Few sights are as awesome or a sound as deafening as water thundering down the
56m Augrabies Waterfall when the Orange River is in full flood.
The Khoi people called it ‘Aukoerebis’, or place of Great Noise, as this powerful
flow of water is unleashed from rocky surroundings characterised by the 18km abyss of the
Orange River Gorge.
Picturesque names such as Moon Rock, Ararat and Echo Corner are descriptive of this rocky
region. Klipspringer and kokerboom (quiver trees) stand in stark silhouette against the
African sky, silent sentinels in a strangely unique environment where only those that are
able to adapt ultimately survive.
The 55 383 hectares on both the northern and southern
sides of the Orange River provide sanctuary to a diversity of species, from the very
smallest succulents, birds and reptiles to Hartmann's mountain zebra, springbok, gemsbok and
giraffe.
These foreboding black hills are another distinct landmark in
Augrabies. Quartz-poor, these igneous rocks seem to form a natural border between the harsh
environment of the gorge area and a more fertile area on the other side. The contrast
between the two landscapes can best be seen from the top of Swart Rante.
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