Springbok, Northern Cape - Agroup of us transported ourselves away from the rain and frigid temperatures of the Western Cape and headed north in search of solitude, space and, we hoped, a little warmth. This winter business had, at least to our minds, run its course and it was time to find some sunshine.
Our target: sections of the Namakwa trail which runs through the desert from Pella to Goodhouse in the far Northern Cape, amazingly barren and yet spectacularly beautiful countryside, offering clear blue skies and a sense of space that simply is beyond imagination.
It was a long if simple drive north along the N7 to Springbok, the highway was soaked and the roadworks rather trying but we convinced ourselves that better things lay ahead at the end of a metaphorical rainbow which, if present, was hidden by the low clouds and the downpour reflected in the headlights.
The cold front was pressing further north than might be considered normal for this time of year and a stopover just outside Steinkopf was thankfully civilised, with proper beds and hot water, the night temperatures plummeting into low single figures and producing plenty of frost to sparkle along the roadside during the early morning start that followed. The gauges on the dashboard were showing 3°C and the wind chill at the inevitable roadworks was cutting through our clothing like a knife. We were saying silent prayers for an improvement before we had to switch to tents for our accommodation in the wilderness.
We were soon in the desert, the dawn’s filtered light glowing on the sparkling sands and reflecting off the shimmering quartz grains as well as a not inconsiderable amount of remaining frost. It was dirt roads and four-wheel drive from here on – the sense of overwhelming space and isolation is simply astounding.
Despite the apparent desolation, the area seems to be particularly abundant in terms of bird life and we passed kestrels, canaries, numerous species of chat, multi-storey accommodations of social weaver birds and even a black-chested snake eagle. The area is remarkably mountainous – I always imagine the desert to be flat – and all around peaks of shattered stone rose above us on the horizon. There were huge rounded hills of fractured rock, rendered friable and broken by the constant freezing and heating associated with the desert environs. Large swathes of bright white quartz veins sliced through the mounds, catching the sun and painful to one’s eyes… quite something to behold.
I don’t suppose that it’s everyone’s idea of beauty, but stop a while and take a closer look and the scenery, a virtual moonscape dotted with the bright colours of spring flowers, glistening crystals and glowing hillsides, rendered deep purple by distances outside of one’s accepted urban reality, was out of this world.
We set up camp on the Namibian border, alongside the banks of the Orange River, the sand so fine that it felt like the place had been carpeted with talcum powder.
At daybreak the previous night’s cold front still held sway and, assisted by the clear skies, the temperatures dropped dramatically at sundown. Then again, those cloudless skies and the isolation of the place provide for a celestial spectacle of splendour as the dark night sky is filled with millions of stars, the Milky Way so visible it appears as a giant smudge of light haphazardly sprayed across a velvet ceiling. The Southern Cross, tricky to spot among the plethora of other stars, pointed the way home to the south but we were by no means ready to return to the city.
The camp was occasionally disturbed by the screeches of baboons frolicking on the riverside rocks and by the odd vibrations of the geckos, calling out to a mate or perhaps simply signifying that their particular piece of turf was occupied. Here life is reduced to its simplest manifestation; one eats before dark and retires early, one’s body acclimatising to the rhythms of the desert.
I couldn’t help but feel sorry for those who have never experienced such solitude, a space perhaps 700km from the glitzy centre of a neon-clad Cape Town but light years away in terms of its soul.
We spent a few days in our camp – it may not be everyone’s cup of tea but for us it was a blessing. When we arrived home tired and more than a little grubby, sporting sunburnt faces, it was all an experience not to have missed.
I cannot but think that before we head off to explore foreign climes we really should take a closer look at home.
South Africa boasts an incredible diversity of geography, plant and animal life, scenic vistas and interesting locales, you just need to get out there and experience it.
l Information and permits for the Namakwa trail can be obtained from info@namakwa-dm.gov.za. - Sunday Argus