Head north beyond the uppermost reaches of the Cederberg ranges and into the Bokkeveld, and you will discover a unique South African outdoor paradise. Here, close to the ‘Bulb Capital of the World’, Nieuwoudtville, you will lose yourself in the crags and ledges of the lesser-known Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve, one of the Northern Cape’s provincial conservation areas.
The reserve itself encompasses the craggy ‘War Gorge’ canyon, and as a destination it rates right up there with larger mountain desert parks such as the Richtersveld. With the Oorlogskloof River at its epicentre, the reserve encompasses a deep and spectacular gorge of approximately 500 m wide.
This canyon was formed over millions of years, as the waterways carved through a thin layer of Table Mountain Sandstone and quartzite to expose soft floor formations such as limestone, shale and frit below. Oorlogskloof’s name can be traced back to 1739, when a war was waged here between the indigenous Khoi and local farmers over livestock and land.
The ever-unfolding rugged landscape – with dozens of kilometres of jeep track and several hiking trails – will have you behaving like the proverbial kid in a candy store. And as you bliss out on fresh air, you’ll synch into surroundings brimming with a botanical treasure-trove ranging from fynbos to Karroid biomes.
More than 1,350 plant species can be found here along the Bokkeveld Plateau, and many of them are of the bulb variety as this helps them sur...
The Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve boasts an extensive network of gravel roads and hiking trails, all tailor-made for adventurous off-road runn...