by Svadilfari

Approximately 13km north of South Africa’s town of Upington, one can experience a touch of the famous Kalahari Desert. Situated on the same road that leads to the Kgalagadi Trans-Frontier Park, the Spitskop Nature Reserve gives visitors a glimpse into a part of this interesting region.

The Spitskop Nature Reserve and Monate Lodge are located directly on opposite sides of the R360 highway. The visitor’s center at Spitskop Nature Reserve handles all enquiries and bookings for both.

Monate Lodge is an excellent place to stay when visiting the reserve or Upington. The lodge consists of 6 thatched roof self-catering chalets and 43 grass-covered camping and caravan sites. Power points are available at all the sites as well as barbeque facilities. The ablutions are clean and functional. On a hot day there is also a swimming pool available for cooling off.

A herd of Springbok can often be seen roaming the area, especially during the hours around dawn and dusk. Its also not unusual for a Tortoise to come around looking for a piece of lettuce or other tidbit.

A permit is required when visiting Spitskop Nature Reserve. This is available at the visitor’s center. The reserve covers an area of 5641 hectares with its main feature being a rocky outcrop with stairs leading to the top. This rocky outcrop of granite is what gave the reserve its name and can be seen for up to 40km away on a clear day. There is a small telescope on top for game viewing. From here one can see for many kilometers in all directions as the rest of the reserve is virtually flat. Many years ago this rocky outcrop had been used as a stopover place for travelers and their Ox-wagons. Patches of grass cover most of this semi-arid region with some smaller rocky knolls also visible.

Visitors may explore the reserve either on foot or enjoy a game drive along the 37km of gravel roads.

Game is plentiful, and especially antelope such as Springbok, Gemsbok, Steenbok, Eland, Wildebeest and Red Hartebeest may be seen. In addition there are herds of Zebra to be found in the reserve. Certain bird species such as the Namaqua Sandgrouse and Ostrich also make this their home. Some of the smaller animals to be found here include Tortoise, Suricate, as well as several well known South African snake species such as the Cape Cobra and Puff Adder. The Suricate are especially fascinating to watch as they stand on their hind legs in groups of between 10 and 20 surveying their surroundings.

The three hiking trails in the reserve allow for many hours of walking through this fascinating landscape, and give one a real feel of the area. Along the way one comes across some water holes where more often than not some animals may be seen having a drink.

After having spent a day at the Spitskop Nature Reserve one can look forward to a sundowner and watch the sunset from an easy chair in front of your tent, caravan or chalet at Monate Lodge and really appreciate this beautiful area.