This is true frontier country. That way is Namibia. And there, well, desert emptiness. Luckily for me, the Orange River has sculpted a wild and fascinated walking route. I’m here to explore the life, industry and surprising human activity that exists out here. It’s gonna be dry. It’s gonna be dusty. It’s gonna be challenging. But this is all about getting a bite of Africa that most visitors never get to taste. 

 

My final South African walk lies over 600 kilometres north of Cape Town, in a part of country where few international visitors ever reach. But amongst the wild terrain, there’s one major natural attraction, the Augrabies Falls National Park. My two-day walk starts from Riemvasmaak, before heading west along the dry Molopo River to meet the mighty Orange. And then follow the river into the National Park, walking beside the famous granite gorge all the way to the Orange River’s highlights, the massive Augrabies Falls. 

They call that a Kalahari Ferrari. 

When it comes to walking in Riemavasmaak, you can't just park your car and expect to pick up a guide book, but with Namibia and Kalahari becoming more popular, and with a national park around the corner, there are private operates to help with accommodation and transport. This village is more accessible than you might think. Very little has come easily to the villages of Riemvasmaak though. The Nama people settled amongst these red rocks as their traditional lands became consumed by European diamond rush. Even here, their solitude was broken when the apartheid government forced the Namas to leave their homes, enabling the South African army to move in and train for operations in…