Namaqua 4 Day Flower Hike Experience

Namaqualand, Northern Cape

We are happy to announce an absolute unique fully catered Hiking (Slack Packing) experience! VERY few people have ever done this Hike, or know of its existence! If you have done the Fish River Canyon, you will love this River Canyon even better as it is still wild, not commercial, clean and definitely not crowded with hikers.

Hike along the river bed of the magnificent Schaap River in the Canyon as it meanders through a majestic canyon carved by the hands of time. You will see flower covered valleys, rugged mountains, ancient canyons and experience natures’ magical show of colour and beauty during the world’s largest and most spectacular natural flower display. Hike where the shy leopard silently roam the weathered canyon walls and the lunar landscapes created in an ancient time when everything was a boiling pot of melted granite.

Slackpacking is a new way of hiking the wonderful terrains of the world! In simpler terms, Slack-Packing is an assisted way of hiking where you have a host who carries the burden of your equipment, takes care of your possessions and set up your overnight camps for you. You can just enjoy the hike during the day and we will sort out all the logistics so that when you arrive at our overnight spot you can relax with an ice cold beer.

The Schaap River Canyon is about 70km long in total. It is on the Namakwa Coastal route between Springbok and Kleinsee. It runs over private property only, and permission are obtain from each farmer to be allowed to hike in the Canyon. Namakwa is an arid region of Namibia and South Africa, extending along the west coast over 1,000 kilometres and covering a total area of 440,000 square kilometres. It is divided by the lower course of the Orange River into two portions – Little Namakwa to the south and Great Namakwa to the north. Namakwa remained a very quiet place during the cultural evolution until about 2000 years ago. This was when the Khoikhoi or Nama arrived from the area that now encompasses northern Botswana. The region is known for its cultural history, which was preserved by the Nama and Khoisan tribes. The Nama people are the largest group of Khoikhoi people.

Information

The Schaap River Canyon is about 60km long in total. It is in Namakwa between Springbok and Kleinsee. It runs over private property only, and permission are obtained from each farmer to be allowed to hike in the Canyon. Namakwa is an arid region of Namibia and South Africa, extending along the west coast over 1,000 kilometres and covering a total area of 440,000 square kilometres. It is divided by the lower course of the Orange River into two portions – Little Namakwa to the south and Great Namakwa to the north.

Namakwa remained a very quiet place during the cultural evolution until about 2000 years ago. This was when the Khoikhoi or Nama arrived from the area that now encompasses northern Botswana. The region is known for its cultural history, which was preserved by the Nama and Khoisan tribes. The Nama people are the largest group of Khoikhoi people.

Distances:

Day1: Arrival

Day 2: 14km, elevation 390, jeep track, bundu bashing, short shrubs, lots of flowers

Day 3: 17km, elevation 200m, rocky jeep track, steep downhill into canyon, sandy sections, donkey tracks.

Day 4: 15km, elevation 290, in the canyon, sandy patches, donkey tracks, rocky sections

Day 5: 14km, elevation 550m, sandy patches, donkey tracks, boulders, climbing out of the canyon back to the guest house.

Day 6: Breakfast and Good Byes

Fitness Level

Not suitable for beginners. Intermediate to advance level hikers. You must be fit for hiking up to 17km per day with sections of rocky and uneven areas over boulders and loose rocks. You will ascend 850meters into the Canyon on day 1, but ascent 550 meters out of the Canyon on the last day

Entry Fee and Highlights Includes

5 Days and 5 Nights.
3 Nights’ accommodation at the Canyon Guest Farm
Staying in beautiful renovated whitewashed cottages
2 Nights camping in the Schaap River Canyon on private property.
4 Days hiking with experienced guides born in Namakwa, eager to share their intimate knowledge of the flowers, geography, and history of the area.
Experience one of Namakwa’s best secret’s, the Schaap river Canyon
The beautiful cliffs and rock faces of the Canyon
Flowers and waterfalls in the Canyon with lots of pools to cool down
All the permissions and payments of the local farmers we will transverse over
Transport and logistics to get your gear (tents and stretchers) and luggage to the next camping site.
Supply of water, firewood, and cooking equipment.
A hot shower and toilets each night
All meals from dinner on arrival to breakfast on departure day.
Freshly baked bread and salad each night.
Home cooked Namakwa meals.
All the arrangements by Trisport

Entry Fee Excludes

Travel to and from Springbok, Northern Cape.
Tent, sleeping bag, stretcher, day pack, tea etc. for hike.
Snacks for during the hike.
Your own stretcher and blow-up mattress.
Tips for the Guides; and
Alcoholic Beverages.

OPTIONAL: The Namaqualand Undiscovered tour

The day after the hike a Full day “Namaqualand Undiscovered Tour” that includes:
A special Namaqua Lunch prepared by Locals
Quiver tree forest
Local building of quiver tree
Demonstration of the local medicine used by Nama San
Beautiful and best flowers of Namakwa
Scenic drive through the Koppies and Landscape of Namakwa

You will see areas that not a lot of people has seen before.

Schedule

Day 1

15:00-18:00 – Arrival at Nigramoep Guest Farm and dinner

Day 2

07:00 – Breakfast

08:00 – Start with the 14km Flower hike with amazing views over the Namakwa West Coast in the distance. It is a hilly terrain on day 1 start off on a jeep track, then followed by a short bushy section through the flowers area to see the best flowers on the beautiful Nigramoep pristine areas, lunch (provided) in the veld, coffee breaks, and arrive late afternoon back at Nigramoep to spend another night at the lodge.

18:00 – Dinner and freshly baked bread and salad made by us.

Day 3

07:00 – Breakfast

08:00 – Start of the Canyon hike. Hiking is flat and downhill, but has sandy patches, rocky sections, loose rocks, steep downhill and donkey trails. You will start to see beautiful rock formations. Hiking, experiencing the geology of the canyon, the fauna and flora, the history, stopping for tea, stopping for lunch at a beautiful spot. Arrive at the 1st Canyon overnight camp and pitch your tent and enjoy your favourite ice-cold drink. Ice will be available plus cold alcoholic drinks. Hot showers and toilets are available at the camp.

18:00 – Dinner and freshly baked bread and salad made by us. Relax around the bonfire while we listen to the sounds of the animals and canyon

Day 4

07:00 – Breakfast

08:00 – Hike for the whole day in the canyon, you will experience the high cliffs of the canyon, secret big water pools and waterfalls, lots of pools to swim in, lots of beautiful rock formations, klipspringers, leopard spoor, beautiful flowers, hiking on donkey trails. Arrive at the 2nd base camp and enjoy a hot shower, cold drink and pitch your tent while dinner is prepared. Watch the sun set over the red cliffs of the Canyon.

18:00 – Dinner and freshly baked bread and salad made by us. Relax around the bonfire while we listen to the sounds of the animals and canyon

Day 5

07:00 – Breakfast

08:00 – Canyon Hiking, for a few kilometres you will still hike in the canyon where after we will start climbing out of the Canyon to the top of the Canyon, 550 meters of elevation. Vasbyt! Watch the views while you are climbing and experiencing the geology of the canyon from above, enjoy the fauna and flora, stopping for tea, stopping for lunch at a beautiful spot. Once on the top it is not too far back to Nigramoep

18:00 – Dinner and Accommodation at Nigramoep Guest Farm