Schaaprivier Canyon

Namaqualand

I booked this adventure, at Leonie’s invitation, well before the prostate cancer diagnosis. By the time the prostatectomy was scheduled I was unsure whether I would have to cancel, but decided that as departure would be exactly six weeks after the op, I would regard participation in the hike as a worthwhile objective. Schaaprivier became a crucial waypoint on my road to recovery. And so Marion and I committed and we were so grateful that we did.

The Schaaprivier Canyon 4-day, 5-night slackpacking hike is hosted by Nigramoep Slowliving Guest Farm, not too far north-west of Springbok in Namaqualand. Having driven the N7 to Namibia numerous times, I never guessed that this spectacular canyon existed. Some 70 kms in length, the Schaap River Canyon drains a huge catchment into the Buffelsrivier, which in turn eventually vanishes into the sands near Kleinzee. The canyon is rimmed by red dolomite sills and supports a diversity of wildlife and flora. There are signs of leopard and the numerous Verreaux’s eagles (Witkruisarend) wheel and glide along the canyon walls. According to Suzette Louw, our guide, the leopards and the eagles are the guardians of the canyon, determining what moves, exists, thrives and dies here.

Great bends in the gorge have carved out massive sheer-rock amphitheatres. Lone quiver trees stand as sentries on the red ramparts, while Shepherd trees and rocky overhangs provide shade and shelter below. In one portion of the canyon, limestone has formed pancake-like stacks, and here there are numerous tufa draped over the cliffs like frozen waterfalls. Except for the odd intrusion, the granite domes, typical of Namaqualand, that one finds further south near Kamieskroon, are absent. Suzette, a lifelong local, regards the canyonland as an extension of the Richtersveld, further north.

Tufa at left and at right

The hiking product is finely-tuned and optimised. It operates out of a well-appointed base camp in the canyon, fully serviced by an energetic team and the indefatigable Imelda, who is a one-woman hospitality and catering department. The price is extremely attractive if you book with Nigramoep, unlike the significantly marked-up prices of the commercial operators who sub-contract the operation.

Base camp

On day 2, on a short hike to and from the Swartbakke ravine, Marion stumbled and fell, fracturing her forearm. On our return to the camp Suzette arranged that Stefan, one of the twin sons of the owner, kindly drive us the 70 or so k’s to Springbok provincial hospital. It also happened to be the Sunday of the 2026 World Cup Final, something that I had not thought about when we booked. I have been wondering about how to watch it, but had realised that there was no chance at the base camp. Now suddenly, a long wait loomed at the hospital and I could use my DSTV app to watch it – which is what I did. But the Cuban doctor proved to be too efficient by half, so that he had X-rayed and splinted Marion’s arm by half time. Which meant that I only managed to watch the first half … Anyway, Stefan had waited for us, and drove us back in a pitch black night. Wild donkeys were standing and sleeping in the rough road, making me grateful for not having driven myself. We got back to camp after midnight and managed to slip in without disturbing all the other hikers. The next day would be a 22 km yomp, but I decided to skip it, given the “excitement” of the day and the effects that too much strain has on the post-prostectomy body. That’s why the map above only features days 1, 2 and 4.

Nigramoep, means “black water” in the Nama language, and derives its name from the black potholes which in turn give the Swartbakke ravine its name. A chance encounter with Stefan earlier had turned into a long history lesson on the Nigramoep copper mine which apparently operated from 1986 to 2004, producing a high grade of copper ore (2%) for the Okiep Copper Company. One passes the mine dumps on the way from the guest farm to the base camp, and it explains the sinuous, broad dirt road that winds down into the canyon and then continues to the smelter at Nababeep, which was dismantled in 2007. As Suzette points out, if it wasn’t for the mine and its road, the base camp and the radiating hiking trails would not have been possible. The canyon would have remained remote and largely inaccessible. The other side of the mining coin is that these many mines in the Okiep Copper District have never been rehabilitated. The district, with its “widespread distribution of small mines and extensive mining history has been listed as a highly polluted area with significant environmental damage”.

Myn se Kloof at left enters the Schaaprivier Canyon behind me

Nigramoep is also known as “the roof of Namaqualand”, according to the owners. You reach it via the small, peaceful settlement of Bulletrap about 10 km off the N7. Stefan told us, on the way to Springbok hospital, that he constructed the base camp and all its systems, which includes remote monitoring and management capabilities.

Mr & Mrs P in Swartbakkekloof, minutes before she fractured her forearm

Go to the Schaaprivier Canyon photo album

References:

• J.E. Potgieter. 1996. Exploration in the Okiep Copper District, Northern Cape Province, South Africa: An overview. South African Journal of Geology.  99(2), 209-220.
• Abraham Rozendaal, Richard Horn. 2013. Textural, mineralogical and chemical characteristics of copper reverb furnace smelter slag of the Okiep Copper District, South Africa. Minerals Engineering 52 184–190. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Richard-Horn-3/publication/273796984_Textural_mineralogical_and_chemical_characteristics_of_copper_reverb_furnace_smelter_slag_of_the_Okiep_Copper_District_South_Africa/links/65de494ee7670d36abe2f2ac/Textural-mineralogical-and-chemical-characteristics-of-copper-reverb-furnace-smelter-slag-of-the-Okiep-Copper-District-South-Africa.pdf