AA Traveller Winter 2022

National park
excellent here, and you are also
allowed tofish and canoe (with
your own equipment), yet none
of that seems possible until the
Gariep decides tocalm down.
Iprepare dinner under acloudy
sky tinted agolden hue bythe
setting sun. Soon the light turns
orange and then adeep candyfloss
pink. Mypasta-for-one dinner
goes down atreat, but by the time
I’ve done the washing upand
packing away, I’m drenched in
sweat again. The sun’s gone but
the day’s humidity remains, so I
take another dip in the river before
bedtime. Above meIsee starlight
pierce through the clouds as I
float between two countries in the
middle of adesert.
20
HOWTOEND UP UNDER
AROCK
I’m upatsunrise the next morning
so Ican make breakfast and pack
up camp before the heat ofthe day
sets in again. Today, Iamheading
for the Kokerboomkloof campsite,
about 55 km away. Itisnot that far
but driving on the park’s gravel
roads isslow going, and Iplan
on sight-seeing as much as Ican
en route.
Usually, you would be able to
drive toRichtersberg and from
there toTatasberg, where you
can connect with the road to
Kokerboomkloof. The high-water
levels of the river, however, force
me to drive back along the Kooks
River and over the Maerpoort
Pass. Onthe other side, Ireach
the Abiekwa River and turn
south along aroad that leads
me on to the dry riverbed ofthe
Ganakouriep. Apart from the selfcatering
chalets atGanakouriep
Wilderness Camp, there isalso the
Hakkiesdoring Hiking Camp near
here. Itserves asabase for hikers of
the four-day Vensterval Trail, which
is only open in the cooler months,
from April toSeptember.
By lunchtime, Ireach the
Springbok Flats, asweeping valley
with superb views towards Namibia
Theviewfrom
Kokerboomkloof
in the distance. Adetour leads me
to aviewpoint over the Tatasberg
valley where Iconstruct asandwich
in the back ofthe Fortuner, using
the tailgate asanawning. Itake my
time shooting afew pictures and
stop at another viewpoint before
continuing to Kokerboomkloof.
It is at this point that Iend up
taking anap under aboulder
to escape the heat. Later, when
it is finally cooler and Ifinish
setting upmycampsite, Inotice
an Attenborough's flat lizard
(Platysaurus attenboroughi), a
yellow-and-blue lizard named in
honour of Sir David Attenborough,
scampering across the rocks. A
dull-coloured female follows and on
another rock, Ispot aplump dassie
rat. Aklipspringer dashes out of
sight inthe distance, and off tothe
side, aflutter ofwhite butterflies
inspects the buds on ashrub.
In this moment Irealise the
seemingly desolate Richtersveld
is actually full oflife. Alife that
understands this harsh environment
and has adapted toitperfectly. I
am the odd one out here, anillequipped
creature in this place with
my sunscreen, mozzie spray and
carefully rationed supplies.
As Isit beside the campfire and
watch the sun turn the sky into a
sublime palette one final time, I
suddenly feel agreat privilege to
experience this mountain desert’s
beauty. Where else can you witness
the hand ofGod, float in ariver
between two countries, greet a
halfmens and siesta like adassie?
AATraveller | WINTER 2022