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atrick points at aBushman etchingwith his only hand:“Look, here’s

a giraffe ... and there’s agemsbok.”

We’re scanning a hugeflat rock along the Perde-poort 4x4 Trail at Riemvas-maak, northern neighbourof the Augrabies FallsNational Park in the North-ern Cape. And we’re stokedat finding the etchings afteran hour-long search amongrocky hills.

That’s because Patrick,Vanessa, my partner, andI are standing on the exactspot where the Stone Ageartist must’ve sat some timeafter the last Ice Age ended,about 10000 years ago,chipping away at this graniterock in this southernmostpart of the Kalahari. Herecorded eland, rhino and,surprisingly, hippo.

But then the past seemsto endure here in Riemvas-maak. For this is the tradi-tional land from which thepastoral Nama people weretorn during the intensify-ing guerrilla war in nearbyNamibia in the mid-1970s.They had to make way foran SADF weapons-testingrange, only to reclaim theland two decades later.

In hot water amongThere’s a rugged, mountainous spot in

the Northern Cape where you can soak ina hot spring after a day’s 4x4-ing. You’llfind anything from semiprecious stones toBushman etchings at Riemvasmaak, saysJohan de Smidt. Just ask the locals…

P

Cross-axled. Your vehicle’s sus-pension will be put to the test onsections of the grade 3 Molopo 4x4Trail at Riemvasmaak.

And it was in just sucha collision between pastand present that PatrickBooysen lost his right legand hand. The soldiershad already left to makeway for the Riemvasma-kers who had successfullyreclaimed their ancestrallands in 1995. Somehow,some lethal hardware wasleft behind.

“We were walking in theveld, following our goats oneSunday afternoon,” Patrickrecalls, “when I stepped on alandmine. When I lifted myfoot, we heard the bang. Thebang even scared the peoplesitting in church.

“I only woke up in thehospital in Upington. I wasso disorientated, I onlyrealised two days after theaccident that the doctorhad amputated my hand.But with this one handI have left, I have built adonkey cart. Come, let mego and show it to you atmy house ...”

On the drive to Patrick’shouse, we saw none of thegame that the Bushman artistsaw, only goats and sheep.

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DestINAtION RIEMVASMAAK

Kalahari gems

PHOT

OGRAPH

Sjo

han

desm

idt

drive out august-september 201046

What has survived theintervening millennia are thered sand dunes and camel-thorns of this semidesertas well as the semipreciousstones that have attractedminers and other fortuneseekers to Riemvasmaak,about 56km from Kakamas.

What has drawn us hereare the three 4x4 trails, hotspring and solitude. Add tothat the town’s friendly peo-ple and you have an honestbreakaway a hard day’s drivingfrom CapeTown.

Chief among the authenticRiemvasmakers we wouldget to know is the jovialHenry Basson, trained localfield guide and buddingentrepreneur.

Henry would lead us onthe most difficult of the threetrails, the grade 3 Molopo4x4Trail − southwest of thetown − to the Orange River,and the longest trail, thesome 71km Deurspring 4x4Trail through mountainousterrain northwest of Riemvas-maak.We’d have to drive thethird trail on our own – thePerdepoort 4x4Trail to thenortheast that runs past theBushman etchings.

Riemvasmaak is a vastarid area – about 74000hectares. It’s bordered by theOrange River in the south,the Kalahari in the northand Namibia in the west. Adry section of the MolopoRiver, which forms a largepart of the border betweenBotswana and South Africa,runs through it.

After entering Riemvas-maak from Blouputs viaAugrabies in the west, wemeet hot spring supervisorRemütheus Adams, whohands us the only copy ofhis trails map. “Watch out,”he warns, “people get loston these trails and then theycome and kick up a fuss.”

No problem, surely wecan’t get lost with a guideand a map...

DEURSPRING 4x4 TRAIL (71km)Cobras & horse cartsIt’s already late morningwhen we meet Henry at themunicipal centre, oppositea dusty barbed-wired soccerstadium, to set off on theDeurspring 4x4Trail. Pity,but they haven’t quite man-aged to lure Messi, Kaká andCo here for theWorld Cup, achuckling Henry concedes.

Cobra’s lair. Field guide Henry Basson takes a breather above a rockpool − where legend has it a cobra lives − on the Deurspring 4x4 Trail.

Slow travel. Expect horse carts, like this one of Hans, to come rattlingaround the next corner while you’re doing the Deurspring 4x4 Trail.

Riemvasmaak ties in well with a4x4 exploration of the Kalaharithat includes doing the Pulai4x4 Trail and staying at the4x4 campsite Rooiputs in theKgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

There are great dirt roads onthe way there too, such as theRockery Route between Kakamasand Upington.•Pulai: From Upington, take theR360 to the village of Rietfontein,from where you could charge upred dunes on the Pulai 4x4 Trail.The trail leads to the game andhunting farm Pulai, in the cornerformed by Namibia’s easternfence and the southern fence ofthe Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

A day-long 4x4 dune trail at

Suggested itineraryPulai runs along the fence withNamibia and the Kgalagadi.

Accommodation at Pulai is ina reed building with a flush toiletand hot-water shower, as wellas tents.•Rooiputs: From Pulai youare a hop away from the parkand its 4x4 attractions, includingRooiputs, close to Twee Rivieren,and a number of 4x4 trails.•Augrabies Falls NationalPark: Riemvasmaak is closeto the Augrabies Falls NationalPark, which offers the three-dayKlipspringer Trail and white-water rafting.

For information about other4x4 trails in the Northern Cape,visit www.driveout.co.za

±6kmTar roadGravel road

Jeep track

Riemvasmaak

Kakamas

Augrabies

M10

Waterkloof CampOn Kais

Military basePlateauViewpoint

Riemvasmaak

Hot spring

MelkbosrandViewpoint

RooibergCamp

RomanCamp

Bushmanetchings

Namibia

OrangeRiver

Augrabies FallsNational Park

ToKakam

as

Deurspring4x4 Trail

Perdepoort4x4 Trail

Molopo4x4 Trail

To Blouputs

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DestINAtION RIEMVASMAAK

Best time: April-September, when it’s coolerStay at least: Three nightsExperience: Warm springs,some challenging 4x4drivingDistance from:Cape Town ±790km;Johannesburg ±1000kmKnow-all: Collectors paythousands of rand for rawsamples of fluorite, usedin some high-performancecamera and telescopelenses as well as in theproduction of steel andaluminium.

Quick facts

Allowed

Accessible

E a s y

The trail heads into a valleybetween the rocky foothills ofthe Riemvasmaak Mountainsfor about 12km before climb-ing to the top of a plateau,where there’s a 5km track to aviewpoint. From there it headsnorthwest for 16km, descend-ing to the 4x4 Roman Camp,after which it swings southwestfor another 12km.The final21km southeastern stretchfollows the gravel road fromRiemvasmaak to Blouputs.

In the valley, Henry showsus the mountains wheresome desperate informalminers are still digging forthe prized mineral fluorite. Arose quartz mine had to closedown during the recession.

At the 4km mark there isa turnoff to a former SADFmilitary base. Henry tells ushow they had returned fromtheir Namibian exile to findthe soldiers had bombed aRiemvasmaak school. “Therewas nothing left.”

We pull over at a perma-nent rock pool at On Kais,10km into the trail. “A blackspitting cobra and a tortoiselive at this pool,” Henry says,leaning against a shepherd’stree above the pool.

“While they’re still alive,the pool will have water. Butshould anyone kill them, thewater will dry up.That’s whatthe old folk believe.”

A horse cart comes rat-tling over the hill.The driver,Hans, stops to chat and tellsus he is on his way backhome to Kakamas, almost70km away. “It’ll take meabout two days,” Hans says,eyeing the horizon.

Soon we reach the edgeof the plateau, where we turnoff on a 6km jeep track to thePlateauViewpoint over a valleyto the southwest. Large rockson the increasingly rocky roadforce us to halt after about5km and to walk the remain-ing kilometre to the viewpoint.

At a quiver tree’s trunklying at the lookout, Henrypauses: “The old people usedto build their homes withthese trunks.You can alsohollow it out and use it as afridge.” Around live quivertrees dotting the plateau, beesare buzzing among burstsof bright yellow flowers. Inautumn, even the Kalaharidunes are alive.

We retrace our tracks andcontinue along the plateau,

heading northwest for some16km to Roman Camp,where Vanessa calls for aquick picnic.

Without a 4x4 vehicle toreach any remote parts of thetrails, it’s hard for Henry tomaintain the trails and theirfacilities. He inspects a vandal-ised long drop. “People wholive here know we don’t comehere for months, so they justcarry stuff off,” he laments.

With late-afternoon shad-ows lengthening, we pack upto tackle the easy southwesternDeurspring stretch runningpast livestock outposts.

We reach the now-familiarroad between Riemvasmaakand Blouputs with the last21km to cover in fast-fallingdarkness.That’s when Henrylets the cat out of the bagabout his vital appointmentthe next day.

“I’m taking a taxi to Kaka-mas to see someone about ahiking and canoeing conces-sion in the Augrabies FallsNational Park.” It could trans-form Henry from a field guideto a trail operator.

Shortly before reachingRiemvasmaak, we pass theturnoff to the hot spring,

Golden days. There are worse ways of starting your day than relaxing in the warm pools at Riemvasmaak, watching the sun lighting up the surrounding cliffs.

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Chill spot. At Rooiberg Camp on the Molopo 4x4 Trail you can park your car and spend the night under ahuge camel-thorn tree, miles away from any other people.

Enjoy it while you can. On the initial gravel roads of the Molopo 4x4 Trail you have time to look around andappreciate the rugged landscape. On the hairy rockier parts, you will have your eyes fixed on the guide.

about a kilometre away.That’s where we return toafter dropping Henry athome. Soaking in the warmpools, we mull over an action-packed day, surrounded bysky-scraping cliffs wherealpine swifts are twitteringin the dark. Eventually we’resummoned to the land ofnod, which tonight is simplythe campsite’s soft sand.

MOLOPO 4X4 TRAIL (41 km)Watch the sumpIf the DeurspringTrail is agentle canter, the Molopo4x4Trail earns its difficultygrading of three with abumpy bareback trot.

The trail starts just outsidethe town off the Kakamasroad, and heads southwestdown to the Orange River viathe roughest section of thethree trails, before returningto the Riemvasmaak-Blouputsroad along a sandy stretch.

After setting off on thetrail, we take the first turnoffleft onto a 3km jeep track toa lookout north of the Melk-bosrand section of the Augra-bies Falls National Park.

“That’s where I was born,three years before we wereforcibly evicted from the farmMelkbosrand and Riemvas-maak in 1974,” Henry recallsat the lookout, pointing atwhat is now part of the park.

“And that’s where I wantto host a hiking and canoeingtrail,” he says. It all hinges onthis afternoon’s meeting inKakamas…

In the same era that theSADF moved in at Riemvas-maak, Melkbosrand was takenaway from Henry’s Namapeople − then lead by hisfather, the late Chief Jakob“Hatoab” Basson − and incor-porated into the AugrabiesFalls National Park. Henry’sfamily were part of a groupof Namas who were bussedto the Namibian backwaterof Bergsig in Damaraland,where they were dumped toface elephants and dangerouspredators such as lions.

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DestINAtION RIEMVASMAAK

“I stayed there for 21years until our land wasreturned to us in 1995,” herecounts. His father, however,chose to remain in Namibia.The parting wasn’t easy.

For an extremely rough100m section it’s passengersout and Henry in front of thevehicle to direct you over therocks. Here you realise allmetres weren’t born equal.These ones, for example, arehelluva long.

Twice, the Fortuner isgently rocking sideways as itbalances cross-axled on twodiagonally opposed wheels.

Fortunately, Henry iscrouching in front of the carto keep a beady eye on thesump as the car inches upand over huge rocks. Black,oily scrape marks remindyou of those that have beenless fortunate.

Rooiberg Camp − a well-maintained, rock-walledstand under a camel-thorn13km into the trail − isVanessa’s cue to call for abreather.

From here we head downan increasingly sandy trackfor some 7km to the OrangeRiver, where we park on thenorthern bank to enjoy theview across the river of vine-yards crammed in betweenthe river and mountains.

A quick dip is tempting,but as there is some sanddriving, albeit lightweight,before Henry’s vital taxi rideto Kakamas, we set off.

On the 12km stretchback to the Riemvasmaak-Blouputs road, Henry pointsout a building in progresson a ridge overlooking theriver. “My aunt is buildinga small lodge where visitorswill overnight.”

On this stretch, whichcrosses the dry Moloporiverbed, there’s a chance toplay in a sandy bowl wheretracks up small dunes indi-cate drivers before us havehad fun here.

PERDEPOORT 4X4 TRAIL (48km)Hunt for San artWe drop Henry at his home,wish him well, and set offon our own to do the Perde-poort 4x4 Trail.

This trail, which shares itslast 12km with the start of theDeurspring 4x4 Trail we didyesterday, heads east out ofthe hamlet over flat, firm ter-rain for some 12km before anascent to a sandy 8km trackon a plateau. A 16km gener-ally northwesterly stretch thenlinks the trail with the Deur-spring 4x4 Trail.

It all starts well enough aswe follow the trail markers forsome 12km over flat terrain,

where we find the first attrac-tion: a sign promising Bush-man etchings a 500m walkaway, but with no indicationin which direction it is. Whatnow? After a fruitless hour,scanning the surrounding lowhills for the etchings, we’reabout to give up when wespot an isolated house.

And this is where Patrick,who survived the landmineexplosion, volunteers to showus the etchings. It turns outthe sign should have been akilometre to the west, at theend of a jeep track.

We eventually find theetchings on a flat rockenclosed by a low rock wall.At last!

Thrilled by our find, wedrive back to Patrick’s houseto look at his donkey cart.“I collected all the parts andassembled it myself. Now it’smy own 4x4. I use it to go toRiemvasmaak and Kakamasto buy supplies,” he says.

As a thank-you for hishelp, we share out somenaartjies and sweet potatoesto go with their supper of peasoup and bread. No vegeta-bles are sold in Riemvasmaak.

The well-marked track overflat terrain soon heads into thehills, at the top of which we’resurprised by a landscape ofred sand dotted with camel-thorn and wild olive trees.

No pain ... You have to sweat a bit to get there, but the vista from the Plateau Viewpoint on the Deurspring Trail is the jackpot.

Survivors. Riemvasmaaklandmine survivor Patrick at aBushman rock etching on thePerdepoort 4x4 Trail.

Twice, theFortuner is gentlyrocking sidewaysas it balancescross-axled ontwo diagonallyopposed wheels.

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DestINatION RIEMVASMAAK

Highlights? Apart from the rangeof 4x4 driving experiences −from rock crawling to slippingand sliding through red Kalaharisand − there’s the hot spring andRiemvasmaak’s equally warm-hearted people.What are the must-sees?The view over Augrabies FallsNational Park at Melkbosrandlookout and over the OrangeRiver on the Molopo 4x4 Trail;Bushman etchings and Water-kloof Camp on the Perdepoort4x4 TrailWhat else can I do there?Book at the office to enjoy tra-ditional food prepared by resi-dents and watch dances in tra-ditional dress. You can also hike,mountain-bike, watch birds orspend hours photographing theawesome scenery.4x4 or 4x2? A 4x4 is essential,especially on the tougher Molopo4x4 Trail.How do I get there? FromUpington, take the N14 to

I want to go too!

With the diff lock engaged,the Fortuner 3.0 D-4D 4x4effortlessly hums through thethick sand.

In this wilderness setting,without a soul in sight, wearrive at the remoteWater-kloof Camp at the base ofa rocky ridge. Seizing thechance to explore the sur-roundings, we park theFortuner in a carport with acorrugated iron roof and walkup to a permanent rock poolin a small ravine after whichthe camp has been named.

We are more disap-pointed that we can’t spendthe night here than by thefact that there’s no chanceof having a quick dip, aslivestock have been using itas a waterhole.

But the softening after-noon light reminds us there’sabout 17km of unknownterrain to cover back to the12km stretch of the Deur-springTrail.We set off on thesandy track past a copse ofcamel-thorns.

At a turnoff a kilometrefromWaterkloof, still follow-ing the trail map, we realisethere have been no trail signs.Soon after, we lose our wayamong a myriad farm gates.

Let’s just say we got backon track with the help of a

Kakamas. Turn off right at the Riem-vasmaak sign just before reachingKakamas. For 50km, follow the signsalong the gravel road to the town.

From Augrabies Falls NationalPark (ask for a map at the gate),turn right on the tar road betweenKakamas and Blouputs. Continuefor 12km and turn right at theBlouputs sign. Turn left at theT-junction and right at the firstturnoff. Drive over the bridgeacross the Orange River and turnright at the first T-junction. Followthe dirt road to Riemvasmaak for22km and turn right at the turnoffto the hot spring. Continue foranother kilometre to the spring andits accommodation.What should I pack? You have tobe completely self-sufficient at thecampsite, as even the drinking watersometimes runs out. Self-sufficiencyis also advisable for staying at thechalets, as you can only get basicsupplies in Riemvasmaak.Where can I stay? Choose betweenfour-bed chalets (R375 per chalet

per night) and camping at thehot spring, or bush camps alongthe 4x4 trails. Camping costsR50 per night for the first twopersons, thereafter R15 pppn,plus R35 per 4x4 vehicle. Thehot spring has six chalets, eachwith a hot shower and braai.The daily tariff of R150 for the4x4 trails includes camping at abush camp. The trails are open toquad bikes.Where do I book? For accom-modation or to book a guide(R150 per day), phone ClarissaDamara 083 873 7715 or073 383 8812, or Beverley Nam-pala 054 337 2951/2, or fax054 431 0792 or 054 332 6589(mark clearly for Riemvasmaak);

greenkal@webmail.co.za,www.greenkalahari.co.za. Con-tact the guide, Henry Basson, on

078 314 5565.More information?

www.kalahari-tours.co.za,www.northerncape.org.za,www.kakamas.co.za

hand-drawn map of a farmer,one Johannes Swartbooi.Bless his soul.

After night had set in – butstill in time to sink into thehot spring – we stop at Hen-ry’s house. He is buoyed by

his success in gaining permis-sion for his hiking ventureand just as relieved that wehave found our way back.

I would phone Johannesafter we got our first cellphonesignal out of Riemvasmaak to

tell him if it weren’t for hismap, they would probably stillbe searching for us in the out-back of the great metropolis ofRiemvasmaak.

“I’m just glad you’re safe,”was his laid-back response.

Rockery. It may look like a rock factory, but plants do gain a foothold on stone-strewn areas along the Perdepoort 4x4 Trail.

* Drive Out were the guests of the Riemvasmaak community.