Richtersveld Tours

...we’ll take you there...

The Richtersveld is the only mountain desert in South Africa.  The rainfall is as low as 50mm per year.  The dominant biome, is the “Succulent Karoo” biome, although there are small areas with grass, a section belonging to the “desert biome”, and also small areas with limited “Fynbos” growth.

The Richtersveld has been declared a world heritage site, which in itself, says a lot of how special the area is.  This is an unspoilt, undeveloped destination, with many wilderness camps with limited facilities.  Camping is in some areas the only accommodation.  If you choose not to camp, there are a few camps with chalet facilities, although limited.

The wetlands, at the Orange-river mouth, is a RAMSAR site, with a rare variety of birds.

CLIMATE

The area gets a low winter rainfall, which results in the succulent plants being the dominant vegetation.  Most of the plants survive in the dry summer season, on the fog coming from the cold Atlantic ocean, that ends up being blown into the desert.

Although the flower season in Springtime (August/September) is the more popular time to visit the Namaqualand and the Richtersveld, certain of the attractions can be seen throughout the year.  November to February is quite hot, and not ideal for visits to the Richtersveld, unless you can handle the heat.  During the warmer months one could spend more time close to the ocean, where it is normally cool throughout the year, and stick to the shady areas next to the Orange river.

The climate in this desert mountain area, can sometimes be extreme, however this is what adds value to our region.  The fauna and flora are specially adapted to these extremes.

LOCATION

The Richtersveld is bordered by the Cold Atlantic on the Western side, the Orange river on the Northern side (also the border of Namibia), the N7 on the Eastern side, and the ‘382’ on the Southern side.

ATTRACTIONS

There is an endless list of attractions in the area.

While on tour with the Richtersveld Tours, we will take you to the places less often visited, due to it’s location, or security arrangements, or the fact that it is on private property, and not accessible without special arrangements.

We will show you rare plants, amazing landscapes, fossils, rock engravings (petroglyphs), shipwrecks, caves, places where the Khoi people lived, fountains in the desert, rare aloes, seals and other animals.  If you like, we will also let you meet the interesting local people, and travel roads not normally used.  We will establish your interests, and put together an itinerary to suit you and your group.

We could include activities like river rafting, kayaking on the ocean, boat trips, fishing, interacting with locals, Nama dancing, traditional meals etc. on request.

Our guides are “culture” guides, and have a general knowledge of the area, history, plants, geology, archeology, and the location of certain places.  The services of “Specialists” like Geologists and Botanists are available, at an extra cost.

HISTORY

We will tell you about the pre-history, as well as the more recent history, of how things came about, with the copper mining in the Okiep and Springbok area, and eventually the diamond industry, which still plays a large roll in sustaining the economy of the area.  We will visit a few places that will take us back in time to the days when the Khoi people still lived in the area.  They are one of very few nations who managed to live a sustainable life, and looked after the earth, and only used what they needed, to make a living.

We could visit a few historic buildings in the area, and you will be amazed at how people survived (still do) with limited resources.

ACCOMMODATION AND TRANSPORT

As mentioned before, camping is the preferred way of spending the nights in certain areas. 

Some of the places to be visited have no or little facilities.  You will be informed of the availability up front, and you will also be given a choice of staying in a chalet/guesthouse where it is available.

When we camp, we provide the necessary equipment, like the tent, a proper high density foam mattress (75mm thick), sleeping bag that unzips to form a duvet, a sheet, small blanket and a pillow.  In certain instances we will supply inflatable mattresses if space is really limited.  We will also have the necessary equipment to keep the meat and other items cold/frozen, and whatever is needed to prepare and dish up the meals.

Depending on the group size, number of days on tour, and accommodation used, different combinations of vehicle will be used.  We have a small fleet of 4x4 vehicles, consisting of a 4x4 minibus, double cab vehicles, and a station wagon.

We will have the staff to put up and break down the camp.  Some tourists choose to assist with putting up the camp, and are welcome to do so if they like.

MEALS

We believe that our meals are an essential part of making the tours a pleasant experience.  We bake fresh breads before and while on tour.  We also choose to make use of home made jams with the bread.

We normally start our days with coffee/tea and homemade rusks (biscuits).  In the late mornings, at about 11:00 we will look for a scenic spot, and prepare a fresh brunch.  We will travel with all necessary equipment on the vehicle to prepare the food ‘on the go’.

After settling down in the evenings at the campsite or chalets, we will again prepare a meal on the fire.  Usually meat, bread with jam and freshly made salads.

In between, we will also issue everybody with bottled water, and will have snacks available if somebody would like to have something to chew on.

In special cases, we will prepare food for vegetarian/diabetics.  Depending on availability and costs, this might affect the costing slightly.

PICK-UP, DROP OFF & TRANSFERS

We are based in Port Nolloth area, and choose to start and end our trips from here.  We are registered to operate in the Western– and Northern Cape, and can therefore start and end the tour anywhere in either of these provinces.

If we start from any other town/city other than Port Nolloth, it will be at an extra cost, to cover the extra traveling. 

We can arrange the first night’s accommodation if requested to do so, as it is not included in the daily rate.  The last night’s accommodation is included.

Most of the tourists visiting us travel by themselves to Port Nolloth area, where we supply safe parking for their vehicle.  They travel with us on the tour and back to their vehicle, from where they depart to their next destination.

Most international visitors, fly to Cape Town, from where they could use various means of transport (bus, taxi, charter flight, rented car) to get to Springbok or Port Nolloth, from where we will do the tour into the Richtersveld.

SAFETY

Safety is the first consideration when we are on tour.  We have had no serious incidents, and believe it is a result of our policy.

Most of our staff are qualified first aiders.

JOB CREATION POLICY

We support local developing businesses when on tour.  By supporting these small businesses, we assist them to create more sustainable jobs in this, generally poor community.

 

General Information