Tuesday 27th October 2009

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The Herald 27 Oct 2009 by Guy Rogers ENVIRONMENT & TOURISM EDITOR

A NEW 4x4 trail has been launched in the Camdeboo National Park, offering views of the Nqweba Dam and the famous Plains of Camdeboo.

The seven-kilometre Koedoeskloof Trail winds up to the top of a mountain plateau in the Winterhoek area of the park, west of Graaff-Reinet, SANParks regional spokesman Megan Taplin said yesterday.

“The trail is graded two on the flatter sections and four on the steep, rocky sections. Near the top it is steep and this part should only be attempted in dry weather.

“It offers wonderful views of the Nqweba Dam and the Plains of Camdeboo and an unusual back view of the Valley of Desolation.”

Visitors who do the trail in the next couple of days will enjoy spectacular views of the snow on top of Nardou, one of the highest peaks in the area, park manager Peter Burdett said.

The first section of the trail passes through Nama Karoo vegetation where springbok, red hartebeest and blesbok can be spotted. Cape mountain zebra can be seen on the final section, which is open grassland, Taplin said.

“The turning point at the top is the perfect place for a picnic lunch or tea break
“With the return journey following the same track, the trail can be completed in three hours – but the Karoo tranquility and scenic vistas beg for a full-day outing.”

The trail is well sign-posted and can be accessed via the Valley of Desolation gate, Taplin said.

A 4x4 is a pre-requisite but no booking is necessary and no fee is required, apart from the standard park conservation fee.

The Koedoeskloof 4x4 Trail offers another activity for visitors in one of the Eastern Cape‘s most popular protected areas.

Graaff-Reinet is partly surrounded by Camdeboo, making it one of the few towns in the world enjoying such an intimate relationship with a game park.
Camdeboo‘s premier attraction is the Valley of Desolation, a 100-million-year-old geological formation and proclaimed national monument featuring dolerite cliffs balanced 120 metres above a flat valley floor.

There are also four walking trails, including one overnight trail, a Boer War monument, at least 280 bird species and a game drive where visitors often see more game in two hours than they see at other reserves in two days, according to comments on the Camdeboo website.

The park also boasts a busy environmental education centre, which is run by SANParks staff. The centre can take up to 45 children at a time.