Rising and falling dam levels cause the floodplain to encroach on the shore, to the extent that papyrus reeds reach up to the Khwalimanzi Hide from time to time. Once the soil dries out, a tractor is sent in to cut the reeds, which pose a fire hazard. The hide, which was initially constructed for game viewing purposes, overlooked as many as a hundred eland at a time.

Although there is good game-viewing on the gravel road to Winterhoek especially, we found both the 4×4 trails absolutely worthwhile. The Koedoeskloof 4×4 trail, situated in the western side of the park, turns into a stony track with some steep inclines, but we were rewarded with awe-inspiring vistas over the Sneeuberge and the Great Karoo plains.

The Driekoppe 2×4/4×4 Route, in the eastern section of the park, is accessed from the Kroonvale gate, for which one can get a key from reception. It passes the lush green basin of Kwaggakom to the turnaround point at Driekoppe, where there are facilities for a picnic or braai. The Driekoppe overnight hiking trail enables one to explore the park on foot; there are three route options of 5km, 11km and 14km.

The park has ample game, and the veld was in an excellent condition after nine consecutive days of rain – most unusual for the Karoo! Although we did not see buffalo, we ticked off almost everything else on the park’s animal sightings list, including mountain reedbuck, leopard tortoise, small grey mongoose and substantial herds of Cape mountain zebra. At the Valley of Desolation we spotted a pair of Verreaux’s eagles riding the thermals overhead. They have a nest at the Toposcope, just below the clifftop, on the left hand side, and another one near the viewpoint.

* Edited version of an article that first appeared in Wild magazine, Winter 2012.