THERE are so many reasons why the Ai-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier National Park is special, including the fact that it has a unique claim to fame; the dry, rocky, infinitely fascinating Richtersveld is South Africa’s only true desert.
It is a mountain desert, an unforgiving but awe-inspiring place of ancient rock formations, jagged peaks, steep, flinty slopes and vast, sandy plains ringed by purple mountains.
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In contrast to this rugged environment is its green corridor, the thin ribbon of life-sustaining vegetation lining the Orange River.
This river forms the northern border of the South African section of the peace park, separating it from its Namibian side.
How strange the Richterveld mountains are, constantly changing colour in the altering light, The unforgiving midday sun seems to wash the landscape of any colour at all, but the softer mornings and evenings bring out unexpected tints of pink, blue, mauve, gold and even peppermint green in the rocky surfaces.
All this dramatic scenery makes it one of the most intriguing, perhaps the most physically beautiful, of all our South African National Park.
From a geological point of view this harsh terrain is fascinating. It has been shaped over eons by almost every geological process in Mother Nature’s arsenal.
Some of the rock formations are ancient, about 2 000-million years old, while others, like the granite rocks found in the south of the park, are among the youngest of their kind in the southern hemisphere.
As a true desert, it is watered by an annual average of about 70mm of rain and the little moisture brought in by the ‘malmokkies’, those strange, spooky morning fogs that roll in from the cold Atlantic Ocean.
In spite of its arid nature, the Richterveld is home to countless insects, birds, small mammals and a vibrant plant life.
‘God’s rockery’, I call it, for as you travel through the rocky terrain, it looks as if it has been artfully landscaped by a divine hand to show off the diverse and fascinating succulents and other hardy plants that thrive here.
It is one of the richest succulent areas in the world and about a third of its plant species are endemic, occurring nowhere in the world but in this inhospitable little corner of South Africa.
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Most eye-catching are the strange and rare halfmens (Pachypodium namaquanum), the kokerboom or quiver trees (Aloe dichotoma), the giant quiver trees (Aloe pillansii) and the maiden quiver three (Aloe ramosisima) but countless other drought-resistant plants, big and small, occur here and a walk across the veld is a fascinating experience.
From a cultural point of view it is an interesting park as well. Since it was proclaimed in 1991 the Richterveld National Park has been jointly managed as a contractual park by South African National Parks and the local Nama people.
It is unique in that controlled grazing of stock is allowed within its borders. In this way, the park helps to conserve the culture and traditional way of life of the descendants of the pastoralists who arrived in South Africa from Botswana some 2 000 years ago.
While exploring the park, visitors are likely to meet some of these herders and to see their mobile mat-house homes and flocks of lively goats.
In 2003 the national park made history again when it was joined to Namibia’s Ai-Ais Hot springs Game Park to become a pioneer of the cross-border conservation concept known as transfrontier or peace parks.
The Richtersveld is not really a destination for those who are overly concerned about their creature comforts. It is rugged 4X4 country with bumpy, often corrugated tracks that wind their way up steep stony slopes, through rocky mountain passes, along dry, boulder-strewn river beds and across broad, sandy plans.
When we first visited the park in 1999 the inland and riverside camping sites, although lovely, lacked any facilities at all. In 2003, we were thrilled to find that the camping sites had been provided with ablution blocks.
Proper loos and cold water showers made camping there seem quite a luxurious experience.
For visitors with an aversion to cold showers and sleeping under canvas, comfortable self-catering accommodation is now available, although roughing it a little to camp under the Richtersveld stars is a wilderness experience that shouldn’t be missed.
The riverside camping sites at Pootjiespram. De Hoop and Richtersberg are lovely and it us usually possible to find a shady spot under a tree.
The birdlife near the river is amazing, and campers enjoy a constant parade of little avian visitors to their campsite. We’ve spent many pleasant hours relaxing on the river bank, birdwatching, or splashing in the river when the temperature rises too high for comfort.
However, my fondest memories are of the overnight stays at Kokerboomkloof on both out visits.
The route from the Orange River to the inland Kokerboomkloof camping area, via the magical Springbokvlakte, is simply stunning.
Then, in contrast to the mountainous terrain you traverse to get there, the Kokerboomkloof is softer on the eye, boasting massive, rounded boulders and curvaceous rock forms. Surrounding the rocky outcrops the plain, with its quiver trees, stretches out forever. The solitude at Kokerboomkloof is exhilarating.
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When the sun starts to sink and it is cool enough to leave your pool of shade, venture out onto the plain and take a walk among those quiver trees, or clamber between the boulders to seek out the lovely secret gardens, all boasting a myriad scrubby little plants tenaciously clinging to life in their harsh environment.
Then takes some minutes, before you light the evening braai fire, to listen to the perfect silence and to watch the evening light show.
It is as if Mother Nature is switching on a series of coloured floodlights as the desert rocks and sand and sky turn mauve, pink, copper, gold, indigo and finally a star-studded velvety black.
Sadly, a long time has elapsed since we last stayed in this magnificent park and a return visit there is long overdue. There is never enough time to take advantage of all 19 of the precious and unique national parks our magnificent country has to offer.
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