Page 374 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - South Africa

372  THE ARID INTERIOR

2 Augrabies Falls
National Park
Road map B3. 100 km (62 miles) W
of Upington. Tel 054 452 9200;
reservations: 012 428 9111.
Open 7am–6:30pm daily. & }
Ó S  0 ∑ sanparks.org
The Augrabies Falls National
Park was established in 1966
to protect the Augrabies Falls,
which rush through the largest
granite gorge in the world.
During periods of normal
flow, the main water fall
plunges 56 m (182 ft) into the
gorge. The lesser Bridal Veil
The Reverend Christiaan Schröder’s cottage in Upington Waterfall, located along the
northern wall of the gorge,
1 Upington tireless mounts who once cascades 75 m (244 ft) into
patrolled this desert region. the river below.
Road map B3. * 75,000. ~ 7 km
(4 miles) NE of town. £ Lutz St. Occupying an island in the At the main complex near the
n Public Library Building, Mutual St, Orange River, just outside town, entrance to the park are a shop,
054 338 7152. ∑ kharahais.gov.za Die Eiland is a municipal resort restaurant and bar. Paths lead
which has an avenue of more from here down to the falls.
Upington lies in a vast plain than 200 palm trees that were There are safety fences to
dotted with low shrubs. Only planted in 1935. prevent visitors from falling into
where the road reaches the The five wine cellars in this arid the chasm, but you should take
Orange River does the landscape region all belong to the Orange care near the waterfall, as the
change abrupt ly, as the River Cellars, which offers rocks are very slippery.
river paints a green tastings. On the south- Apart from the waterfall
stripe across the ern bank of the river, itself and the attractive rest
barren territory. the South African camp, which consists of
As the Northern Dried Fruit Co- 59 chalets, three swimming
Cape’s second-largest op on Louisvale Road pools and an extensive camp
settlement after is capable of proces- site, Augrabies has much to
Kimberley, Upington sing up to 250 tonnes offer. The 39-km (24-mile) long
serves a district of The “stone” plant of dried fruit daily. Klip springer Trail explores
lucerne, cotton, fruit the southern section of the
and wine farms lining a fertile E Kalahari–Oranje Museum park and affords superb views
river corridor along the river. 4 Schröder St. Open 9am–12:30pm, of the gorge and surrounding
In the late 19th century the 2–5pm Mon–Fri; 9am–noon Sat. 7 desert. Wildlife to look out for
Northern Cape was a wild  Orange River Cellars includes klipspringer, kudu,
frontier. The nomadic bands Industria St. Tel 054 337 8800. gems bok and spring bok, which
of Khoi hunter-gatherers Open tastings: 10am–6pm are often seen standing in the
resented the intrusion of Mon–Fri, 10am–3pm Sat. & shade of camel thorn and olive
the white settlers into this region ∑ orangeriverwines.com trees to escape the heat.
and frequently stole
livestock from them. In
1871, however, at the
request of Korana chief
Klaas Lukas, the Reverend
Christiaan Schröder
established a mission
station in the wilderness
and the first irrigation
canals were dug. His
original church is part
of the Kalahari-Oranje
Museum in Schröder
Street. Here too, is the
statue of a camel and
rider, which honours the
policemen and their The Augrabies Falls in the national park of the same name
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p391 and p411

372-373_EW_South_Africa.indd 372 25/05/17 2:48 pm