Reviews of Augrabies Falls (From 10 Acclaimed Safari Experts)

Expert

Lucy Corne –

UK

Visited: Multiple times

Lucy is travel writer for a range of publications, including Lonely Planet's guides to Africa, Southern Africa and South Africa.

2 people found this review helpful.

Waterfalls and wildlife

Overall rating

4/5

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The main attraction of this arid park is of course the waterfall for which it is named. The main falls thunder 56m into a narrow, rocky chasm and are easily accessed by wooden walkways leading from the main rest camp. Look out for vervet monkeys and scurrying dassies – small furry animals that look like rodents but are in fact distantly related to the elephant. For many, this is where Augrabies' wildlife ends, but in fact there is a separate section of the park where antelopes, zebras, giraffes and jackals roam. Outside of school holidays, you're likely to have every viewing to yourself, and I have the fondest memories of an early morning breakfast in my rental car with only a lone male giraffe for company. I switched off the engine and could hear his gentle munching as he breakfasted on camelthorn trees just metres from where I chomped on cereal bars and fruit.

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Expert

Philip Briggs –

ZA

Visited: Multiple visits

Philip is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many guidebooks, including the Bradt guides to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa.

1 person found this review helpful.

Place of great noise

Overall rating

4/5

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This would rank high on my list of South Africa’s most-underrated gems, despite its rather remote location and limited game viewing opportunities, and a visit is strongly recommended as an addendum to any safari to the Northern Cape’s game-viewing showpiece, Kgalagadi. The park is named after Augrabies Falls – derived from the traditional name Aukoerebis, meaning ‘place of great noise’ – where the Orange, South Africa’s largest river, thunders spectacularly over a 50m-high cliff into a deep, narrow gorge containing several secondary falls and cataracts. Away from the waterfall, the park protects a stunning lunar landscape of rounded granitic protrusions inhabited by giraffe, greater kudu, bat-eared fox and other wildlife and birds associated with the arid Karoo biome. The park’s most memorable animal residents are the garish Cape fold lizards that sun on the rocks above the main falls.

We really enjoyed the spectacular circular day trail that runs along the gorge downriver from the rest camp, then returns inland via the extraordinary Moon Rock. Daytime game drives can be slow in terms of wildlife sightings, but guided night drives are highly recommended, as they offer an opportunity to see localised nocturnal creatures, such as brown hyena. Another highlight are the rafting excursions that follow the river above the falls.

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Expert

Ariadne van Zandbergen –

ZA

Visited: Multiple times

Ariadne is a renowned African wildlife photographer whose work is featured in many well-known guidebooks and magazines.

1 person found this review helpful.

Augrabies Falls: a Spectacular Rush of Water in the Desert

Overall rating

4/5

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Augrabies Falls is a sight to behold. A well-designed walkway and several platforms create great photo opportunities of this thundering waterfall. This is where the Orange River crashes down a 56m-high cliff to continue its meandering journey in a deep gorge surrounded by a stark lunar landscape. The park isn’t very big, but definitely worth a couple of drives. I was particularly charmed by the many klipspringers standing in pairs on the gigantic boulders that dominate the dramatic scenery. I also saw giraffe, springbok and gemsbok. I didn’t see any predators, but leopard, jackal, caracal and bat-eared fox are all present. Easier to spot are the very localized Augrabies flat lizards; they love to bask in the sun on the rocks surrounding the falls. If you’re feeling adventurous you can book a rafting trip on the Orange River. The grade 2 and 3 rapids, with evocative names such as Rollercoaster and Blind Faith, are very manageable, but they didn’t fail to give me a great adrenaline rush.

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Expert

James Bainbridge –

UK

Visited: September

James is a travel writer and author of many Lonely Planet guides, including senior author of the guide to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland.

Behold nature's raw power

Overall rating

4/5

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The centrepiece of this park in South Africa's wild Northern Cape is the world's sixth-highest waterfall, which plunges 56m between towering cliffs. Looking down on the thundering spectacle from the viewing platforms, which are periodically destroyed by floods, gives an awe-inspiring glimpse of nature's might.

The waterfall is fed by the Orange River, which flows through this harsh environment like a lifeline, feeding the vineyards and fruit farms of the Green Kalahari. A great way to see the park is on a half-day trip over the river rapids by boat, kayak or raft, finishing 300m above the main falls. Other activities include walking and driving trails, guided night safaris, and a canoeing, mountain biking and hiking circuit; all make the most of a park where most people just visit the waterfall. Animals such as klipspringers, giraffes and Hartmann’s mountain zebras roam the rocky landscape, feeding on camel thorn trees and the giant aloes known as kokerbooms (quiver trees).

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