Richtersveld: Potjiespram

The basics of the camp were hurriedly set up a short way from the river, protected from the wind by big trees, and then we were quickly out for a walk along the river to pick a spot for the morning photo.

Up well before dawn the next morning, we stumbled off in the dark to find our pre-defined spot and set up facing a mountain which we expected to catch the first glow of red morning light. And then to wait for sunrise. It wasn't long before we realised that, with the angle the sun would be rising, there would be another pretty large hill in the way, and by the time the sun would clear it, all the red colour would be long gone. Wasted morning.  It was a problem we were to have a few times. Moving every 2 nights, and surrounded by big mountains, it was pretty difficult to predict where we would get the first glow of sunrise, or the last glow of the day.

Richtersveld: Sunrise at Potjiespram campsite

Arriving back at the campsite we were not amused to discover a baboon raid in progress, and a smug looking baboon scrambling off with with a full carton of milk under its arm. The camping boxes had had their lids taken off and the internals scattered around, but the boxes had not been knocked over! Bite marks in the firelighters and a hole in the briquettes bag were signs of deliberate sampling of the goods before choosing their loot! We even saw one of them trying to open one of the car doors, which fortunately was locked.  They were a real nuisance - very persistent, ringing the campsite and waiting for any slip-up and lack of attention, and one of them would dash in through whatever gap they had exposed, and steal something from the table.

Dave's air suspension was looking a bit worse for wear (the left side was a problem from the beginning, but now the right side is also looking pretty low). Pumping up a leaking air suspension is not much use, so some running repairs (consisting of duct tape and more cable ties) were attempted, but weren't too successful, so the rest of the trip happened  without the benefits of the air suspension.

Dave trying to repair his air suspension

With the strong, direct, sun making for rather flat and lifeless landscape images, so much of the day was rather spent exploring the neighbouring hills, and photographing unusual details.

Richtersveld: "I can see you" 

Late afternoon was for reflections in the Orange river, and for exploring the red and green tones of the somewhat otherworldly mountainside rock formations. 

Richtersveld: late afternoon at Potjiespram

Richtersveld: reflections in the Orange River

Richtersveld: "Which planet did you say we were on?"

Richtersveld: Johannesburg to Potjiespram

Leaving Joburg well before dawn on Saturday morning, the mission for the day was to reach Springbok by nightfall.  The trip almost came to an abrupt halt before really getting under way when Dave had a mishap outside Ventersdorp in the dark, resulting in his Cruiser being planted sideways in the barrier, facing the wrong direction.  Apart from being a bit shaken, there was not too much damage to the vehicle (well, nothing that couldn't be tied back on with a cable tie or left behind on the roadside!), and we decided to carry on. 

It's a long drive to Springbok, with a lot of roadworks (with many of the dreaded 'stop and go's) and large mining vehicles, making for slow progress (15 hours in total). The last section between Upington and Springbok had a huge headwind coming off the coast, and fuel consumption was at least 30% higher than normal, giving me some nervous moments. With driving rain also arriving in the last hour of the trip, we were very relieved to finally arrive at our destination - a chalet at Jakkalswater Guest Farm (outside Springbok on the Nababeeb road).  

After a hearty breakfast the next morning, we headed north towards the Park, through Steinkopf, Port Nolloth and Alexander Bay. We made a quick stop at Port Nolloth to smell the ocean, and take a few snaps of the fishing boats, and then a last stop for fuel at Alexander Bay (there's a disappointment for a town!), before heading off inland about 90 kms on the well maintained dirt road to the park. All mobile phone coverage ends shortly out of Alexander Bay, so there would be no more communications until we were out of the park and back near Alexander Bay.

Fishing boats at Port Nolloth

About 20 or 30 km before the park entrance, we stopped beside the road at the well known Cornellskop and Wondergat. Wondergat was not a big highlight for me, but walking over the hill revealed the Kokerboom of Cornellskop, and a beautiful sprinkling of the first blooms of spring flowers, which gave us the opportunity to pull out the macro lenses and start getting into practice. And then it was on to the park, first signing in at the park entrance (near the Hellskloof exit), booking in properly at the Sendelingsdrif Reception, and finally on to the  Potjiespram campsite, arriving mid-afternoon.

Kokerboom tree at Cornellskop

We soon discovered that our two way radios that we had brought along to help with communications while driving wouldn’t work with each other (a rather basic thing that should have been checked weeks before in Joburg!), which meant we would have to keep the two vehicles much closer than planned while driving, and communicate via the hooter!

Trip to Richtersveld National Park

As with most of my trips, the intent to go to the Richtersveld for a photographic trip started at least two years before it actually happened.  Due to its isolation and unforgiving environment, this is not a park to travel in alone, so it requires not only detailed planning and preparation, but also at least one other suitable vehicle.  A first attempt to travel in April had failed due to conflicting schedules, but this time, in mid August, one other couple is available, and the trip is on.  This may turn out to be a better time to travel, with the start of the Namaqualand flower season often around mid August, depending on the winter rains.

Since most people I talk to about the trip say "And where exactly is the Richtersveld?", the map below shows where the park is:

Richtersveld National Park location

Four sites within the Richtersveld National Park are in the plan - 2 nights camping at each of Potjiespram, Kokerboomkloof, and Richtersberg, and ending by one night at the Gannakouriep Wilderness Camp (chalets).  Thereafter my travel mates will return to Joburg, and I will stay an extra couple of nights around Springbok to try and catch some of the flowers in either the Goegap Nature Reserve just outside Springbok, or further south in the Namaqualand National Park,

Much planning went into the preparation of this trip - reading magazines, other peoples' trip reports and paper maps, consulting the Garmin and Tracks4Africa maps, as well as plenty of time studying the terrain using Google Earth.   All the accommodation in the park was booked online directly on the SANParks website. My vehicle is a Forrester, and my mate Dave 'cable tie' Hill  will be driving his LandCruiser. Apart from the standard camping equipment we have 2 spare tyres for the Cruiser (but only one my Forrester), tyre repair kits, radios, sand tracks, plenty of drinking water (there is none in the park), and extra fuel for the Forrester. The Garmin is pre-loaded with all the junction markers (RT1, RT17, etc.), as well as pre-built routes between campsites. We will also be carrying paper maps (much better for getting a sense of the space and general directions).

The short weekend trip to my favorite mountain

It's a bit late, I know, but I did get down to Royal Natal for the weekend in mid June.  I left Joburg quite a bit later than planned, and with all the holiday weekend traffic, only arrived well after dark.  Setting up camp in the dark is not my favorite, but at least it wasn't raining. 

Having arrived late on the Friday evening, there was no time to pre-survey the morning sunrise spot, so it was a case of targeting a previous location. Heading out at 5:30 am in mid winter was pretty chilly (below freezing if I remember well), but an hour's walk gets the circulation and internal heater working! 

In June there is a lot less water in the Tugela river, so it is easier to stand on rocks in the middle of the river to get effect of the flowing water. But it also means the stones are a lot more exposed, and it is much more difficult to find a spot where the river actually points towards the Amphitheatre.  Anyhow I found a suitable spot and was blessed with a beautiful 'red mountain sunrise'  The sun in winter is much further north than in March / April when I have previously been there, and the sunrise lights up the complete width of the Amphitheatre, rather than just the buttresses.  Compare this photo with the others in the gallery to see the difference.

Royal Natal Amphitheater winter sunrise

After the sunrise was well over, I used some time looking for an alternative sunrise view of the Amphitheatre from the Policeman's Helmet, but it wasn't viable.  By the time I got back to the camp for 'breakfast' I had already walked nearly 15 km up and down hills, and was pretty exhausted!  Unfortunately I used up too much time and energy in the morning, so I didn't succeed in reaching my afternoon's planned location of 'The Grotto', which was a bit disappointing, since I was trying to use this trip to look for new locations.

Sunday morning was another early morning, this time looking for a vertical shot of the Amphitheatre.  Obviously it needed a much further back location, which I found even more difficult to find a suitable spot with the river pointing in the correct direction.  With the low water levels the stones take on much more prominence, and being winter the green grass has been replaced with brown, making the photos look very 'warm'. 

Royal Natal Amphitheatre winter early morning

Later that morning I went for another walk in a new direction, but again being exhausted and needing to pack up and head home, I didn't complete that plan either.  I did find, however, some interesting rock formations, lichen, etc. so decided to stop and explore theses instead.

Royal Natal Lichen on rock

So overall a bit of a mixed bag of a trip - I was happy to get the prime pics I had planned to get, but didn't get to see some of the new places I have been wanting to explore for a while.  I guess that just means another visit will be required some day!

There are several more pics in the Amphitheatre gallery

Trip to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon

Sadly, due to insufficient people signing up for this trip, it had to be cancelled.  Fortunately flights etc. have not yet been paid for, so there is no financial impact.  One day I’ll get there!

A short weekend trip to my favourite mountain

At last I will get the chance to make a weekend dash down to the Royal Natal National Park, and more specifically the Amphitheatre area.  The last time I was able to get any decent photos of the Amphitheatre was more than two years ago now.  I'm a bit like the Capetonians, who get withdrawal symptoms when they are away from Table Mountain for too long - I also get withdrawal symptoms when I'm away from the Drakensberg too long.

I was hoping I might just catch a little bit of snow on the mountain, but it doesn't look like I will get that lucky.  I'll be back to camping this time, so early mornings will be chilly (the weather report shows things dipping just below freezing).  Dragging myself out for a pre-dawn hike to the best photo spots will be a challenge!

This 2009 pic was great, but the red sunrise is only on the two edges.  The mountains to the left and behind are creating the shadow in the middle.

Drakensberg Amphitheatre Sunrise

This time I want to see if there is any difference with the sun being about two months further north, will there still be the same shadowing, or will the sun manage to sneak around the side of the mountain?

I'll be leaving Friday lunchtime, back on Sunday evening. If I get some decent new pics, I will try and put a sample up on Monday night

Trip to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon

I've now started planning for the very big photographic mission of the year - to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, and some surrounding areas. All in the desert south west of Utah, in the US.  Two very different landscapes, both incredibly beautiful in their own way.  Its a trip that's been on my mind for three years now, at last it seems that it will come off. The plan is to go with a set of other photographers (mostly from the UK) as part of a photographic holiday. Scheduled dates are 23rd October to 2nd November, which means late autumn, with perhaps the first snowfalls in evidence.

You can see the two main locations in the map below, we will also spend some time in other places nearby.



View Utah canyonlands in a larger map


Seriously looking forward to it.....