Augrabies Falls — South Africa

About this spectacle

Augrabies Falls plunges the Orange River into a narrow granite gorge in South Africa's Northern Cape, producing one of Africa's most dramatic waterfalls. Visitors stand at viewpoints above the chasm watching the river thunder over a main drop, filling the air with mist and a continuous deep roar that reverberates off the ancient rock walls. The gorge glows in shades of orange and grey, carved over millennia into smooth, sculpted granite. Surrounding the falls, Augrabies Falls National Park stretches across arid Kalahari scrubland where klipspringers, rock hyraxes, and vervet monkeys move among the boulders. During flood season the falls expand dramatically, the water turning a churning red-brown as it carries silt from distant catchments. On clear days the spray catches the sunlight, casting fleeting rainbows across the gorge. The contrast between the harsh, sun-baked landscape and the raw power of the cascading water makes this an unexpectedly moving spectacle.

When to go

Jan — Dec, peak Feb — Apr

Getting there

Nearest airport: UPG. Nearest city: Upington.

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