Augrabies Surrounds…

After viewing the falls we drove down to look at different areas of the gorge….

Moon Rock: A massive exfoliation dome or “whaleback” which is a prominent landmark of Augrabies Falls. Walking to the summit will give one of the best views of the park and its surroundings.

Did we climb it in the sweltering heat….?…. yes we did… Just look at this zoom…

Swart Rante: These foreboding black hills are another distinct landmark in Augrabies. Quartz-poor, these igneous rocks seem to form a natural border between the harsh environment of the gorge area and a more fertile area on the other side. The contrast between the two landscapes can best be seen from the top of Swart Rante.

More landscape photos that actually don’t do the area justice… it looks like the moon surface…

I walked about four kilometres on this road before the kids caught up with me in the bukkie (LDV, Ute, Van, pickup or truck, depending what country you live in)… I was glad to see them as the heat was a little extreme… and I’ve become a bit of an old fart….

But if you look at the landscape… who wouldn’t want to walk it… (remember to take water with you, not like this idiot that thinks a camera is enough…)

MORE OF THE AREA AND SCENES TOMORROW.

A Trip to the Augrabies Falls..

An early morning start took us through the grape lands that just never seemed to stop till just short of the Augrabies National Park.. and then the site to see…

A welcome sight as the short distance just seemed to get longer with every passing kilometre…

A few details about the Falls….

The Khoi people called it ‘Aukoerebis’, or place of Great Noise, as this powerful flow of water is unleashed from rocky surroundings characterised by the 18km abyss of the Orange River Gorge.

Few sights are as awesome, or a sound as deafening, as water thundering down the 56m Augrabies Waterfall when the Orange River is in full flood.

The Falls: As the Orange River approaches Augrabies Falls it divides itself into numerous channels before cascading down the 56 meter high waterfall. The river then continues its path through an 18 kilometre gorge. The sight and sound of the power of the water will not be easily forgotten.

 

The Orange river is susceptible to flooding and when one looks at the channels it flows through, it is an awesome sight when full as all that water is channelled into a single gorge… below is a snap shot using Google earth showing the falls area…..

I took a few photos of photos that show what it looks like in flood…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOMORROW WILL BE PHOTOS TAKEN IN THE PARK AREA… WHAT MAGNIFICENT SCENERY…