Transboundary Tourism in the /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park. Contribution by Kathy BErgs

1. TBeNEWS TBPA in Focus
5
The /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park includes
the oldest desert in the world and is home to rare flora,
archaeological sites, ancient nomadic tribes, and the iconic
Fish River Canyon. The /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier
Park has three cross-border tourism products. The Desert
Knights Mountain Bike Tour is positioning the park as an
international mountain bike destination; the Richtersveld
Transfrontier Wildrun is expanding due to demand, and
the Desert Kayak Trail has great potential to contribute
significant income to the park, with direct benefits
accruing to local communities. The Nama people, the
oldest people group in the world, live in both South Africa
and Namibia. Families and communities were torn apart
during the colonial era, but the establishment of the
Transfrontier Park has brought families and communities
back together and provides sustainable employment
opportunities through the development of world class
ecotourism products.
The Desert Kayak Trails hosted the first large group of
participants down the magnificent Orange River, within
the parameters of the /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier
Park, in 2016. This is a fully-catered experience, covering
approximately 40 kilometres, camping two nights on the
Namibian and two on the South African side.
With funding from Peace Parks Foundation and German
Organization for International Cooperation (GIZ), local
communities were trained to work as river guides,
set up the camps and assist with catering. Between
kayaking, participants are taken on short hikes to enjoy
the spectacular arid and desert mountain scenery, as
well as some of the richest succulent flora in the world.
On the river, there are tranquil stretches of still, glassy
water, followed by exhilarating rapids. All the while, the
river offers a unique perspective on the abundant bird life,
riparian forest and animals coming down for a sip of water.
Evenings are spent under the stars around the campfire,
where Nama guides give participants a fresh take on this
alluring area, with colourful storytelling and Nama folklore
shared over generations.
Kathy Bergs
Peace Parks Foundation
kbergs@ppf.org.za
www.peaceparks.org
Watch a movie here
Transboundary tourism in the
/Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park
TBeNEWS
T r a n s b o u n d a r y C o n s e r v a t i o n
© /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park