Onseepkans is a small settlement on the banks of the

Orange River The Orange River (from Afrikaans/Dutch: ''Oranjerivier'') is a river in Southern Africa. It is the longest river in South Africa. With a total length of , the Orange River Basin extends from Lesotho into South Africa and Namibia to the north ...

in Northern Cape Province,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. It is a border post with

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

for traffic between

Pofadder Pofadder is the Afrikaans name for Bitis arietans, puff adder (snake). Pofadder may also refer to: * Pofadder, Northern Cape, a small town in South Africa * Pofadder (food), a traditional South African food made from the same ingredients as Skilpa ...

in South Africa and Keetmanshoop in Namibia. The name either originated from a combination of three Nama words: ‘tconsiep’ (an elbow projecting into the river), ‘nias’ (a rocky surface), and ‘tcaans’ (thorntrees), or a derivative of a nama word that means 'watering place for cattle'. In 1909, a prospector by the name of Edwells settled in the area. The land was eventually bought from him in 1916 by a group of farmers, who saw potential for irrigation in the area. Ecotourism has been growing ever since the establishment of a riverside campsite and various farm cottages. It is also the entry point for visits to the Ritchie Falls, the second highest waterfall on the Orange River, after the Augrabies Falls. The Ritchie Falls are in a pristine wilderness area, only accessible after a two-day hike or by rafting down from Onseepkans. Guided hikes and rafting trips are available. The falls (both Augrabies and Ritchie) are threatened by the development of a hydro power station proposed by a consortium between Hydro Tasmania and Hydro South Africa, despite the fact that only 10% of the Orange River is considered to be pristine wilderness. From 1969 onwards, there were 2 companies of SADF Border Guards located at the town, co-located with an Operating Signals Regiment of the SADF Air Force. There are small communities on both sides of the Orange River in one of the most remote and beautiful parts of the country. The Quiver tree (''Kokerboom'' in

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

) forest between Pofadder and Onseepkans is stunning and is the largest forest of its type in the Southern Hemisphere. The area is very hot. Summer temperatures can exceed 50 °C while in the middle of winter temperatures in the high 30s can still be experienced. To reach the settlement one has to travel 49 kilometers along the R358 from Pofadder.

References

{{Authority control Populated places established in 1916 Populated places in the Khâi-Ma Local Municipality Namibia–South Africa border crossings