Augrabies Falls National Park: 60 years of noise and wonder later

Augrabies Falls National Park proves that some places never lose their power to surprise. Sixty years after its proclamation, visitors still pause when the roar of the Orange River reaches them before the waterfall comes into view.

As the park celebrates its diamond anniversary on 5 August, it also celebrates six decades of protecting one of South Africa’s most remarkable natural landscapes.

The park lies about 120 kilometres west of Upington in the Northern Cape, where the Orange River cuts through ancient granite.

WHEN DID AUGRABIES FALLS NATIONAL PARK BEGIN?

It was officially proclaimed on 5 August 1966 after local conservation campaigners first petitioned for national park status in 1954. Their persistence ensured that this extraordinary landscape would be protected for future generations.

Yet the story stretches much further back.

Long before formal conservation, Stone Age communities settled along the Orange River. The Khoikhoi named the falls “Aukoerebis”, meaning “Place of Great Noise”, a description that still feels fitting when thousands of litres of water thunder into the gorge below.

WHY DOES AUGRABIES FALLS NATIONAL PARK STAND OUT?

The waterfall remains the park’s greatest attraction. The Orange River plunges 56 metres into an 18-kilometre granite gorge carved over millions of years. Standing on the viewing platforms, it becomes clear why generations of travellers have regarded the falls with awe.

The landscape surrounding the river tells an equally compelling story. Despite the harsh, arid climate, the park protects about 51,000 hectares of a unique desert ecosystem.

Visitors can encounter klipspringers balancing on rocky outcrops, Hartmann’s mountain zebra, soaring Verreaux’s eagles, distinctive quiver trees and the endemic Augrabies flat lizard. SANParks also records around 48 mammal species and 184 bird species within the park.

Folklore adds another layer to the experience.

Stories of the legendary Grootslang continue to intrigue visitors, while explorer Hendrik Jakob Wikar documented his visit to the falls as early as 1778.

Together, history and legend have shaped the identity of this rugged corner of the Northern Cape.

WHAT DOES THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATE?

The anniversary is about far more than a date on the calendar. SANParks is marking six decades of conserving an exceptional landscape while recognising the employees, neighbouring communities, conservation partners and visitors who have contributed to its protection over the years.

Today, many travellers seek destinations that combine dramatic scenery with authentic stories. Augrabies delivers both.

Whether visitors arrive to photograph the waterfall, explore the hiking trails or simply listen to the river’s relentless roar, they leave with a deeper appreciation of nature’s force.

Sixty years after becoming a national park, the Place of Great Noise still lives up to its name.

Its thunder echoes across the gorge, reminding every visitor why this remarkable landscape remains one of South Africa’s most treasured conservation success stories.