Coastal Track

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    Namaqua Coastal Sprint

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    The Namaqua National Park’s coastal section is the least-developed and least-visited part of the park — extending from the Skilpad plateau section all the way to the Atlantic coast in the Groen River area, where the succulent karoo biome meets the Benguela Current ocean in a landscape of extraordinary ecological richness and visual beauty. While the Skilpad plateau section draws thousands of spring wildflower visitors, the coastal zone remains largely undiscovered, its remote location (accessible via R362 and park roads from the N7) keeping it far quieter than any comparable coastal national park environment in South Africa.

    The Coastal Ride

    The 35km gravel sprint from the N7 direction to the Groen River mouth follows the park’s gravel access road through the heart of the Namaqualand succulent karoo — an extraordinary ecosystem of quartz fields, endemic succulent groundcovers and specialised coastal fynbos found nowhere else on earth. The Groen River mouth opens onto a wild Atlantic beach: cold Benguela Current water, extensive tidal pools rich with marine life, and the sea mist that regularly rolls in from the ocean to create an atmospheric coastal environment completely unlike the sharp-lit dry interior just 20km behind you.

    Practical note: The coastal section of Namaqua National Park is genuinely remote and the access infrastructure is basic. Contact SANParks Namaqua (+27 27 672 1948) to confirm current access road conditions and gate arrangements before visiting. Carry all food and water for the full day — no facilities on the coastal section.

    Getting There

    Access the Namaqua NP coastal section via the R362 from the N7 (turn-off between Bitterfontein and Garies). GPS: -30.9167, 17.3833. Tel: +27 27 672 1948. From Cape Town: N7 north 530km to the R362 junction.

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    Kleinsee Diamond Ghost Town Coastal Ride

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    Kleinsee is one of the most extraordinary towns in South Africa — a De Beers diamond company town that housed over 7,000 residents in identical colonial-era housing behind security fencing for most of the 20th century, then emptied almost overnight when the diamond mining operations were scaled back between 2009 and 2011. The population dropped from 7,000 to under 200 in less than two years, leaving an almost perfectly preserved mid-century company town standing silent in the Namaqualand coastal scrub.

    Cycling the Ghost Town

    The 15km Boulder Heritage Circuit through the former company town is unlike any other MTB ride in South Africa — uniform rows of abandoned mine manager and worker housing, an empty company club, a shuttered hospital and the surreal Pink Salt Lake (a former diamond mine cofferdam now filled with salt-rich reddish water dense enough to float in) create a post-industrial landscape of genuine strangeness and beauty. The Boulder Heritage Route extends into the old mine workings themselves, where the geological evidence of diamond-bearing gravels is visible in the excavated faces.

    The Seal Colony and Estuary

    The Buffels River estuary loop (10km) leads to one of the most extraordinary wildlife spectacles on the South African coast: a 350,000-strong Cape fur seal colony immediately north of town — the largest onshore seal colony in South Africa. The noise, smell and sheer biomass of the colony are unforgettable.

    Shipwreck Coastal Route

    The 37km guided track north to Koingnaas crosses coastal dune fields with multiple shipwrecks visible along the route — book at Kleinsee Tourism in advance. A shuttle return is required as the track is one-way only.

    Getting There

    Kleinsee is on the R355, 105km west of Springbok. GPS: -29.6833, 17.0500. Tel: +27 27 831 1102. From Springbok: R355 west through the Spektakel Pass area.