On the morning of September 17th, 2024, we planned two hours to cover the sixty kilometres to the park exit. We were on the road for almost three hours! The last pass turned out to be much more challenging than we thought. Once again, we scrambled uphill in the low gear through washed-out stream beds and then downhill again. But everything was outweighed by the unique landscape and views that we looked at. Succulents left and right that make every nature lover’s heart beat faster.

We climbed one pass after another and kept stopping to admire the view. What a splendour – the Richtersveld National Park is a botanist’s paradise! We didn’t see many animals, apart from the Dassie Rats. But in this park, it is the plants and not the animals that play the main role. And they play it well!

When we saw the exit gate appear after three hours, the Richtersveld National Park and unforgettable experiences were behind us. At the exit we presented the relevant papers and let the ranger know that all the water tanks at the Kokkerboom camp are empty! Maybe he’ll do something with that information; but maybe not…

We continued our drive on sandy roads that led us along endless aloe fields. No one and no dwelling far and wide. Eighty kilometres before Steinkopf we reached the asphalt road and came to the town of the same name. There we turned onto a sandy track to the Nigramoep farm. Brigitta had read in iOverlander that you not only stand in the middle of a sea of flowers, but you can also take a hot shower. And after three days without a shower, we felt like it!