Untamed Diamond Coast

This huge area, larger than Germany, includes three semi-deserts - the Karoo, the Kalahari and the southern Namib – which are characterised by vast open spaces, rugged mountains and rolling dunes. The total population is less than a million; the population density is two people per square kilometre. The north-western corner of the Northern Cape is the driest with an average annual rainfall of 50 mm. Nevertheless it attracted the attention of the early settlers. Simon van der Stel heard about copper deposits back in 1685, but due to transport problems and the lack of water commercial mining in the Klein Koperberge around Springbok only started in 1852 after a ship’s captain discovered a small natural harbour. He named it Hondeklipbaai because of a gneiss boulder resembling a dog, and immediately started a trading station which soon provided the locals with luxuries like tea and sugar. Ox wagons pulled the copper ore across formidable mountains and sandy plains on almost non-existent roads. Prisoners were dispatched from Cape Town in 1867 to build the Messelpad Pass. After four years it was decided to develop Port Nolloth as a harbour and construction work was abandoned. Hondeklipbaai declined rapidly and only came out of hibernation during serious diamond mining from the 1980s until 2003. Today the little settlement is still one of the remotest places in the country. The direct road, from the N7 near Garies, through the Kamiesberg makes for a great 4x4 adventure. The equally stunning alternative route turns 104 km back south from Springbok over the Messelpad Pass and through Namaqua National Park. Hondeklipbaai marks the start of the Diamond Coast which extends north to Alexander Bay where Diamonds were discovered in 1925 by South Africa’s best-know geologist, Dr Hans Merensky. Driving the 80 km of tarred coastal road from Port Nolloth there is much evidence of former diamond mining activities. Mining is still in progress close to the shore. But Alexander Bay is no longer a high-security area and no permits are needed. The little town, now open to anyone, exudes an eerie feeling of having arrived at the end of the world – especially at the mouth of the Orange River where buildings and former mining installations present a picture of desolation and decay. The river forms a huge estuary on the South African side, a birds’ paradise which is a Ramsar site. Alexander Bay’s Namibian twin, Oranjemund, is hidden behind the steep northern bank. Driving upstream along the river Alexander Bay does, however, reveal a lush green heart with pretty houses, gardens and all the necessary conveniences. The corrugated gravel road to Sendelingsdrift, where a floating bridge takes vehicles across the river to Namibia, leads into the Richtersveld National Park, an awe-inspiring desert wilderness of lava mountains and sandy plains, seemingly devoid of life and yet a hot spot with the most amazing floral diversity. Half-mens plants, quiver trees and hundreds of other succulents are characteristic of this harsh landscape where water comes in the form of early morning fog. In 2003 the Richtersveld and Ai-Ais National Park in Namibia were combined to form the vast Ai-Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park. Several comfortable camps have been established since then, and the four surrounding Nama communities also offer unique accommodation facilities. Access to the Richterveld is by four-wheel drive only. Port Nolloth is an easy and very enjoyable 90-km-drive away from Steinkopf where the R382 turns off from the N7. Initially the scenery is still characterized by impressive mountains but after crossing Aninous Pass the road is rolling down into the coastal plain of the southern Namib and when the skyline of Port Nolloth appears on the horizon you are reminded of driving towards Swakopmund in Namibia. There are just a lot more shrubs here. And it turns out that Port Nolloth is not nearly as appealing as Swakopmund. It is also much smaller. Established as a harbour for the former copper-mining industry, Port Nolloth is now a base for small-scale diamond dredging and fishing, and it is the only seaside resort on the Diamond Coast. The oldest buildings, almost next to the beach, have been turned into beautifully furnished self-catering cottages. A very worthwhile little museum is part of the complex. Plenty of holiday accommodation is available in McDougall’s Bay, an attractive suburb to the south. Kleinzee, some 60 km further south, or 100 km west of Springbok, is the centre of the last restricted diamond mining area and visitors require a permit. In recent years De Beers has opened this virtually untouched pristine Sandveld coastline with its flowing dunes and mysterious shipwrecks for guided 4x4 tours and guided tours of mining operations. Christina Rockstroh