On The War Path

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