Road tripping the Northern Cape : Day 9 : Van Zylsrus to Witsand Kalahari Nature Reserve

We woke up to a thunderstorm and pouring rain. Once again, it was decision time, since we had originally planned to take the gravel road between Van Zylsrus and Olifantshoek, but in the pouring rain and with recent rains having caused some damage to that road, this could be a risky choice.

Eventually we decided to take the tar road over Hotazel, Kuruman and Kathu to Olifantshoek, which is quite a detour.

By the time we reached Olifantshoek, the rain had stopped and we were on the gravel road to Witsand for the last 75 km

Witsand is an interesting geological phenomenon, with white sand dunes in the otherwise red Kalahari sands. In the right conditions, these dunes make a roaring sound when you walk on them, but unfortunately, due to the recent rains, we did not get to experience this. Nonetheless, it was an interesting place to visit and a bit of a challenge climbing the dunes.

On the road to the dunes, we encountered a tortoise, having a drink from a pool of water left in the road after the recent rain

Climbing the dunes is thirsty work and we returned to our campsite under lovely shade between the trees, for a refreshing cold beer and a braai.