Namaqualand (Wild Flowers)
The home of the Nama people of South Africa. Namaqualand is probably the worlds most awe inspiring floral kingdom in the world. You have not seen any flowers until you have experienced the splendour of Namaqualand in full flower.
Wild Flowers in Cerderberg
Namaqua Wild Flowers
Namaqualand
Each year in spring, Namaqualand hosts the most spectacular show on earth. Situated in what is probably the most arid part of South Africa, the stark contrast between winter and spring can nowhere be more dramatic than in this part of the world.
Northern Cape Province/ Namaqualand Tours
Wildflower Tour – Kalahari Gemsbok National Park & Namaqualand (13 days)
Augrabies Falls National Park
Augrabies Falls is rated as one of the six greatest waterfalls in the world and experience its full might and thunderous roar as the entire Orange River’s water drops 191 metres at the Augrabies Falls. The thundering cascade of water led the original Hottentot residents to believe that evil spirits were active here, and so they named the waterfall Ankoerebis, ‘place of big noises’, from which the Trek Boers, who settled here later on, derived the name Augrabies.
Quiver Tree
Augrabies – Orange River
Augrabies Waterfall
Especially in late summer, when the river carries a lot of water, the roaring waters fully justify that name. New waterfalls then form at the sidewalls, and the air is filled with dense spraying fog. The gorge at the Augrabies Falls is 240 m deep and 18 km long. It is a most impressive example of granite erosion. When the whole landmass of the area lifted about 500 million years ago, the Orange River slowly started to dig its bed into the ground. Augrabies comprises of an area of 820 sq km and stretches along the Orange River. The vegetation is suited to the arid desert climate. The Kokerboom, or Quiver Tree grow here. They are succulents and can store huge amounts of water in their stems and so survive long periods of drought. The park contains a game reserve with rhinos as the main attraction. Augrabies gorge is a nine kilometre granite cleft through which the river plunges 146 m in one short stretch through a series of spectacular cataracts into a deep pool. The main fall and the adjoining Bridal Veil fall which carries some of the river’s flow are both approximately 93 m high. During peak floods which occur approximately every ten years, the flow over the falls exceeds 9 000 m3/s.
Northern Cape Province/ Namaqualand Tours
Wildflower Tour – Kalahari Gemsbok National Park & Namaqualand (13 days)
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Kalahari Gemsbok Park):
The southern Kalahari can be classified as a sand desert with an arid savanna setting. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is situated within the arid south of the vast Kalahari Desert. With two dominant fossil rivers; the wide Nossob and narrow Auob, dune and tree savanna landscapes and haunting desert scenery, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park must surely rate as one of the world’s most special places.
Giraffe
Kgalagadi Lions
Oryx
One of the world’s last truly unspoilt eco-systems and a vast living desert, the Kgalagadi covers 3,7 million Kalahari hectares (9,15 million acres), making it one of the largest conservation areas in the world and conservation success spanning South Africa & Botswana. But the Kalahari is also a living desert with a rich diversity and large numbers of mammal, bird, reptile and insect species in abundance. The red sand dunes, sparse vegetation and the dry riverbeds of the Nossob and Auob show antelope and predator species off at a premium and provide excellent photographic opportunities.
The park is situated 250 km north of Upington and Twee Rivieren Camp the access point. There are 2 means of access – traveling by vehicle 3 hours or time efficient air transfers from Upington Airport to Twee Rivieren’s tarred airfield.
Northern Cape Province/ Namaqualand Tours
Wildflower Tour – Kalahari Gemsbok National Park & Namaqualand (13 days)