Rangers willexamineyour car, and
and ifyouarrived in something
likeaVW Beetle theywillstrongly
discourageyoufromentering50 |May2019go! Drive&Camp
4X4-DESTINATION| NORTHERN CAPE
here or issue one ifyoudidn’tbuy one
beforehand through theirwebsit e. The
rangers will also examineyour car,and if
youarrivedinsomething likeaVW Beetle,
theywill stronglydisco urageyou from
entering the park.We,however,belie ve
thatyou’ll be okayinarear-wheel drive
bakkie or an SUV with regular all-wheel
drive –provide dyou have experience with
deep sand and sharp stones.
From hereyoudrive for about 20
minutes to Sendelingsdriftwhere you’ll
get your permit stampedat the park
office.Youcan also buyauseful travel
guide (R65) withamap of the park’sroads
and attractions here.
There isaferry at Sendelingsdrift that
takes oneover the Gariep to Namibia.
There’salso afueling station with petrol
and diesel (whichisonaverage R1/ℓ
dearer than in the rest of the country),
ashop(open from 9am to 12pm andagain
from 4pm to 6pm) andacampsite and
self-catering cottages. Sendelingsdrift
is adjacent toadiamond mine and it’s
not reallythe kind of placeyouwant
to overnight in.What does count in its
favour is thatitisthe onlycampsiteinthe
park with electricity,but there are nicer
places deeper into the park.
Potjiespram is one suchplace .Itis
acampsite next to the riverwith 18
stands and neatablution facilities.
Theablution facilities have basins and
showers with solar-heatedwater aswell
as flush toilets. Naughtyvervet monkeys
checkyou out from the trees–sokeep the
lid ofyour food crateshuttight.About 16 km east ofPotjiespram isThe
Hand of God (S28.12189 E17.00948). It’s
arockthathas beenweathere doverthe
cen turies and nowlooks as ifagiant has
left ahandprintin it.
TheAkkedis and Domorogh passes
follow5km after thisrock.Continue
straight ahead with the AkkedisPass,
foll owed by thePenkopPass to the
Koeroegabplains. Hereyou’ll find a
narrow springwhere water bubblesfrom
the rock (S28.17472 E17.15919). All six of
the park’sofficial mountain passes are
rocky, and thoughyouhardl y, if ever,need
to engage four-wheel drive,yourvehicle’s
ground clearance will be put to the test.
Youcertainlycan’t towacaravan through
the passes, because the turns are pretty
hairy.Ashorter off-road trailer might