The Augrabies Falls National Park is 30 km from Kakamas, and 125 km from Upington. We were en route to the Western Cape from Gauteng (yes, we know it is a detour but remember when we say “road trip” we do mean “ROAD TRIP”!) and decided to stop there to see the falls. Augrabies offers some chalet and cottage options and camping. Since the tent was packed for another camping-only spot further down the road trip we went camping.
Camping sites are neat, clean with shared ablution and scullery facilities. Some sites have shade and most sites are not covered by grass with gravel/sand surface only. Make sure you pack protective groundsheets for your tents also.
Unfortunately, even though it was in December, the little stream of water coming down the falls was not anything as spectacular as shown on most promotional photos. Another unfortunate incident took place later on this road trip but we will tell you more about that later. It was hot and we loved the cool water from the swimming pool.
We were limited in time but there is a lot more one can do at Augrabies Falls other than looking at the falls and cooling off in a swimming pool. Organised game drives are available, self-drive game drives and a 94km long 4X4 route. Spectacular viewpoints, tracks for cyclists and hikers (no dangerous game) are just a few we can mention.
A small shop and restaurant are ideal for replacing some depleted groceries or to save oneself from preparing a meal.
Prices at the store were a bit on the steep side but within the norm as in all isolated shops of this kind. The guys are only trying to make a profit themselves.
We really want to go back as we still need to see this spectacular waterfall when the river is in flood.
To get back to our second unfortunate incident: During this road trip, all our cameras and cell phones were stolen on our second last night while asleep in a townhouse in Port Edward. The photo/s you see here were sourced off the internet. Should you be the owner of any of these photos and would like us to give credit please let us know and we will do so without hesitation. Should you wish for us to remove your photo/s also let us know and we will happily comply.
