Augrabies Falls National Park

very wonderful landscape - really!

Day trip to Augrabies Falls National Park

During our stay at Upington we visited Augrabies Falls National Park for about half a day during a normal workday. The entrance is located about 1 mile away from the visitor center. We were asked to fill out some papers with personal information. But the official registration was done at the visitor center. There we received some maps and recommendations for interesting places in the park.

The walk to the famous falls was very well prepared. It seemed to be newly constructed. The path was build of wooden platforms that were directly mounted on the huge rocks that lead towards the canyon. The falls itself were incredible because of their height and huge amount of water. There were also some trails directly on the rocks that led back to visitor center. Overall, it was easy to orientate.

At noon we had a lunch at the terrace of the visitor center. There are a lot of tables under sunshades. The service was very kind and the food was good. It was not very busy at that time in the park. No local tourists.

After lunch we took a dirt road to a place called moon rock. The rock can be easily climbed because it is not steep. At the top you have a very good overlook over the whole park and you are able to see the canyon in the far, the orange river and the contrast between green vegetation near the river and the desert around. The roads can be used also by not 4WD vehicles but you need to drive carefully and slowly through some water passages.

Arid but beautiful.

As South Africans and having never visited the Northern Cape province of the country, my wife and I decided to take a trip which included the Augrabies Falls National Park. This turned out to be a good decision because the arid beauty is spectacular. Bearing in mind that this is not a game park as such, the "game" viewing is limited to smaller mammals such as the rock hyrax, baboons and a wide range of reptiles mainly in the form of lizards. So if you are looking for the big 5 this is not the park to visit. Birding is good if not spectacular, and many of the birds have become quite tame and can be viewed from quite close up. There are not many trees in the area so this is going to limit the potential for a wide variety of bird life. But this is not what you visit the Augrabies Falls National Park for. The main attractions are the falls and the spectacular scenery which is unique to the area. The falls are not huge but the raw power of the water surging through the canyon is a sight to behold. A very well built walkway is available to allow close access to the falls for most people. The walk is not very strenuous. The best time to visit the falls is at sunrise when the sun peeks over the horizon lighting up the spray and forming a spectacular rainbow. It is also quiet at this time of day and we had the falls to ourselves which was great because you want to be able to get the sound of the falls without noise around the place. A visit to Moon Rock, which is also in the park, is essential. This huge single rock can be climbed. The climb is quite strenuous but the views from the top are spectacular. Don't miss this. One of the advantages of the Northern Cape is all year round sunshine. It is unlikely that you will have an overcast, cold day regardless of the season. The accommodation is basic but comfortable and clean. The staff are extremely helpful and will go out of their way to make your stay a pleasant one. For a National Park with a difference Augrabies is a must visit.

Indulge and relax in beautiful surroundings

Initially we visited at Augrabies Falls National Park just to see the waterfalls. Which are amazing to view, even though we visited during the dry season. But Augrabies Falls National Park has much more to offer. We didn't expect to scenic beauty we experienced during our drive through the park, it was simply amazing. The canyons and the limited viewings of wildlife made the experience complete. I loved it and would definitely visit again if I would be in this area.

Mostly not interesting for game viewing bur great scenery. Not too crowded.

Best for landscapes. Not sure what future development will hold for Augrabies. The ancient road through the park has an effect on more than just its visitors. Please preserve what Augrabies has

The trip of a lifetime

It is a great stopover while touring through South Africa.

Beautiful scenery and breathtaking surroundings, but little game to be seen.

When the waterfalls are in full flow, their beauty is awesome. The birding is well-worth the extra travel time.

beautiful place

We stayed in Augrabies Falls in September. The weather was brilliant, but there were a lot of flies. It wasn't possible to get out of the car. So we decide to refrained the hiking tour.
Wildlife was okay. But there are Parks with more wildlife. We saw a lot of birds like Hoopoe, Bee eater...
The most beautiful thing of the park is the landscape. The waterfall was despite of less water very impressive and the plants in the park are manifold.