How did we find ourselves at the Wagon Wheel Country Lodge? I mean, who goes to Beaufort West? I’ll tell you… Let’s start at the beginning.
Byron and I started off this year (2017) with a month-long trip to Cape Town, a much desired and anticipated birthday present from my dad that I was so super grateful for!
This also marked Byron’s and my first trip together as a couple. So, we decided that we didn’t want to fly down, we wanted to go on a road trip. I mean how often do you get to do something different?
Our country has so many layers and we had only peeled back the first one.
So, road trip it was!
From Johannesburg to Beaufort West
For our first day we drove down from the South of Johannesburg through to Kimberley and hopped out to visit The Big Hole.
Then from there to The Wagon Wheel Country Lodge, a charming little guest house near the Great Karoo and the beautiful town of Beaufort West.
Our planned ‘midway’ stop.
Beaufort West’s Claim To Fame
Beaufort West is a town packed with a great history.
Rich character fills the streets, impressive architecture is spotted throughout the town and yet it remains quaint and modest.
Founded in 1818 it is most-famously the home of Doctor Christiaan Barnard, who was the first man to successfully perform a human-to-human heart transplant!
You can visit his childhood house, which has been turned into a museum filled with interesting information, history and medical instruments. We’d highly recommend it!
It costed us R25 each (granting us access to the three museums next to each other).
The Wagon Wheel Country Lodge
A Brief History
The Wagon Wheel Country Lodge also has its own fabulous history. I cannot remember the full details anymore, but I remember reading their story on one of the menus at their restaurant.
It talked of the great parties they used to have and the famous, important people that were there celebrating on its opening night. As you read, you feel a mixture of happiness and sadness.
You can feel the happiness of the people embedded in the history of the building, but it is as if they are ghosts dancing around you in a semi-empty room.
I challenge you to go to the Wagon Wheel Country Lodge and contribute to bringing back that happiness that once reigned there.
It is a super cute and affordable stopover!
The Room Itself
I booked online before leaving and that was a super easy process from their website.
There is also a 24-hour check-in, which is great if you decide you want to explore a little more on your road trip without feeling rushed.
The check-in was easy and simple and within no time at all, we had parked outside our room.
Byron and I opted to stay in one of their standard rooms. It was very nice and CLEAN! We had a comfortable bed, a dressing table, a little closet, a bathroom with a shower, a kettle with goodies to make coffee and an aircon.
What Else Is There?
They have two swimming pools, a boma and braai area, a restaurant and bar, as well as a cute little farmyard area, with chickens and bunnies.
Although we only stayed one night, we really enjoyed it!
If you are interested, they also have self-catering units, a backpackers lodge and a caravan park.
X Marks The Spot
A Video At The Wagon Wheel Country Lodge
This was such an exciting day! The beginning of our road trip across South Africa!
You will see that we chose Beaufort West as our midway point between Johannesburg and Cape Town. We passed Kimberley today and headed to Oudtshoorn the next day to visit the Cango Caves.
This is not the only South African road trip we have done. In fact, we recently visited the majestic Drakensberg and pristine Midlands Meander if you are keen to explore those a little!
If you find yourself there some time, let me know what you thought about the place in the comments! I’d love to be reminded about its history…
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