Africa Wild

Guys as you get to know me better you will know that there is no way I could do that hike as I an terrified of height's so could not even step over the edge.

there is a bridge at viv falls I think Zambian side it took me 20 minutes to get across.

When exploring the canyon on this trip we stayed at a lodge with a difference.









The lodge had some very nice old objects.

nice garden with more old stuff.

in the mountains
indeed seems to be nicely designed

If I had said I didn't think you and Penny made the trail, you wouldn't have been amused either.

mel

There are a lot of options regarding accommodation around fish river canon and other interesting things to see and some stunning drives.

OK as we are still in the deep south and we have briefly visiting Ai-Ais, orange river and Fish river canyon lets visit the other main attraction.



The Richtersveld is one of the Earth's richest reservoirs of plant and animal life. In the rarely explored land behind Khuboes and Eksteenfontein, there are 33 types of plant that you will find nowhere else in the world.

The early inhabitants

Early archaeological evidence tells us that the San inhabited the Richtersveld area thousands of years ago. They hunted game (mountain zebra and klipspringer) and gathered berries and herbs. Arrowheads made of stone and plant resin have been found around Eksteenfontein. Then the first Khoekhoen or pastoral people moved to these regions from Botswana some 2 000 years ago. Like the San, they were hunter-gatherers, and only slaughtered animals on rare ceremonial occasions. The Nama speaking herders in the Richtersveld, therefore, are said to be descendents from these first pastoralists and the San.

In tune with the harsh environment, many of the Richtersvelders today are transhumant pastoralists, moving their livestock between stock posts with the changing of seasons. The rotation of pastures has helped to preserve the land from overuse. This is the last place in the South Africa where pastoral people live on communal lands and one of the last remaining examples of the transhumant Nama way of living.

The struggle for land

The harsh environment of the Richtersveld has through the years witnessed a story of determined peoples with a strong attachment to the land. Early last century declared a 'Coloured Rural Reserve', the land's ownership moved in 2002 to the peoples of the Richtersveld. In this pristine land, devoid of mining scars and in harmony with transhumant pastoralists, an area of more than 160 000 ha has been put aside - first to create a Community Conservancy, now proclaimed a World Heritage Site.

Lots of strange old souvenirs

Great thing that part of the Richtersveld has been declared World Heritage Site.

Some really stunning pics...love the old trucks and knick-knacks!

The Succulent Karoo is one of the world’s most unusual biomes, with the greatest botanical diversity and the most succulent vegetation of any arid region on Earth. It covers some 107 200 square kilometres along the western coastal regions of South Africa and Southern Namibia, including virtually all of the Richtersveld.

It was the first entirely arid region in the world to be recognised as a ‘ biodiversity hotspot’ that is, a biogeographic region that is both a significant reservoir of biodiversity and is threatened with destruction. The Succulent Karoo has more than 5 000 plant species, approximately 40% of which are endemic, and 18% of which are threatened. More than one third of all succulent species found on Earth are found in the Succulent Karoo.

The biome has five pronounced centres of endemism; the Richtersveld falls within the core of one of them, the Gariep Centre. It is home to more than 350 endemic plant species and includes the most diverse and dense lichen fields in the world.

Catch the blooming of the Richtersveld flowers in September and you will witness one of the finest floral displays in the world. The rocky plains come to life and the land transforms from greens and browns into a dazzling display of bright colours.

Some amazing features of Richtersveld Biodiversity:
•2,700 species in this area alone & almost 600 exist nowhere else.

•The giant Baster Quiver Tree (Aloe pilansii), of which only a few hundred remain on the remote mountaintops in the Richtersveld.

•The “Halfmens” (Pachypodium namaquanum) – a bizarre plant which from a distance resemble faraway people, hence the name “Half man”.

•The most lichen species of any area in the world – 29.

•Numerous species of lithops - tiny succulent plants which resemble small stones.