Camdeboo National Park

Camdeboo National Park almost completely surrounds Graaff-Reinet, the fourth-oldest town in South Africa, which means you can eat breakfast under a Cape Dutch gable and be looking down 120 m dolerite columns twenty minutes later. The name comes from a Khoi word meaning green valley, which is optimistic. This is Karoo: 194 square kilometres of dry plains, the Nqweba Dam and the foothills of the Sneeuberg, rising from 740 m to 1,480 m. It became the country’s 22nd national park in 2005 after years as a provincial nature reserve.

Getting there

Graaff-Reinet is about 250 km from Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and roughly 600 km, or seven hours, from Cape Town. The park has two entrances. The one most people want, for the Valley of Desolation and the game-viewing area, is 5 km out of town on the R63 towards Murraysburg. The second is on the N9 towards Richmond, 4 km from town. Gate hours shift with the season, opening earlier and closing later in summer; the valley road closes after sunset, so check current times at reception on the day.

When to go

Summers are hot with afternoon thunderstorms. Winter days are sunny and mild but the nights are bitterly cold. Spring brings a scatter of wildflowers. Whatever the month, go up to the Valley of Desolation early in the morning or in the last hour before sunset, when the light hits the columns side-on and the plains of the Camdeboo turn gold.

What to do

A tarred road climbs to the Valley of Desolation with viewpoints along the way, so any car manages it. The columns are dolerite that cooled slowly underground around 180 million years ago and was exposed as softer rock eroded. From the top, the Crag Lizard Trail (1.5 km, 30 to 45 minutes) follows the rim, marked by lizard symbols, with interpretive boards and alpine swifts shooting past at head height.

The game-viewing area beside the Nqweba Dam holds Cape mountain zebra, kudu, red hartebeest, black wildebeest, blesbok, springbok, bat-eared fox and meerkat, with buffalo occasionally in view. The park records 43 mammal species, more than 220 birds and 336 plant varieties. Longer walks include the Eerstefontein Day Walk (5 to 16 km over three route options) and the Gideon Scheepers Trail. For 4x4 owners there are the Koedoeskloof drive (three hours or more, a proper 4x4 needed) and the gentler Driekoppe drive in the eastern section, for which you collect a gate key at reception.

Good to know

• No shops, fuel or ATMs in the park. Graaff-Reinet has all of them a few minutes away.
• In-park accommodation is the Lakeview Tented Camp (four furnished tents, communal kitchen) and the Nqweba Campsite with 15 powered stands. Both are small; book ahead.
• Do not hike alone, tell someone when you expect to be back, and watch for snakes on hot days. The rim has real drops; keep children close.

Last updated 6 October 2026. Sources: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage, Graaff-Reinet Tourism, South African Tourism, Ostrich Trails.