S1 - Ep 221 - Vredendal - A Busy Town in the Northern Olifants River Valley!

We were very excited to visit Vredendal. We have passed by the town before, but have never gone in to see what it was all about. Our drivethrough of Vredendal on this busy Monday was very interesting and we enjoyed every moment. It's located in the Northern Olifants River Valley of the Western Cape and surrounded by amazing scenery. The gravel road from Clanwilliam along the Olifants River was stunning and the views of the river and dam absolutely gorgeous, The wine estate just before we entered Vredendal and of course our scrumptious brunch made it all worthwhile. This town has such a positive vibe and it was good to feel the energy. Our visit to Vredendal was a great experience! #DustBugs #adventuretravel #southafrica #southafricavlog #travelongravel #vredendal #northerncape #namaqualand #westerncape
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[@elgrantlombard4943]

Thanx for advertizing my HomeTown. Now people can see that it is not as small as they think it is. And beautiful too.

[@vkaitakirwa]

Neat, thriving town. Loved it.

[@DustBugsTravel]

I thought you might! 😁 It's a booming place, which was great to see! 🤩🚗

[@flodillon991]

Just loved the dam with all the water next to the road, so peaceful. Teebus cellars and that nursery restaurant was amazing. A very busy town lovely.

[@DustBugsTravel]

I'm glad you loved the dam too! We had no idea that dams can be so incredibly fascinating, we just love them so much now! And it was hard to believe that the Bulshoek Dam was built a hundred years ago already! 🤩🌊 We enjoyed our brunch at the restaurant and the wine cellar had a very friendly and welcoming vibe. Glad you on board for this trip, we look forward to sharing the rest of it with you! 😁🚗

[@tillabezuidenhout6460]

Love the wide streets and the clean lines of the buildings.

[@dudleymakeche7842]

Wonderfully kept town. Thanks for taking me there.

[@DustBugsTravel]

I thought you may enjoy this one! Lots of activity and clearly a well-functioning town. Thank you for coming with us on this trip, we look forward to sharing the rest with you too! 🚗😁

[@1812nico]

Hi you two! Thank you for an eye opening trip to this lively town. The scenery outside with so much water is also beautiful. The two restaurants you stopped by were grand -- real rich mans places! Keep safe!

[@DustBugsTravel]

'Lively' is a fantastic word to describe this town! 👌🏻 It is clearly a hub in this part of the Western Cape and certainly a hive of activity. Great to have you along on this new trip, I'm sure you'll find the places we visit fascinating! We just loved driving next to that river and dam on the gravel road a stone's throw from the N7, it was so cool! 😁🚗

[@desh7120]

@@DustBugsTravel The dam and river certainly are a glorious ribbon of verdant oasis running through the starkly beautiful, surrounding landscape! Vredendal itself was really rather lush - some lovely, well maintained homes and pretty gardens! Much larger than I’d expected it to be. Wonderful that many are taking advantage of the abundant sunshine to generate their own power. The town does appear to be thriving.

[@mariusroos4146]

Very nice and relaxing footage. Thank you well done

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you! We appreciate you joining us as we explored Vredendal. 😁🚗

[@angelosisam903]

Like your travels 👍

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you so much! We appreciate you joining us as we explore new places! 😁🚗

[@raytheron]

Ag, dankie, mense! Vredendal lê my baie na aan die hart. I spent three wonderful years (1965-67) living and attending high school there (in the old school buildings where the primary school now is). Love the place, and yes, it gets moer hot in summer! Often on summer nights we slept on the parquet floored corridor of our house. We used to spend afternoons playing touch rugby on the sandbank in the river just under the bridge. When the Olifants came down in flood, the water reached right up to touching the underside of the bridge. It's sad that the railway station is now so delapidated; I used to catch the train from there to Cape Town and then on to Riversdale to visit my parents in Still Bay for the school holidays. What wonderful times!

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for sharing all those special memories with us. 👌 It sounds like it's been a while since you've been to the town, so I'm glad you could still recognise some of the buildings which you knew and spent quite some time in. The town certainly appears to be a booming place and it was so busy, which must be great for all the businesses there. The surrounding Olifants River Valley is truly beautiful in every sense of the word. The heat was quite intense the day we were there, we're not quite used to that type of heat! 🥵 I can totally understand you sleeping on a cool floor in your younger days when it was so hot. We were actually wondering if those vineyards don't get flooded by the Olifants sometimes. We're glad we could show you a glimpse of Vredendal in the present day. We appreciate you watching! 😁🚗

[@desh7120]

@@DustBugsTravel I, too, wondered at the wisdom of planting in the flood zone of the Olifants River 😊 Loving the memories shared by others who knew the town well. I cannot comprehend 48.4 degrees C and living through it!

[@elrico8806]

New start new adventure. Can't wait for the next few weeks coming. 😇

[@DustBugsTravel]

You know it's always great fun when you join us. Buckle up for a very interesting trip this time around! 😁🚗

[@elrico8806]

@@DustBugsTravel i can't wait... I am eagerly waiting 😋

[@montenell7940]

This is a new one for me. I never visited Vredendal in my life. Look at the old damwall as well as the water collum at the station. Very old design for the steam locomotives. Many years ago the old goods shed was full of parcels and stuff. Safe travel.

[@angusnovember4700]

Wow can't wait to watch this later

[@DustBugsTravel]

We hope you will enjoy! 😁🚗

[@angusnovember4700]

@@DustBugsTravel most definitely

[@angusnovember4700]

Thank you for a wonderful tour ❤️. My wife and I enjoyed it very much 😊

[@charlietreston4035]

Hi guys enjoy the warm weather _4 thick snow ❄ here lovely video well looked after town winerys looked amazing and the restaurants great gravel road and the dam nice to see a thriving place thanks for the video cheerio till the next one

[@DustBugsTravel]

I'd much rather take our warm weather than be in your -4, thank you very much! 🥶 Hopefully our video warmed you up some! We enjoyed dropping in at the wine farm and also having brunch at the restaurant, we needed some refreshments for the hot day that lay ahead! We'll see you in the next stop on the map! 😁🚗

[@thejuliesclan23]

Vredendal my hometown

[@DustBugsTravel]

I hope you enjoyed our video of your hometown. 😁🚗

[@munesumangava9751]

Beautiful river and views along it!!!

[@DustBugsTravel]

Indeed! And those folks need it with the intense heat in that area! 🌊☀️

[@askauota2376]

Beautiful Bromeliads. Luvit. ❤️

[@DustBugsTravel]

I looked up Bromeliads and also know what they look like now. 😁 Glad you enjoyed them. 🌺

[@annawitter5161]

So good to see you guys again. The Bulshoek dam is so beautiful. Pity you couldnt make it out onto the weir. Teebus lyk n lekker plek om te kuier! Love the Japanese music once again. I must say, after a few drinks I also really need the lemontary! Gets worse as you get older...hmmm....stuk brood amper so groot soos die voel! Vredendal is a lot bigger since I was there, but that was yonks ago!

[@DustBugsTravel]

I'ts great to see you again too, it's been way too long! 😁 Vredendal was certainly much, much bigger than we ever expected or anticipated and so busy! I had to chuckle at your comment about the piece of bread almost as big as the bird. 🤣 The poor thing struggled for a while with that chunk of bread, garlic bread no less. We would've so loved to drive right up to the Bulshoek Dam wall, it's so gorgeous. We look forward to having you on the trip with us! 🚗🤩

[@munesumangava9751]

Loved the dam wall👏👏👏

[@DustBugsTravel]

It was such an incredible find along this gravel road and to think it's over a 100 years old already, blew my mind! 🤯🌊

[@dogamaster6234]

I used to visit my aunt in Vredendal Noord every December when I was a kid ... It's very hot! Lovely to see it nice and clean!

[@DustBugsTravel]

We were also there in December and hot it is indeed! 🥵 I hope our video reminded you of some special times visiting your aunt. 😊

[@munesumangava9751]

Yhoooo the church is magnificent 👌👌👌

[@DustBugsTravel]

Luckily we were able to drive right up to it, that doesn't happen often! 💒🚗

[@walterfick157]

My land ...jou land ... Namaqualand 👍

[@DustBugsTravel]

Yup, and what a beautiful country we have! It's good to hear from you again! 🚗🇿🇦

[@desh7120]

@@DustBugsTravel Also super excited to visit Namakwaland with you - but can you please arrange a roof-rack to tie the laundry bag to? It’s getting very crowded on the backseat with so many fellow travellers 😁

[@DustBugsTravel]

Uhm, a roofrack on the Kwiddie may not work so well, but don't you worry! I've got other tricks up my sleeve to keep you all and your laundry on board! 😁👗

[@KMC_10]

amazing video, love it!

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you, it was our first visit to this pretty and happening town. I'm glad you enjoyed! 😁🚗

[@OVTraveller]

Delighted to see the more remote places in South Africa. Regrettably little is know about them in Australia. We both have wilderness and remoteness and yet they are quite different. Please continue to share your outback with us. Cheers from Victoria, Australia

[@DustBugsTravel]

Greetings to you in Australia! 🙋🏼‍♂️ We love sharing our outback (😁) with you and will continue to do so! We've heard from other Australian viewers that some of the areas we've travelled to, actually resemble your outback quite closely. 'Wilderness' and 'remoteness' are some of the top words in Sonia's and my travel language. 🤩🚗 We hope to explore Australia's remoteness too one day!

[@deonzar]

Love it...nice to see you are going to Namakwaland...this will bring some real memories again. Just for the people that do not know, the gravel road you took from Clanwilliam is on the eastern side of the N7...lovely scenery. Looking forward to the next one as usual...

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you, we know you know this area well and it's great to be able to share our experience of the area with you! 🤩🚗 That gravel road was fantastic and to happen upon that 100-year old dam wall was just something special. And we could still see the trucks on the N7 as we were travelling on this gravel road! That just goes to show that one doesn't have to go that far off the beaten track to discover really amazing things. We so appreciate having you on the road with us all the time, it's great fun! 😁🚗

[@deonzar]

@@DustBugsTravel Thanx😏

[@elizebruwer8531]

Dankie julle vir die video. Ek het in Vredendal gebly vanaf 1978 tot 1986. My dogter is daar gebore.wonderlike mense daar.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for watching our video of Vredendal, which you must know very well and clearly have special memories of. It's a bustling and beautiful town and it was fun to drive through. We saw so many smiles and waves while we were there, it was a really cool experience to visit this place for the first time. 😁🚗

[@user-wk4po9tg9f]

I never new Vredendal is such a big town.

[@rorysullivan4913]

Used to drive through a very hot but also very clean Vredendal every December from 1971 for many years for our annual holiday at Strandfontein

[@DustBugsTravel]

Sounds more or less like the Vredendal we drove through on this Monday afternoon. 🥵🚗

[@stampsplusltd670]

I'm an expat and have lived abroad in New Zealand for 23 years. I yearn for what you are showing and find great delight in the detail and professionalism. Dankie julle!!

[@DustBugsTravel]

Greetings to you in New Zealand! 🙋🏼‍♂️ Thank you for your kind comment, it means a lot to us. We're just too happy to be able to show you some of the smaller, yet fantastic places in your home country. The fact that you enjoy our videos, is a huge bonus. We hope you will visit many more places with us, it would be great if you tagged along! 🚗🇿🇦

[@desh7120]

Another wonderful outing - such a lot to see from start to finish and I always feel disappointed when “to be continued..” pops up on the screen.

[@DustBugsTravel]

A crazy busy town. Good for the town, not so much for us when we're trying to explore and film at the same time. 😨 Thank you for joining us on another trip. This one will be completely different from any of the ones you've seen, so we hope you enjoy all the places we get to visit. Not too long to wait until the next instalment. We look forward to seeing you then! 🚗😁

[@desh7120]

@@DustBugsTravel …wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’m a self proclaimed addict of DustBugs 😂

[@munesumangava9751]

Those palm trees and the greenery along the road👌👌👌👏👏

[@DustBugsTravel]

When I was editing and got to this specific stretch of road, it reminded me of what an oasis this felt like as we were driving through. Loved it! 🌴🚗

[@markduncan-brown4717]

Love the lounge lizard background music this time. Actually you do so well with such ethnic flavors !!

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you, glad you like the tunes too! 🎼🚗

[@CheGypsyWay]

It looks lovely but also looks very hot..good to see they taking full advantage of the sun with all the solar systems in place.. Happy safe travels 🚗✨💖

[@DustBugsTravel]

Hot is an understatement for this particular day. 🥵 It was great to visit the town though, a really bustling place. Thanks for tagging along again! 😁🚗

[@pieterbezuidenhout575]

Goeie Dag hier uit die Oos Kaap Ek net vandag julle opname oor Vredendal gekyk dit was lekker om die dorp so saam met julle die weer te kon sien. Ek wil ook net iets met julle deel, het julle geweet die langste trein in die wêreld het net buitekant Vredendalverby gegaan. Die trein was 4km lank het 375 waens en 9 lokomotiewe. Die trein het van Sishen tot by Saldanha baai toe ge gaan. Dit was altyd lekker om die lang trein te sien Lekker dag vir julle

[@DustBugsTravel]

Hello to you in the Eastern Cape, a province with such incredible natural beauty! 🤩 That is extremely interesting about the longest train, we had absolutely no idea! I am sure that must've been the most awesome sight and it must've taken quite some time for the train to pass! How I wish we could've seen that! 🚆 Thank you so much for sharing that with us and for watching our video of Vredendal. I'm happy that you were reminded of special times in your life. 🚗😁

[@thanadevilliers7994]

Die trein ry nog steeds verby Vredendal, brug oppad na Lutzville

[@erikavandenheever7562]

I live there

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for watching our video of your hometown! 🤩🚗

[@BrendonSchaferCT]

Baie oulike dorp. But he is surprisingly bigger than a little town. And as you said, quite busy. Busier than expected, it being tucked away off the N7. Been there a few times, never explored it as you have done. Would love to explore the coastal towns in the area. Between there and Alexander Bay one day.

[@DustBugsTravel]

We thought we were in for a few hours of leisurely exploring, but as we drove into town, we immediately realised that wasn't going to happen. It's much bigger than we ever thought too and so busy! It was great to see so much activity though, so no complaints here! I think you may enjoy the places we got to visit on this trip, I hope so! 🚗😁

[@BrendonSchaferCT]

@@DustBugsTravel I'm sure. If the trip is current, you miss the daisies. Mid to late August is the time to go up. Oh. And I know all about that heat. Been there in 42C / 44C. Hope your aircon is good.

[@DustBugsTravel]

This trip was two weeks ago and we definitely missed the daisies! 🌼 Bare and barren is more our vibe. The first day was the hottest. Wowzer! 🥵

[@magdameyer7188]

Hi I grew up in vredendal. When was this episode filmed

[@DustBugsTravel]

Hello there! It was great to visit your hometown! We were there on Monday, 28 November 2022. 😁🚗

[@magdameyer7188]

By the way , I LOVE you're videos #stunning

[@xavierskinner5178]

You guys must come try some food at Die Buurvrou coffee shop in lutzville.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you, we'll remember for a possible future visit back to the town. We visited Lutzville earlier in the year. Check out Episode 139 if you haven't already. 😁🚗

[@aneleminisi471]

Wow this is beautiful guys I can't wait for episode 2 Vredendal. My first job in life was in Namaqua Sands I was staying in Vredendal noord. I stayed there for 2 years then I left to JHB that was back in 2006. I love Vredendal with everything the town was very clean back then and there was no Crime when I was there we use to walk at night from the location to town without any fear. The problem was just the sun yherr the place is very hot in summer and hey I learn to speak Afrikaans in Vredendal.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you so much, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed our visit to Vredendal! The town is clearly a well-functioning place and it was fantastic to visit, but just too big and busy for us to explore and film like we normally do. We left town at the end of this episode and moved on to the next stop, which I hope you'll enjoy just as much. 😊 Thank you for sharing your personal experience of Vredendal with us, it certainly sounds like you spent a very happy and impactful two years there. Oh yes, and it was very hot on the day we were there, so we got a little taste of the Vredendal heat! 🥵🚗

[@richardsickle1541]

Citrusdal next please 🙏

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thanks for the suggestion! 👌🏻We've been to the area a few times, but that was before we explored each town and we mainly focused on the back and gravel roads to and from places. We'll look at including it in a possible future trip back to the area. 😁🚗

[@keithjoelmcarthur4803]

Thank 🎉you for this lovely program. I hope to get in contact for some pointers as I’m also doing these trips solo and don’t always know the downlows of these drives

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy our videos. If you have any specific questions, you're welcome to email us at [e-mail]. Once we've decided on a region for our next trip,, I go on Google Maps and find the most gravel roads I can since we prefer to do those whenever we can. And then we hit the road. It's always hit-and-miss and we've often come across roads which are either private or not passable with a normal sedan vehicle. And then we simply turn around and find the next best route to our next destination. We're simple travellers who don't believe in too much planning ahead of time, other than the basic routes to travel on. I hope this helps you a little on your way. 😁🚗 Safe travels!

[@frederikbrits9559]

Great video...West Coast and interior unknown to me

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you, we look forward to you joining us on the rest of this trip! We got to visit some pretty interesting places! 🚗😁

[@thanadevilliers7994]

You missed the surrounding towns and most beautiful coastal towns next to Vredendal

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for taking the time to point out what we missed. 🙂 We were on our way to Garies and merely stopped over in Vredendal to have a look at the town. I'm not sure which coastal towns you're referring to, but we may have visited some of them in the past and there may be videos if our visits to them in the other 250+ videos on our channel.

[@pietervanbreda4360]

Wat n lekker trippie

[@DustBugsTravel]

Yup, we had great fun driving to and through Vredendal! Thank you for watching, we appreciate it. 👌🏻🚗

[@markduncan-brown4717]

hello again, I am such a fan of you guys. Love the clear intro with map ..thank you and the start of the dirt ...brilliant video intro. Nice to see the drone.. in Garies. Still amazed how well you handle your video with a hand phone. Amazing ..steady and qulaity pics. May I ask... being in Taiwan so long... the safely is not such a big issue ..I mean out on the road?

[@DustBugsTravel]

Hi there to you in Taiwan! Thank you for your kind comment, we really appreciate it. It's fantastic to hear that you enjoy our videos, including the intros and maps. 😁🚗 Safety is always a consideration for us and we're extra vigilant wherever we travel. We've only felt unsafe once during all our travels.

[@cecilduplessis5343]

Heyy will loved to meet you guys one day show you some place of lutzville 2 and papendorp

[@DustBugsTravel]

Hello there! We've visited Lutzville and Papendorp before during a previous trip! Check out Episodes 139 and 140 on our channel. I hope you enjoy! 😁🚗

[@cecilduplessis5343]

Yes i did see

[@riagouws3211]

Dis baie intresant ek geniet dit baie pragtige wereld ek is so bly julle wys dit vir ons Namibia

[@deahanoarendse4324]

I live in Vredendal

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for watching our video of your hometown! 😁🚗

[@marthinuspetrusdebeer3144]

Hi there, we love traveling with you guys. Just a thought, have you tried clipping your mic to the inside of your shirt? It might help in windy conditions. Regards Marthinus

[@DustBugsTravel]

Greetings! Thank you, it's great to hear that you enjoy being on the road with us! 👌🏻 I appreciate the suggestion. I've tried doing that and pretty much everything else, but because I film out of the window and not through the windscreen, it seems as if I'll always have a certain amount of wind noise from time-to-time. I've tried different kinds of dead cats also, but they hardly make a difference. The wind always seems to blow wherever we travel! 🚗😁 I've just upgraded my mic system again and hope I'll get good service from this one. 🎤🤞🏻

[@hannahperlotto139]

I am confused! Is this Vredendal here in the Cape?? I know I must sound stupid but I have never been to that area where the bridge is! That's why I love to watch your videos learning so much!!! Thanks you 2

[@DustBugsTravel]

Yes, the one and only! 😁 We never knew about the Bulshoek Dam either, it's on the R363 gravel road north of Clanwilliam and east of and parallel to the N7, between Clanwilliam and Klawer. A gorgeous dam wall which is so well worth a visit! 🌊🤩

[@claytonkordom5610]

Vredendal Bestaan Uit Vredendal Noord Ook

[@DustBugsTravel]

It was our first visit to the town and we don't even know where Vredendal-Noord is. You must've missed the part of our video in which I specifically explain that Vredendal is a much bigger town than we usually explore. It was simply impossible to show every single place in the town. 🤷🏼‍♂️ Thank you for watching.

[@wellingtontshabangu7919]

why so many ghost towns ??

[@DustBugsTravel]

I think you need to have your eyes checked. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@nezuminezuminezumi7266]

It's kind of sad trudging through the collapsed infrastructure of what was once poised to be a first world nation. What a bright future our children would have had without the ANC.

[@DustBugsTravel]

We actually thought Vredendal had it quite together and we were very impressed with the town. Thank you for watching, we appreciate that. 🙂🚗

[@denisebenny9232]

A very racist town from.the past I must tell u ....knew quite a few non white folk from there and there life stories are very sad I must say ....

[@DustBugsTravel]

Unfortunately our country and the world are full of sad stories. 😥 But fortunately there are many good stories too and we choose to focus on those. Thank you for watching our video.

[@normandubowitz1965]

The past was 30THIRTY years ago! Now the present is the degradation of RSA by a post Stalinist criminal organisation practising thinly disguised rascism .Cry the beloved country.Another generation lost!

[@Helgardt6189]

Altyd ‘n ou drol in die drinkwater wat alles bederf met hulle kleur hang-ups.

[@thanadevilliers7994]

This is not a nice comment on a public forum. Show me a town without history. First hand history

[@theovanstaden5766]

Mooi video Julle Twee!🙂👍

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you so much, glad you liked it! 😁🚗

[@boerplaas388]

Hello my mense 😂. Vrede dal is heelwat groter as wat Ek gedink het dit sou wees . Ek sien ook geen potholes daar nie 😳. Se gou vir my wanneer werk julle twee ? Smaak my julle toer die hele land pap. 😂 Goed so geniet 🙏

[@DustBugsTravel]

Hello there! 🙋🏼‍♂️ Vredendal is a very big town and we weren't expecting that either! The roads in the Western Cape in general are in much better condition than in some of the other provinces, so you will definitely see less potholes when you drive in the WC. We work for four weeks straight, Monday to Sunday, and run away the fifth week to recharge. Then we edit during the evenings when we're back home and upload the videos of our latest trip. 😁🚗

[@deonzar]

@@DustBugsTravel I hope my question is not out of line but you travel for so many weeks at a time, I have been wondering how much clothes do you have to pack? I do not see you guys visiting laundromats while you travel....and I do know that ladies normally pack twice as much as is needed.. 🙂.now I am in trouble..

[@DustBugsTravel]

🤣 No trouble here! We're only on the road every fifth week for a week at a time, from Monday to Sunday, so we only pack for seven days and there is no need to visit a laundromat during this time. We have a large laundry bag and everything gets stuffed in there and we catch up on laundry when we're back home. 👕👗 I then start editing our videos from the previous week and we start uploading them, that's why they're always one to five (six at the most) week's behind our actual trips! 😁🚗

[@deonzar]

@@DustBugsTravel Ok Thanx...now it is a bit clearer...lol

[@thanadevilliers7994]

Ons het ons share van potholes