching shooting stars, we sat around the fire, told stories, performed ‘magic' tricks and eventually joined in a group drumming session with Linton and Charles - something that should have scared away most of the wildlife.

On Sunday, a group of us went for a drive into the Cederberg Reserve toward Sandrift, in search of some crystal pools. Admittedly, not the most planet-friendly of activities, I have vowed to calculate my carbon footprint using Food and Tree for Africa's CO2 calculator to determine how many trees I need to plant to counter my decadent consumption of diesel fuel. It was worth it though as we spied some beautiful wild daisies, which are not as plentiful as other years due to a very wet spring. (As an indication of how much rain we've had, I even spotted a swimming ostrich - an awkward and ugly grey swan.)

As we packed up to go, I asked our host about the practicalities of constructing a green camp. According to Linton, for the pool alone it would cost R286 000 to have a solar-powered pump (and R20 000 every three years to replace batteries). With this in mind and my carbon guilt peaking, I ended up lugging back a Wellness Warehouse bag full of empty beer, wine and liquor bottles, and various cans and plastic containers to drop off for recycling later in the week.

Suffice to say, planet-friendly travel is easier said than done. It seems Kermit the Frog may have had it right when he said: "It ain't easy being green."

Go eco green in the Garden route with our packages from R1 719! This includes flights, accomodation and car rental!