There are'nt any shortcuts from Sendelingsdrift to Vioolsdrift, except a 4x4 route of about 140km. We decided that is the way to go. This road goes via Kuboes to Eksteenfontein. Nice gravel road with a few hilly, rocky sections here and there. About 7km past Eksteenfontein we left the gravel road onto a jeep track towards Kotzeshoop.
There are not many roads like this left in South Africa, accessible for everyone with a high-clearance vehicle and time to travel. The 140km took us 4 hours to Vioolsdrift, but well worth the effort.
After doing our duties at the border post with relative ease, we set up camp at Aquacade, 10km from Vioolsdrift next to the Gariep river. Beautiful setting and a nice place to catch up on my blog posts.