Go Drive & Camp May 2019

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UZAAN KRITZINGER-KLOPPER

IWANTTO GO,TOO!

WHERE?TheRichtersveld lies in the northwesternmost tip on ourcountry’s

profile.The nearest bigtown is Springbok.

PROVISIONSTherearen’tmanyshops in theRichtersveld andyouhavetoplan

your menu carefully.Carryasmuchwaterasyou can, and ifyouare travelling

alone,it’sbest to have an extraspare wheel and sparevehicle parts withyou.

EMERGENCYNUMBERSSpr ingbokpolice25 VoortrekkerStreet 027 718 9100

SANParks,Sendelingsdrift 027 831 1506Kuboestourism,Main Street

071 792 2412Eksteenfontein tourism,Main Street 074 500 4593

54 |May2019go! Drive&Camp

4X4-DESTINATION| NORTHERN CAPE

STUBBORN SHRUB.Thousands of photographsexist of this famous tree (above)atthetopofthe

HelskloofPass ,andforgoodreason because it’s literally growing out ofarock.TheKuboes 4x4

community trail (below) offers upareal challenge.Reckless driving herewilldamageyour vehicle.

your line.Youmay have to stackrocks
and laydownsandboards (ifyoubrought
some), because the holes between the
rocksare deep.Takeite asy,becauseyou
do notwant to crackanoil pan or snap
asideshaft –notowingservice can reach
youhere, nor anyambulance...
Shortlyafter this hurdle,you’ll find
apatch of ri versandinagorgewhere you
can pullover and makecamp (S28.51356
E17.14141)–it’sone of justafew soft
spots along the otherwiserockytrail.
There’salso afountain 600mfurther
southwhere youcan get some fresh
water at the ruin of the derelict farm
Gelykwerf. Defrostyour steak andwors
on your truck’slukewarm bonnet, pour
acelebratory drink andwatchhow your
fire’ ssmokebillo wupthe cliff face.

Allgood things...
Shortlyafter youhaveloaded allyour
camping gear backinto your car,it’stime
to head further south to the dry course
of the Kook River. Youcan turn right here
and return to theTierhoekroad thatyou
droveafew daysprior.Itwill returnyou
to Eksteenfontein inajiffy,but rather
buck up and carry on off-roading, because
there isaspecial mountain pass ahead.
It wouldbeanunderstatement to say
thatSmithsPass is unknown. It doesn’t
appear on maps, and Google–who
usuallyknowseverything–has never
heard of it. It isanarrow slate track
thatfollows the spine ofamount ain
(S28.71220 E17.19344). It’snot particularly
challenging, but ifyousuffe rfromvertigo,
youshould steer clear.The abysstothe
left and right is steep andyoumarvelat
the ingenuity needed to build this pass.
An hour later,the mountain pass spits
youout 3kmwest of Eksteenfontein.
If you’ve managed theroutethis far
without toomuchdrama, there’sanother
challenge thatawaits. Head north-east
from Eksteenfontein, pastalargeroad
sign indicating thatthe routeisonly
suitable for bakkies and SUVs.Pass all
the turn-offs, past the Rooiberg, and into
the Helskloof-Nababiep Nature Reserve.
It’sateasing trail in the dry bed of the
Xaminxaip River(Clickyour tongue asyou
pronounce the name.–Ed). When you’re
not crawling over rocks, you’re ploughing
through deep sand, but this is noteven
the actualchalle nge.
Where the Xaminxaip joins the Gariep,
the twin-trackunexpectedlyends. >