Vaalbos National Park

Vaalbos National Park: The Vaalbos National Park is an extraordinary area along the Vaal River where wildlife such as black rhino, white rhino, buffalo, eland, red hartebeest and tsessebe are to be seen in the former heart of the the alluvial diamond diggings near Kimberley. A tourist route, built with material from the diamond diggings using local labour, winds through the park, exposing visitors to all facets of its three different ecosystems as they merge together as one. The name Vaalbos originates from the vaalbos (camphor bush), a prominent plant species in the park. The largest part of the vegetation of vaalbos consists of Kalahari thornveld invaded by Karoo, while a small section along the banks of the Vaal River consists of the false Orange River Broken Veld. One of the interesting features of the Vaalbos is the interface of two biomes, namely the Savannah Biome and the Nama-Karoo Biome that meet in the Gras-Holpan section. The most common tree in the park is the tree the park has been named after, Vaalbos, the camphor bush.