The Northern Cape Department of Nature Conservation runs this Reserve. Permits are required to enter the reserve and can be obtained at Nieuwoudtville. The Department of Nature Conservation has printed an excellent brochure and map of the reserve. We strongly recommend you obtain it in advance when planning your tour. We stress that this is a hiking trail and not a stroll in the park. So come prepared to hike. There are in total 147 km of hiking trails in the reserve, in marked routes ranging from 1 to 7 days.
The exceptionally high diversity of plant communities and species (including endemic species) makes Oorlogskloof one of the Northern Cape’s unique nature reserves. This could be ascribed to the location of the Reserve in a transition/ecotone area of the Fynbos and Karoo Biomes, as well as to the diverse broken topography. A large section of the Reserve forms part of the northern-most extension of the Fynbos Biome and includes various endangered species. Oorlogskloof contains Fynbos, Afro-montane and Western Mountain Karoo plant communities.
The fynbos community can be found on the Bokkeveld Mountain Plateau, with the dry fynbos sub-community on the dry eastern side. On the wet western side a mesic fynbos is encountered. Oorlogskloof is situated in a transitional zone, therefore a variety of succulent plants (typical of the Karoo plant community) are also found in the fynbos vegetation. The mountain "renosterbos" (rhino bush) mainly grows on the shale soil in shallow clefts, forming small isolated patches that have a lower species richness than in other communities. This plant community is found in the ravines where the erosion was severe enough to enable the plant roots to grow through the sandstone layer into the shale and mudstone. Lastly, the Afro-montane plant communities are restricted to the river, ravines and areas below cliffs with a moist shady microclimate. |
