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Tatasberg camp, Richtersveld: de-clutter your mind

21/8/2013

8 Comments

 
Tatasberg camp, Richtersveld
By Roxanne Reid
Have you ever felt like dropping out of the rat race and finding space to unmuddle your mind? The Tatasberg wilderness camp in the /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park is a perfect place to do just that.


​On our way from Sendelingsdrif, where we entered the park, to Tatasberg, we found the route up Halfmens Pass easy but corrugated. Further on, the Akkedis Pass wound steeply from side to side like a lizard, taking us slowly over rocky patches to 566m. 
 
Three klipspringers bolted away from us, up a 60-degree koppie littered with slippery rocks, as if it were easy. The view from the top stopped us in our tracks, extravagant layers of surreal pink, mauve or grey mountains laid out before us. 
Akkedis Pass, Richtersveld
Tatasberg wilderness camp’s setting along the Orange River gives a broad view of the river and some mountains on the Namibian side. We went for ‘beach’ walks in the sand along the river’s edge, climbed koppies to get a different view, or sat on our wooden deck and listened to the water burbling over the rocks and the fish eagles calling. 

We spent four days there and loved it. It has to be said, though, that some things need a bit of work. The cabin’s walls are made from reeds and canvas, the ceilings from reed mats stitched together in the traditional method used in Nama matjieshuise (dome-shaped reed huts). But the Velcro fastenings of some of the ‘window’ flaps have been battered by dust and wind over the years so they don’t hold all that well and could do with replacing.
Picture
The deck at our Tatasberg chalet
Picture
The view of the Orange River from the deck
One afternoon hubby was snoozing (it had started as ‘reading’) on his bed when the wind ripped one flap open and the whole thing smacked him in the face and startled him awake. 

Once he recovered his composure, he was thrilled to be able to use some of the junk he carries around with him everywhere ‘in case of emergencies’. By the time he was finished he’d used a quarter roll of duct tape, a wooden pole that had fallen out of the pergola and was just sitting there, and one of his packing straps to hold it all in place. 
Picture
It's not pretty, but it kept the wind at bay
Eager to follow another route back to Sendelingsdrif, we asked camp attendant Seth Domrogh for his advice. He explained that the shortcut road via Richtersberg and De Hoop (via R6 and R11 on the map) is certainly deep sand, which reception had warned us about when we set out.

What they hadn’t told us was that there’s another path closer to the mountain, which is rocky but much easier.

‘If you go to the Richtersberg campsite’s ablutions, you’ll see the two routes and can choose the higher one,’ he said. 
Seth Domrogh, Tatasberg camp, Richtersveld
Seth Domrogh
Then he added, ‘But why don’t you go via the Domrogh Pass instead? It’s beautiful.’

Built by members of his own family, the pass follows the route from R16 and R14 on your map before it rejoins the route back over Akkedis Pass at R3.
Picture
From Domrogh Pass
Plateau above Domrogh Pass, Richtersveld
The pass took us past strange dark-striped mountains, with different rock  formations to vary the scenery, and through areas where the recent rainfall must have been higher than at Tatasberg if the greenness and number of bossies were anything to judge by. It curled up in a series of ‘must-stop’ viewpoints onto a plateau at 653m where the road became easy for a while, less corrugated than the route we had taken to Tatasberg a few days earlier, and the world hummed with silence. 

Was every vista we saw on our Richtersveld trip beautiful? No, but even the ugly ones were intriguing in their own way. Would I go to Tatasberg again? In a heartbeat. 

Which is your favourite camp or campsite in the Richtersveld? Share your views in the comments below.

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Why to visit Tatasberg Wilderness Camp, Richtersveld Transfrontier Park #SouthAfrica #travel
More about the Richtersveld 

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8 Comments
Vaughan
21/4/2015 07:35:12 am

Hi there
can you maby tell me , how many people can stay at Tatasberg. (how many chaletsor beds are available) can a group of ten stay there?
thx
regards
Vaughan

Reply
Roxanne link
21/4/2015 08:31:39 am

Hi Vaughan, there are only 4 chalets, each sleeping 2 people, at Tatasberg. If some of your group are children, perhaps phone Sendelingsdrif bookings to ask if they could provide stretcher beds, but I'm really not sure.
Park Tel: +27 (0)27 831 1506 (Reception)
email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Reply
Lauren
16/1/2022 03:48:57 pm

Hi Roxanne. Thank you for your wonderful blog. Can one swim in the river at Tatasberg? With thanks, Lauren

Reply
Roxanne Reid
30/1/2022 09:36:25 am

Yes, Lauren, you can swim in the river at Tatasberg. I saw recently that the camp had been closed because of the high water levels so I'm not sure if they'd be taking bookings right now. But if you're planning ahead, you should be fine.

Reply
Mark Kingcome
19/6/2022 05:35:53 pm

hi Roxanne,

I would like to visit the Richtersveld and Park for +/ 10 days { sadly as part of my bucket list }. Unfortunately my friend does not have a passport so we are restricted to SA. What would you recommend as an itinerary and places to stay ? No camping as we are getting on a bit !

Regards

Mark

Reply
Roxanne Reid
19/6/2022 05:48:34 pm

Mark, the only places you can stay in chalets - non-camping - on the South African side are Sendelingsdrift, Tatasberg and Gannakouriep. Do check, though, if Tatasberg if open again. I know it was closed recently when the river was in flood and for refurbishing. I'm particularly fond of Tatasberg.

Reply
Ferdinand
9/7/2024 04:12:42 pm

Hi, can I drive on the main roads of the park with a Nissan Quasqai...not 4x4?

Thank you

Reply
Roxanne
10/7/2024 01:26:52 pm

You can but whether you should is another story. The rangers sometimes drive in 2x4 but they know the roads very well, and where/what to avoid. I would personally not go without a 4x4 but if you were going with other people and they had a 4x4 to pull you out if you got stuck that would probably be ok. As a cautionary tale, read this post about a family that got stuck in a 2x4. They were lucky not to be too far from help when they got stuck otherwise they might have sat there for hours. And remember that there's no cellphone signal beyond Sendelingsdrift so you can't phone for help unless you have a sat phone. https://www.roxannereid.co.za/blog/how-to-get-stuck-in-the-richtersveld

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    I'm an independent travel writer and book editor with a passion for Africa - anything from African travel, people, safari and wildlife to adventure, heritage, road-tripping and slow travel.
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