On The War Path

The tough, challenging trails of Oorlogskloof outside Nieuwoudtsville offer a terrain in which to lose yourself, writes FIONA MCINTOSH, and the rewards are breathtaking

We stand on a rock overhanging the edge of the Bokkeveld Mountains, gazing at the flat plains of the Knersvlakte below. I feel giddy at the prospect of the sheer 600-metre drop, and sense of space it evokes. Photographer Shaen Adey, Theresa Horn and I are in the Northern Cape’s Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve, just outside Nieuwoudtville. A pristine wilderness with 150 kilometres of marked trails, breathtaking views, weird and wonderful rock formations, rock art sites, swimming holes and diverse fauna and flora, the rugged reserve is a great destination for both day and overnight hikers. And while the mountain wilderness doesn’t have the eye-catching daisies of the more popular Namaqua destination, in spring the veld is carpeted in flowers.

Curious about the origin of the name Oorlogskloof (war kloof), I study the information boards as we organise permits at the reserve office in Nieuwoudtville. Apparently colonisation of the area by Europeans in the early 18th century brought the settlers into confrontation with the indigenous Khoi. According to historian Nigel Penn, this reached a climax on 25 September 1739 when a trekboer commando attacked the Khoi near the present-day reserve. The place was named ‘Oorlogskloof’, a name it retains to this day.

Established in 1983, the reserve is a huge 4 776 hectares. One of the most varied botanical areas of the Northern Cape, it’s the transition zone between the fynbos and Karoo biomes and so has a rich flora, including a large number of endemic species, some of which are identified on boards along the paths.

Leaving the trailhead at Groot Tuin on the 52.2-kilometre Rock Pigeon Route, we are soon in the thick of it, scaling ladders up and down steep rock steps and picking our way down vegetated kloofs.