Most folk visiting the Augrabies Falls National Park do so to take in one of Africa’s most spectacular waterfalls. Because, no matter if you see it cascading 56m into the gorge at a dry winter flow of 30,000 cubic metres per second or a wet season flow of 3,000,000m³ per second, it’s still impressive. Yet there’s a lot more to this 51 ,113ha park than its name suggests.
Walking around a large granite boulder I almost collide with a lone klipspringer. The nimble doe had clearly heard me blundering up the Gorge hiking trail and decided to stand still to avoid being noticed. On seeing me, it seems to realise I pose no threat and totters over the rocky surface to a nearby tree.
Annette and I are walking the short Gorge Trail (2km) that starts at the campsite and makes its way to Arrow Point (a large wedge-shaped promontory) at the confluence of two ancient granitic gorges. The northern arm carries the main flow of the Gariep while the southern one is fed by the pools supplied by the Two Falls cataracts above them.
Before turning around, we rest up on a large rock on the edge of the north-facing precipice. Swifts make vertiginous dives over the edge, feasting on swarms of muggies (black flies); then a rainbow-coloured Cape flat lizard and his progeny visit us. It’s a view that’s probably not changed since the San and the Khoi first inhabited this region millennia ago.
What is different, though, is the species count and quantity of the local fauna. When English businessman-turned-adventurer George Thompson ventured this way from the Cape in 1824, one of his Khoi retinue narrowly escaped being ambushed by a lion. There were also many elephants, rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses.
At the time, Thompson and the Cape’s public believed he was the first European to see the Augrabies Falls. In a dreamlike state after witnessing “a combination of beauty and grandeur, such as I never before witnessed”, Thompson teetered closer and closer to the edge of the gorge, causing his four local guides to grab his arms and legs.
In fact, the first European to document his sighting of the Augrabies Falls was Hendrik Wikar, a soldier-cum-clerk and indebted gambler at the Cape who deserted in 1775 and went walkabout in the far north of the colony. He came across the falls in October 1778, but his journals were not published until 1916, hence the confusion.
After a good leg stretch we make our way back to the campsite where our old 4x4 (newly converted to a compact camper) and our small larder tent await us. I’ve built up quite an appetite and I’m salivating at the sight of Annette fixing me a sandwich for brunch. But I clearly do not covet it as much as the vervet monkey who materialises out of nowhere and snatches it off the plate Annette is about to hand me. While I’m chasing the thief and peppering him with some choice expletives, a band of small grey mongooses use this distraction to sneak through a small opening between the tent’s two zips and extract a wedge of Brie and a block of cheddar from the partially open cool box.
It’s not the best start to our new goal to get closer to nature, but we quickly wise up and immerse ourselves in our new surroundings. Dreamily taking in the flickering firmament after a braai later, we are visited by a small-spotted genet and later an African wildcat, which creeps out from under the car.
Allied to our new alfresco commitment to nature is the desire to go on more hikes. But following a recent trial hike on a misty, cold and enervating trail in the Cederberg, I wasn’t sure Annette would be keen to follow through. Thankfully, though, our short shakedown shimmy in our new boots yesterday seems to have paved the way for another hike tomorrow, the longer Dassie Trail (8.5km).
We are raided not by simians the next morning, but by a pair of blonde toddlers on plastic motorbikes. We’d unwittingly set up camp just two sites away from three families and have a gang of young kids reminiscent of a Giles cartoon family gathering — good incentive to get out of our 4x4’s bed and hit the trail.
The Dassie Trail diverges from the Gorge Trail after about 500m and immediately presents us with a short river crossing, testing just how waterproof our new hiking boots are. As we descend through a dark boulder-strewn gorge, baboons bark close by.
It’s the contrast of tawny grass between huge misshapen granite boulders, interspersed with incongruous patches of riverine green — numerous small channels of the braided Gariep intercept this route — that not only makes this trail enjoyable, but offers a fascinating insight into the park’s topography and geology.
One such feature we come across is Moon Rock, an enormous granite dome known as a whaleback. Keen to see the view from the top, I persuade Annette to join me on the 300m detour to the top. With sights of the distant black hills and serrated mountains marking the passage of the 18km-long river gorge, we pronounce it a worthwhile diversion.
Standing on one of the Augrabies Fall’s viewing platforms later, we watch the buttery afternoon sunbeams paint a rainbow on the misty canvas swirling around the gorge. All around us groups of dassies soak up the last rays before the long, cold night sets in. On the high southern bank of the main waterfall, walkways and decks lie splintered and twisted, evidence of the damage wrought by the floods earlier this year.
Seeing the falls in flood is certainly a compelling reason to come back, but it’s certainly not the only one.
Travel Notes
Getting there: The Augrabies Falls National Park is 901km from Johannesburg and 874km from Cape Town; accessible from both on good tar roads.
What sort of vehicle will I need?: Unless the falls are in flood, you will be able to get around most of the park in a normal sedan. But there are a significant number of 4x4 tracks in the park if you’re a dirt track aficionado.
What to do here: Besides gawping at the amazing spectacle of the Augrabies Falls, there is much else to do: take one of three hikes; pack a picnic and drive around the park’s good network of roads; appreciate the views from the top of Moon Rock plus the gorge viewpoints at Oranjekom and Ararat; enjoy breakfast on the restaurant’s terrace or a romantic dinner inside; mountain bike and bird watch; go on a night game and starwatching drive; and stock up on wines from Orange River Cellars in nearby Kakamas.
Where we stayed: We camped in the park and the sites and facilities were clean and well-maintained. There are also numerous chalet options designed to suit most budgets.
Suggested further reading: SANParks’ official information guide; The Journal of Hendrik Jacob Wikar; Borderline (William Dicey); Travels and Adventures in Southern Africa (George Thompson) and The Coast of Treasure (Lawrence Green).
Best time of year to go: April to September.
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