Riemvasmaak Hot Springs — Attraction in Kai !Garib Local Municipality

We stayed here for two nights in one of the cabins. You need to book via a phone call to their office and you can only get there with a 4x4/ high clearance vehicle. They are dog friendly on arrangement.

The 4 sleeper cabin has two bedrooms and one bathroom. You need to walk through the first bedroom to get to the second one and the only bathroom is attached to the first bedroom. So, this made it a bit uncomfortable for two couples. In future, we would rather book out the 8 sleeper which comprises two 4 sleeper cabins next to each other. The tiny kitchen is well stocked with necessary utensils, a microwave, kettle, and a hotplate. The cabins have electricity (loadshedding-dependant) and hot water. Our cabin had a nice fire pit outside with a lapa that was unfortunately built blocking the view. The unit was neat and clean but the bathroom desperately needed a deep clean.

The cabins are walking distance from the hot springs, which are absolutely amazing and tranquil. One out of the three pools is hot and the other two are lukewarm. The pools are regularly cleaned by the staff. The staff members are friendly and helpful. Keep an eye out for the verreaux’s eagles circling above. The stargazing at night is phenomenal.

Unfortunately, on one of the nights a rowdy group camped there and they took up all the space in the pools, played loud music through the night, and left empty alcohol bottles and beer caps around the pools. It is unfortunate to share such a spectacular place with inconsiderate...

The road to the Hot Springs was a bit of a challenge, as we were not made aware of the long gravel route we'd have to travel on in our (rented) hatchback. Scenery is beautiful and a definite must if you are in the area. There are 3 pools. The 2 Warm pools are on top, where as the coolest and largest of the 3 are nestled between the reeds a hop skip and a jump from the others. The small pool is the warmest of the 3 and boasts with a nice lukewarm temperature. The larger one is shallower and cooler. Note: work your way from the cooler pools to the warmest. Vise versa does not play well on the senses. There is absolutely no sulfur scent like with so many other hot springs. Before going, please take note that these 2 hot pools are small. What you see in the pictures is what you get and space is very limited. So please take others into consideration when enjoying a leisure soak in the pool. Please take provisions along as there are no facilities except bathrooms and shower. No shop, not even water to buy in the heat of summer. Also be advised that families tend to bring provisions to last them the whole day, beat boxes and alcohol notwithstanding. All and all, the scenes are breathtakingly beautiful. The pools are not very clean, so expect algae and take care around the pool as it can be very slippery. Take care of yourself...

Something very different! The drive is something else as well, you need a car with good clearance but not necessarily a 4WD. Here on Google it says it's open 24 hours which is technically correct, there are no barriers so in theory you can visit any time you like. However, the drive is impossible in the dark so in reality you can only visit during daylight hours. Early morning or late afternoon is best. There is a parking lot where there will be one or two guards asking for an entry fee. The springs themselves are lovely, but could have been a bit cleaner there was a lot of gunk at the bottom of the pool, not sure how often it's cleaned. There is a distinct smell of sulphur coming from the water, which apparently means it has therapeutic qualities. There is a small canopy which provides shade and where you can leave your stuff when you go into the pools. The water is very warm but also really relaxing and if you visit when there is no direct sun it's amazing to just sit there in the pool and relax and enjoy the amazing scenery around you. If you visit, try and stop in the small remote town of Riemvasmaak that you will pass through and buy something, they need all the help...