The past weekend we made a quick road trip to see the Augrabies Falls in flood.
This was a flash pack trip, packing as light as possible, as our time was very limited. We needed to be back in office on Monday with bright eyes and bushy tails, but, hey, we love a challenge!
To make everything smooth sailing on your visit we are sharing some handy tips to keep in mind. Here we go:
- We stayed in nearby Kakamas, which is only about a 20-minute drive from Augrabies, but do get up early and arrive early at the gate. We arrived at about 06:20 and there were already about 20 cars in front of the gate. The other option is to rather go late in the afternoon, it is hotter then, but there will be less visitors as well. Plan your trip beforehand
- The gates for day visitors open at 07:00. Go prepared. Take a pen to complete the entrance form and remember to sanitize as you go along. On the day we visited the system at the gate worked like an oiled machined with no hiccups.
- Pack snacks or even breakfast, which you can enjoy while waiting in the queue for the gate to open. Most of the people waiting enjoyed their breakfast like only South Africans can!
- You can pay either cash or with a card. The card queue was noticeably longer than the cash queue. Remember to sanitize as you go along.
- Slap on generous amounts of sunscreen. The sun has no mercy for your skin. Also read our post on visiting the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park for more tips.
- Take enough cold drinks and water. The shop is busy and stocks were low when we visited.
- Take lots of photos and soak up the experience. You will probably not see the falls again in flood in your lifetime; you are making memories.
- There are two viewpoints, where you will get drenched to the skin. Take a towel and some protection for your camera/phone or avoid to go there if you do not like to get soaked.
- Be kind and courteous to SANPARK’s staff and fellow visitors and wear your mask at all times. Allow enough time for your visit!
- On 6 February 2021 some parts of the park were not accessible for low vehicles due to flooding of the road.
We enjoyed the spectacular of the falls flowing at 3000 cumec per second – that is 3000 blocks of 1x1x1 meter tumbling down the falls. Well worth the long drive and heat.
And, yes, we were back in office on the Monday after our memorable experience!
oOo
