Namaqua National Park

#Namaqualand #SANparks #camping #thelazycampers

Camping at Koringkorrelbaai: R135 (for 6 ppl)

Park size: 700 ㎢

Location: on the West coast of South Africa

Flower at Skilpad Restcamp

The Namaqua National Park boasts truly diverse landscapes including scattered fynbos, dense floral carpets and long ocean stretches. Known for the spectacular flowers that bloom in Spring, Namaqualand is the perfect place to escape the bustling city and to take a break from your busy life.

Getting there:

This really depends on where you are trying to go. If you would like to go straight to Skilpad to see that blanketed floral landscape then it is best to take the N7 to Kamieskroon and then follow the SAN Parks signs.

If you have a 4X4 and would like to take the scenic route (which I recommend but it will take a few extra hours) then I suggest you take the road down the Wildeperdhoek Pass (it is absolutely stunning and I think I enjoyed the variety of colour, greens, purples, yellow and white more than the carpet of orange at Skilpad) and join up with the 4X4 track at Soebatsfontien which links up with Skilpad. They will not let you through the gate unless you have a 4X4.

Getting to Koringkorrelbaai… to be honest I have no idea! I think we made it there out for pure luck but one thing I can tell you is that we would have felt a whole lot more confident if we had been in a 4X4 rather than our Ford Figo. The only reason we even attempted the journey was because one of the rangers reckoned that we would probably make it along some of the back roads. Probably became an interesting adventure when we had to drive 90km of gravel and precarious beach sand while chasing the setting sun. As far as I can gather to get to any of the coastal campsites you need to check in at the Groenrivier Entrance and then take the 4X4 trails to your campsite.   

Camp site

We chased the setting sun all the way to the coast which was, all at the same time, nerve racking, exciting and breath-taking. The dirt road opens up into a stunning little bay where the campsite is situated on the coast protected from the crashing waves by the colossal coastal rocks. The campsite is very rustic (no ablutions, no water, no electricity) but has a lovely setup with a fire pit and a little wall to protect the site from the prevailing wind. The entire Koringkorrelbaai campsite only has 5 sites available, 3 pit latrines and no cell phone signal, this is real remote camping and incredibly peaceful and really removes you from real life.

Koringkorrelbaai

Skilpad Restcamp in Namaqua National Park does not have camping facilities, however, their neighbours do. Skilpad Rest camp only has chalets and so if you are looking to camp you will need to book into one of the coastal campsites. All the coastal campsites are off a 4X4 track and a good hour or two from Skilpad. These campsites are well worth the drive, however, and one of the most tranquil places I have ever visited.

Things to do

Namaqua Park - drive around and take in the scenery, take a drive down Wildeperdhoek Pass.

Skilpad - drive around and look at the flowers.

           - take out your camera and take some great pictures

           - Sit at the small restaurant and enjoy the flowers while having a cold one.

Koringkorrelbaai - take a peaceful/ romantic walk up the beach

                          - beach time (sun tanning, beach sports, building sand castles, swimming)

                          - Bird watching in the fynbos

                          - Lizard watching on the rocks in the fynbos

                          - Sundowners on the rocks as the waves crash in front of you

                          - drive the 4X4 track

                          - Visit the nearby places such as Hondeklipbaai

                          - Stargazing at night as there is very little light pollution

1. Flowers at Skilpad 2. Beach at Koringkorrelbaai 3. Sunset at Koringkorrebaai

We did the Namaqua National Park all wrong: wrong entrance to the park, wrong route to the flowers, wrong place for our accommodation, wrong car for the 4X4 Wildeperdhoek Pass and Koringkorrelbaai beach sand and yet it was an amazing experience that I would not change in any way. All these errors in our planning meant that we got to see so much more than if everything had gone to the book. If we had followed our plan we would have missed out on the very scenic and gorgeous Wildeperdhoek Pass as well as the variety of colour that the park has to offer: it is not only the flowers that make this environment as impressive as it is, but also the variety of greens that brighten the landscape from lime green to turquoise and everything in between. If you are looking for a peaceful getaway and are happy to rough-it a little, then you need to treat yourself and visit the coastal campsites of Namaqua National Park.

Augrabies Fall National Park

# AugrabiesFalls #SANparks #camping #thelazycampers

Campsite cost R108pp
Size: 820㎢
Location: Northern Cape, South Africa

Augrabies Falls

The pristine karoo landscape and the pounding of the waterfall greets you as you arrive at the reception of Augrabies Falls National Park.  From the time you arrive you are drawn towards the falls, you find that before you go to your accommodation (camping or chalets) you need to see the falls. The torrenting power of the falls captivates you, keeps you there and washes a kind of serenity over you.

Getting there
To get to Augrabies Falls National Park you can enter the park from the east via Upington (as you are passing Upington look out for the “Khi Solar One (KSO)” which is Africa’s only solar tower - it is quite impressive and very bright) into the Riemvasmaak Community Conservancy. The Conservancy is beautiful and the drive takes you through South Africa’s region of raisins.

The Camp site
The Augrabies Falls campsite is inside the main gate but just outside the park gate. The campsite is quite large with ample shade, however, the day we arrived the temperature was over 30°C and all the large shady sites had already been claimed. Since it was a scorcher of a day that little piece of shade was very important so we drove around a little and managed to find a great spot right next to the grass where the dassies hang out. The site had a concrete work surface and a braai area which was cleaned daily. The ablutions and kitchen facilities are in the centre of the campsite and therefore easily accessible to all sites. Augrabies Falls is a beautiful campsite and is alive with dassies, red-eyed bulbuls and common waxbills. In the early evening, we watched the dassies playing on the grass near our tent and at night we lay in our tent listening to the quiet of the bush and the peaceful cascading of the waterfall in the distance.

Although we were told to be aware of the monkeys and baboons, we underestimated their sneakiness. I had messed water on the floor of the car on our drive in and so I left the front door open to dry the carpet. We were sitting right next to the car and the next thing we knew a monkey dashed into the car, stole a bag of sweets and was gone. Not only was this the only food item that was not in our storage box, the sweets were also hidden under a jersey - sneaky, sneaky! Be very aware of the monkeys and baboons!

Augrabies Fall campsite

Things to do

This first thing that you have to do when you get to Augrabies falls is read the fact boards about the falls: their flood seasons and low seasons and the flora and fauna - it is fascinating. Once you have done that you can take a stroll along the winding wooden walk ways to view the falls. The Falls are majestic and picturesquely set in a deep gorge. The surrounding rocks are covered in brightly coloured lizards scurrying all over the place catching the insects. The river was quite low when we visited but at sunrise you could still feel the light mist of the waterfall tickle your skin. I highly recommend taking your early morning coffee down onto the decks to enjoy the daily unveiling of the falls to a backdrop of gold and orange hues as the sunrises from behind the waterfall.

1. Above the fall looking down the gorge. 2. Lizards on the rocks 3. Rainbow over Augrabies Falls

Self-guided game drives are a great way to see the park at your own pace. The park’s landscape is nothing like I have ever seen: elegantly littered with black rocks and Desert Broom and Milkwood trees. We didn’t see a lot of wildlife but thoroughly enjoyed the drive as the landscape is exquisite. There are also many viewpoints (Moon rock, Echo Corner, Oranjekom to name my favourites) where you can get out of your car and really take in your surroundings. It was at one of these viewpoints where we got stuck in the sand and after trying to dig ourselves out for about 20 minutes we were rescued by a very kind couple in a 4x4. We were very weary of sandy patches from here on.

Augrabies National Park offers morning and sunset guided game drives. We did the sunset game drive and our guide, Richard, was fantastic and very knowledgeable about the area. We saw a spotted genet, striped polecat, spotted eagle owl, klipspringer, kudu, eland and gemsbok which was a whole lot more than what we saw on our self-guided day drive. The highlight of the game drive, however, was when we stopped on a rise, got out of the vehicle and turned off all the lights to do some stargazing. Richard spent some time pointing out some of the major constellations and identifying significant stars. Standing there on the hilltop in the wilderness, in the darkness was a humbling experience as you realise how small and insignificant you are and how vast and wonderful the world around you is.

1. Echo Corner 2.Giraffe on our day drive 3. Sunset game drive

The restaurant at the reception is a fantastic place to get a drink or a bite to eat. The outside deck is the perfect place to settle in and enjoy sundowner drinks while you look out towards the falls. The restaurant also offers lovely meals for all 3 meals of the day as well as WiFi for those who find it hard to remove themselves from the digital world.

Drinks on the deck at the restaurant

One of the great things about Augrabies Falls National Park is the number of walks and cycle paths that are available within the park. So, if you are feeling energetic you can work up a sweat while enjoying the wildlife. Midday can get very hot in the Karoo (especially in summer) so make sure that you walk/cycle in the early morning or that you are well prepared with sunscreen and water for time out in the sun.

If the midday heat has taken its toll on your energy levels, spend some time relaxing in the swimming pool. You might find a dassie or two joining you too take advantage of the dense shade.

Augrabies is a great place to really immerse yourself in the bushveld and since there are no large predators this is easily done on the walks, cycle paths and viewpoints in the park. If you need a timeout from your busy schedule, Augrabies falls is the place to go to wash away the stresses of life and rise re-energised to embrace to world.