The ǀAi-ǀAis/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park is a peace park straddling the border between South Africa and Namibia. It was formed in 2003 by combining the Namibian ǀAi-ǀAis Hot Springs Game Park and the South African Richtersveld National Park.
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The park is in a sad state.
Upon your entry at the main gate until the main offices where you have to check in is unbroken kilometers of mines. Everywhere is signs about how sensitive the ecology is and how bad the poaching is. Yet they've allowed these mines to permanently scar the ecosystem of this so called world heritage site. Parts of the park are also inaccessible now due to the mines, you can no longer head to the Grasdrift mine ruins and visit the river or the Valley of Desolation.
The park is known to have difficult roads but the easy driving roads are not maintained. All the roads have washboards and/or high center crowns from not being maintained.
Kokerboomskloof camp sites were left half built for some reason. They installed showers and sinks inside but the piping was capped off. Only a toilet and outside sink was left installed. Toilets were dirty with poo and some animal poop was smeared on the walls.
Gannakouriep was much better but upgrades to the units are confusing, they installed some patio roofing for shade but left massive gaps in between so you can't sit outside regardless unless you want to be sunburnt. The roofs are made from canvas and have multiple holes, luckily the thunderstorm missed us. Water pipes are not properly installed in the ground, mostly left on the surface, needless to say you only have hot water coming out and no geyser is needed. Dangerous critters run about during dusk and dawn so always wear shoes.
The way the park is going this will be...
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Absolutely stunning, a world treasure, awesome mountain desert area. Roads are ruff but I easily took my 4*4 trailer around, didn't need to drop tyres or go in to low range. Need to take your own drinking water and no electricity, some of the camps no water at all. You have to remove your own rubbish, we had a bag split in the trailer, so get some heavy duty refuse bags, and try and take things that won't create to much refuse. I will definitely go back. Wanted to take a star trail at Kokerboom Kloof, but the night we were there was overcast, so will have to go...
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If I could give it zero stars I would. This place is run down, dirty and nothing works. Showers are broken, the ceilings are filled with mold, the lights don't work. The shop is very expensive and the staff absolutely useless. Was a nightmare to get my booking finalized and I started the booking process more than 10 months in advance. Besides all this it turned out to be our most expensive accommodation on our Namibia trip and we were only camping. Don't go to Ai-Ais, rather go to...
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