First published: 18/01/22.

Zoë Sheng 2.0

Richtersveld

Richtersveld (Inscribed)

Richtersveld by Zoë Sheng

To visit the park I stayed at the Vioolsdrift Lodge just across the border from Namibia. At the time it was run by a lovely family so I highly recommend it, great tents and a bar where you wouldn't expect one. The lady (formerly German I believe) also gave me superb info on the park and since I had a 4x4 on the trip I could access the park from a little road that goes northwest along the river. What you see are some low cliffs but the road is very shoddy, with big spiky rocks all over the place. It gets rougher as you go along. This may not be the main path into the park. It takes quite a while to get into the park and then it's still a while to see more things that you are looking for. Unfortunately this is like a huge "open museum" and the things you are looking for could be anywhere in the park without a guide. So my advice: book something from Cape Town if you want the full cultural experience. Going in on your own is mainly just for rock art and some remains of old houses.

However, I think the ǀAi-ǀAis/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park has the same cultural relics and MUCH better scenery. I've included a pic of Fish Canyon, a true marvel, and you can hike in it too. The access is better, there are more things to see, and it's more beautiful. Currently on Namibia's tentative list for natural whereas Richtersveld is unfortunately not listed as natural and got the natural part rejected for inscription, so the transborder extension may be a little tricky to achieve. Still though, unless you are a die-hard "I must visit the core zone" WHS enthusiast then I would suggest you just visit Namibia.

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