Whatsapp Us
Whatsapp Us
Set in a desolate and rugged milieu, the river falls
into a gorge, which is on average about 240 metres deep and 18 kilometres
long. The Augrabies Falls is 60 metres high and particularly spectacular when
the river is in flood. The gorge is an impressive example of erosion into
a granitic basement. In 1966 the area around the falls were enclosed by the
Augrabies Falls National Park, covering an area of 820 square kilometres.
Augrabies Falls Rest Camp is the only rest camp in the remote area of the expansive Northern Cape Province.
View LodgeThe Augrabies Falls National Park is located in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, just over 120 km west of Upington, one of the main towns of the province. The Gariep River, previously known as the Orange River, is at 2 432 km the longest river in South Africa and flows from Lesotho in the Drakensberg Mountains westward until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean.
The original residents of the area, the Khoikhoi, named the waterfall “Ankoerebis”, which means place of great noise. From there the settlers derived the name Augrabies, which sounds similar to the original Khoikhoi word.
At the height of its floods, 7 800 cubic metres of water every second was reported, which is over 3 times the average high season flow rate of the Niagara Falls and greater than Niagara’s all-time record.
Situated in a semi-arid region with low annual rainfall and extreme variations in temperature, Augrabies becomes very cold in the winter and extremely hot in the summer. This is the largest conservation area within the Orange River Broken Veld vegetation type.
The nearest town, Kakamas, is about 30 km away from Augrabies Falls National Park. There are a variety of banks, shops, pubs, restaurants and other facilities in Kakamas. The Augrabies Falls Shop and Restaurant is on the premises and fuel is available. The BMW Conference Venue can accommodate up to 70 delegates in the well-equipped, air-conditioned facility.
Self-drive game viewing and 4x4 trails are available. Unfortunately, no guided game drives are offered. Short walks and a longer overnight hike can be done. A variety of wooden platforms, connected by wooden pathways, brings one to spectacular viewpoints over the Augrabies Falls.
Bird watching is enjoyed by birding enthusiasts.
The entrance gate is open from 07:00 to 18:30. The gate is manned for 24 hours per day, but guests need to make arrangements in advance if they want to enter or exit the gate before 7:00 or after 18:30.