(We are posting this sitting in Ufudu parked in a dry river bed somewhere near Kuboes after leaving the Richtersveld Transfrontier Park late yesterday afternoon, 25/08/2014.)
We left Suzi and the trailer at the Namastat campsite in Springbok and headed towards the Skilpad entrance gate of the Namaqua National Park. The wind was still blowing very strongly and this clearly affected the flowers. They seemed distinctly less ‘open’, but were still a sight to behold.
Just before the park gate we stopped in at ‘Die Murasie’ Coffee Shop, recommended to us by Marizanne, owner of the ‘Caffe Bella’ in Springbok. It was well worth it! The lamb pies and salad were delicious.
We took a slow drive through the Park via Soebatsfontein and Wallekraal and got to Hondeklip Bay in the late afternoon.
Hondeklip Bay is a small fishing town on the West Coast, previously a harbour town to facilitate the shipping of copper ore. It was named by Captain Thomas Grace when he first landed there in 1846 and saw a large boulder resembling a sitting dog. The police station is situated right next to the famous rock so Roger asked the two constables in the charge office, in his accented Afrikaans, how one should go about ‘seeing’ the dog. The two guys packed up laughing and eventually through their tears replied: we don’t see it either!
As darkness set in we started looking for a suitable spot on the beach to stop over for the night. Our first choice already had an off-road trailer sheltering from the wind, so we settled for a rather exposed spot, knowing that Ufudu would keep us cosy. And there was a strong, cold wind blowing, believe me!
After a good night’s sleep and a short drive along the coastline to the harbour, we left Hondeklip Bay heading north to Koingnaas, then Springbok via the Wildeperdehoek Pass.
After a quick shower at the Namastat Campsite in Springbok we moved the trailer and Suzi to the spot where Jonathan, the camp manager, had indicated we could leave it for a week or so while in the Richtersveld. Charles, Moya, Rob and Ros had already left earlier to Port Nolloth where we planned to meet up with them for the night.
About 30 km before Port Nolloth I caught sight of three large birds about to land some distance from the road. Roger abruptly pulled over and stopped at my command, as we often do for bird sightings! Low and behold, they were Ludwig’s Bustards, a species we have been looking for since Kgalagadi!
We arrived in MacDougall’s Campsite just outside Port Nolloth at 17h30. Luckily on the west coast this meant there was still another 2 hours of daylight left! Ros and Moya had prepared a delicious prawn and chicken curry and invited us to dinner; a wonderful surprise after a long day’s travelling.
In the morning our friends headed back home to KwaZulu Natal and we explored Port Nolloth before continuing our journey.
Port Nolloth was established in 1854 as a small vessel harbour with an adjacent railway station for the steam locomotive Clara which transported copper ore from mining towns inland. The port was later declared unsuitable for export purposes and Port Nolloth became a fisherman’s village after a fishing factory opened there in 1960. With a successful deep-sea diamond industry, the town also became a haven for professional diamond-diving.
After lunch at the Nemo’s Restaurant, right next to the museum, we left for Alexander Bay.
We were keen to see the Orange River mouth at Alexander Bay for two reasons: It is the Northern-most point along the South African West Coast, and it is an IBA and Ramsar site. We were told that the diamond mine at Alexander Bay had closed down but when we arrived we discovered that Trans Hex has taken over from De Beers and the mine is again operating. After filling in a form at the security boom we were allowed to proceed. Together with the GPS and a few sign boards we worked our way along dusty mine roads towards the river mouth. What we encountered was more a mining wasteland than the Ramsar wetland we were expecting! Eventually a barricade of massive tyres blocked the road at the beach. We parked Ufudu and continued on foot north along the beach and black sand dunes which separate the Atlantic Ocean from the remaining estuary. It was getting late so we unfortunately had to turn back before reaching the actual mouth.
The town itself was probably the most depressing place we have been to so far, reminiscent of a dilapidated military base. We were happy to leave Alexander Bay behind us, determined to find somewhere else to spend the night. About 70 Km before the Helskloof entrance gate to the Richtersveld Transfrontier Park we came across Brandkaros which is a community run farm and campsite.
After a chicken in the Cobb and a hot shower Alexander Bay was forgotten and we were looking forward to the Richtersveld…