Vioolsdrift, Namaqualand
Springbok might be regarded as the last major town en route to Namibia from Cape Town but the little town of Vioolsdrift serves as a border post that lies virtually on the border with Namibia, on the south bank of the Orange River.
Legend has it that before the construction of the bridge that now connects South Africa to Namibia, a lone Nama, with the nickname of Jan Viool, was responsible for navigating travellers across the Orange River where the river is at its shallowest, also known as a ‘drift'. It's not hard to see from whence the name Vioolsdrift thus emerged.
Vioolsdrift is largely an agricultural community and lucerne and vegetables serve as the major crops of the area. The little town also serves as a gateway into the Richtersveld area - a harsh and unpredictable climate where rugged kloofs, sweeping landscapes and towering mountains form an area of mountain desert as it sweeps away from the Orange River. The Richtersveld National Park is managed jointly by SA national parks and the local Nama people and provides some of the most vivid photographic scenery imaginable.
Dominating the landscape are succulents known as half-man or Pachypodium namaquensis that stand looking for all the world like tall people with spectacularly pathetic looking hats, when it comes to keeping the sun off ones face. Giant quiver trees, rare plants found only in one small area of the Richtersveld, are also found here.
Namibia and South Africa are in the process of considering a major dam at Vioolsdrift as a joint venture between the two countries.
In the vicinity
Hotels & other accommodation options
Vioolsdrift Lodge
Located about 400 metres for the South African border post in Vioolsdrift, it is the ideal stop over on your way to Namibia or the Richtersveld. ...
Orange River Rafting Lodge
Orange River Rafting Lodge is situated on the banks of the Orange River and has a peaceful atmosphere, with perceptible silent, starry nights. Th...
Frontier River Resort
The Frontier River Resort offers self-catering safari-style tent accommodation in Vioolsdrift, 6km from the border post, on the banks of the Oran...
The Growcery
The Growcery Camp is a rustic camp situated on the banks of the mighty Orange River, 22km from Vioolsdrift and offers a tranquil friendly environ...
Kwelanga River Lodge
Kwelanga River Lodge is a family run resort with a restaurant on site. The lodge offers chalets with beautiful river views and en-suite bathrooms...
Oewerbos River Camp
Oewerbos River Camp is perfectly situated halfway between Cape Town and Windhoek on the banks of the Orange River and en route to the Richtersvel...
Things to do in the area
Rafting Trips on the Orange River
This unique tours starts from Orange River Rafting Lodge at Vioolsdrift on the banks of the Orange River. The 2-man inflatable rafts are easy to ...
Fly-fish on the Orange River
The primitive desire of man to hunt accompanied by the barren desert day scenery, nights under the canopy of the unwished stars, the rush of the ...
Richtersveld Donkey Trail
Start: De Hoop campsite, Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier ParkFinish: Hakkiesdoring hikers' campLevel: IntermediateType of route: jeep track and...
Alexander Bay Beach
Your Northern Cape accommodation is likely to be near many of the natural attractions that make this area so special. While this province isn't k...
Port Nolloth Beach
If you've booked accommodation in Port Nolloth, chances are that you are looking for the ultimate seaside escape. Here, the changing of the tide ...
Noteworthy attractions
Richtersveld National Park
The Richtersveld is a unique mountain desert wilderness of great beauty, tucked in the far north-western corner of the Northern Cape in South Afr...
Goegap Nature Reserve
The Goegap Nature Reserve with its granite peaks and sandy plains are dominated by Carolusberg, the highest point in the area. Goegap's wild flow...
Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape
Inscribed in 2007 as the eighth World Heritage Site in South Africa, the Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape is a remarkable mountainou...
Namaqua National Park
Say Namaqua National Park and people immediately think carpets of spring wild flowers. And they would not be wrong - Namaqualand not only has som...
Namaqualand Flower Route
The spring wild flowers are a phenomenon that never ceases to amaze and delight, even for those who live in what is considered South Africa's "ou...
Skilpad Wildflower Reserve
The Skilpad Wildflower Reserve was established by the WWF in 1988 to raise awareness of the floral kingdom of the Namaqualand. Mainly shrubland a...
Akkedis Pass
The Richtersveld is usually described by the adjectives 'rugged', 'desolate' and 'forbidding'. It's a dry, unforgiving landscape that is at once ...
Messelpad Pass
Messelpad Pass lies on the 104 km gravel road between Springbok and Hondeklip Bay in the Northern Cape, one of two passes through the Tigerkloof....
Wildeperdehoek Pass
Almost inextricably linked to Messelpad Pass (the two are part of the 'Copper Route' between Springbok and Hondeklip Bay) Wildeperdehoek Pass is ...
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