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Camdeboo National Park almost completely surrounds the
Eastern
Cape town of Graaff-Reinet.
Much of this 14,500 ha park is between 740 and 1480 metres
above sea level at the foothills of the Sneeuberg
mountain range. The Nqweba Dam covers and area of
1000 hectares. The Valley of Desolation has
fantastic examples of dolerite pillars where erosion
of the softer sedimentary beds has left pillars
rising to heights of 90 to 120 meters.
SANParks™ vision is to link Camdeboo National
Park with the Mountain Zebra National Park to create
a unique African Karoo wildlife experience and
protecting a huge diversity of plant and animal
species, including the endangered Cape Mountain
Zebra.
Evidence of occupation by by early,
middle and later stone age people can be
found in the form of artefacts including
bored stones, hand axes, scrapers, blades
and grinding stones.
South African National Parks does not provide
accommodation. We
recommend a day trip to the park
(click on the map opposite to visit SANParks™
website).
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Khoisan hunters and herders left
evidence of their occupation during the late
stone age in the form of rock paintings in
the eastern sector of the park.
The Inqua tribe occupied the area during
the 1600s, grazing vast herds of cattle and
fat-tailed sheep.
White farmers settled on the plains and
in 1770, introducing merino sheep and angora
goats.
Until the park was first proclaimed as a
reserve in 1979, it was used as a town
commonage with tenants grazing their
livestock and contributing to overgrazing
and erosion in some areas.
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