South African Travel Pass guide: A desolate valley perched high in a thirsty mountain wilderness November 1, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Rail Pass, Round The World, Sightseeing, South Africa, Tickets, Tour, Trails, Travelling Bag, Trip , trackbackThe Karoo Nature Reserve all but surrounds the historic Karoo town of Graaff-Reinet, and the town serves as the ideal centre from which to visit the reserve. The reserve was established in 1975 by the South African Nature Foundation, and it encompasses 14500 ha of Karoo plains and mountains, including the Van Ryneveld Pass Dam. This great tract of countryside, once fertile and covered with vegetation, had become badly over-grazed and had begun to show signs of consequent erosion, but today it is recognised in South Africa as a model of conservation and correct land management.
The reserve is effectively split into three sections by the roads to Middelburg and Murraysburg. The western section is the most accessible, and by far the most visited. The eastern section of the reserve is maintained as a natural wilderness — rough tracks do exist, but no good roads, and visitors who wish to hike through this part of the reserve must be accompanied by a member of the reserve staff.
Between the eastern and western sections lies the Van Ryneveld Pass Dam, which constitutes virtually a third section. This is an open area accessible only on foot, and the paths are rough — but the rich birdlife makes it well worth visiting. Among the most notable birds to be seen are large numbers of South African shelduck, Cape teal, yellow-billed duck, grey herons, Egyptian geese, spur- winged geese, white-breasted cormorants and flamingoes. A particularly good spot for viewing the flamingoes is the marshy area created by the Sundays River where it enters the dam.
Valley of Desolation
The western section of the reserve contains the most spectacular area — known as the ‘Valley of Desolation‘. Unexpectedly for a valley, this lies high above Graaff-Reinet. To reach the Valley of Desolation, drive out of Graaff-Reinet on the R63 towards Murraysburg, pass the Van Ryneveld Pass Dam on your right, then turn left to enter the reserve.
A good tarred road leads up the steep mountainside. Shortly before reaching the valley you pass a toposcope set on the summit of a small koppie known as ‘The Lookout’. From here there is a magnificent view over Graaff-Reinet, and one can clearly see the ox-bow formed by the Sundays River as it curls lazily around the town.
The Valley of Desolation itself, noted for its grotesque and bizarre dolerite formations, offers a marvellous illustration of the processes of erosion. Jumbled dolerite pillars, which have weathered more slowly than the sedimentary rock surrounding them, now rise to heights of 120 m above the boulder-strewn valley floor. Cobbled paths lead to the edges of the valley, where convenient safety walls enable one to lean over and admire the confusion of rocks below — thought to be the product of some 200 million years of erosion. You can also look across from here to Spandau Kop, standing guard over Graaff-Reinet rather like a towering fortress. (Spandau Kop is said to have been given this name by an early Prussian settler, who found that the mountain reminded him of Spandau Castle, a fortress situated near Berlin.)
Flora and fauna
It is interesting to note the changes in vegetation that one passes through as the road to the Valley of Desolation climbs up from the plains. The reserve contains several distinct vegetation zones. The plains are covered with thorny succulents and aromatic shrubs. The lower slopes of the mountains are sprinkled with spekboom, also known as ‘elephant’s bush’ (Portulacaria afro) — a fleshy grey-green shrub that is a major source of food for grazing animals such as the kudu. Higher up the slopes the spekboom is gradually replaced by mountain veld or grassland — the home of klipspringer and mountain reedbuck. Finally, at the highest level, there is savannah grassland, dotted with stinkwood and karee trees.
This last type of vegetation covers much of the eastern section of the reserve, and is the favoured habitat of the Cape mountain zebra (Equus zebra zebra), which were reintroduced into this area from the Mountain Zebra National Park near Cradock.
In addition to offering a home to mountain zebra, kudu, klipspringers and mountain reedbuck, the reserve contains black wildebeest, blesbok, springbok, steenbok and the common duiker — and there are many smaller mammals, including the caracal, the silver jackal and the bat- eared fox. Large leopard tortoises can often be seen in the summer months. The plan is to re-introduce other species eventually, including hartebeest, black rhino and buffalo, all of which once roamed the area freely.
The reserve also supports a wide variety of birds — quite apart from the water birds to be seen on the dam.
On the plains there are ostriches, blue cranes, bustards and secretary birds. High in the mountains black eagles build their nests on the towering cliffs and feed on the ever-present rock hyraxes, or ‘dassies’.
There are few walks in the reserve that can be undertaken without being accompanied by a member of the reserve staff. However, you may if you wish walk up the plateau that overlooks the Valley of Desolation, and there are the various paths around the dam. There is also a steep walk to the top of Spandau Kop — where the adventurous will be rewarded with splendid views.
If you are planning any of these walks, make a point of taking drinking water with you. The Karoo takes its name from a Khoikhoi word meaning ‘dry’ or ‘barren’, and the area, which is classed as semi-desert, becomes extremely hot in the summer. If you are visiting the reserve in summer, you should confine any walking you do to the early morning and late afternoon — not only will you find the walk more pleasant, but the animals are also more active during these cooler periods.
A rich storehouse of fossils
This region was not always the semi- desert that it is today. The soil and the rock strata that have been exposed by erosion are rich in fossil reptiles — evidence that the area was once an extensive marsh, probably very hot and humid. These fossils are of international importance, and there is an excellent collection to be seen in the Reinet Museum in the town.
The reserve offers no overnight accommodation, and no camping is allowed within its boundaries except on guided hikes. However, there is a caravan park outside the town on the banks of the Sundays River, with a number of bungalows that can be rented, and there are several fine hotels in the town. The reserve is open to visitors every day from sunrise to sunset.
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