Sunday, 12 May 2013

Parys and the Vredefort Dome

Yesterday I took a drive to Parys and the Vredefort Dome.  I had read about it in one of my guide books.  They described it as South Africa's "most abstract World Heritage Site" and it certainly was.  Basically, the Vredefort Dome is a 300 km wide crater formed by a meteorite impact about 2023 million years ago.  I went to the information centre in Parys where a lady gave me a lot of information about the dome, Parys, and nearby attractions.  I wasn't really in the mood for antiquing or visiting more white lions so I just went on a little drive to the town of Vredefort and back to Parys.  The only indication of the dome was the range of small mountains in an otherwise flat area.  However, since the landscape in South Africa is so variable this happens fairly often.  I didn't take any pictures since it was a grey day.  It's best though to Google maps Parys in satellite view to get a real picture of the dome.  Otherwise, it's just hills.
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2 comments:

  1. warrin13 May 2013 at 03:55

    hi Wendy,

    the Vredefort Dome offers unique geology, cultural history, fauna and flora habitats and some wonderful scenery. However, as 99% of the area is private property, a visit will be much more insightful if accompanied by a guide with site knowledge and who has access to these areas. It is important to let the guide know what your interests are and whether its for a general tour or for something specific such as butterflies (more species here then in the whole UK), birds (over 300 species) or culture (eg early human settlements or Anglo Boer War).

    Although you were quite close to the centre of the impact, the road you travelled offers little other than a wide angle view of the hills. When travelling into the mountainous area and along the Vaal River there are far more scenic sights and deserve another visit. Getting off the public roads and into the valleys either on jeep tracks or hiking will expose even more for nature lovers.

    We are in the process of establishing the VREDEFORT DOME TOURISM ASSOCIATION to assist both visitors as well as product owners in the area. The "Friends of Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site" encourages and promotes fair and responsible tourism in alignment with UNESCO guidelines for Natural World Heritage sites.

    Please contact should you require any further information, ...and please come take a second look.

    kind regards,
    warrin
    a friend of Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site
    https://www.facebook.com/VDWHS
    email: friendsofvredefortdome@gmail.com

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  2. Unknown13 May 2013 at 11:53

    Hi Warrin,

    Thank you for your comment. I did get most of that information from the Parys information centre, unfortunately though, since I only had a few hours, I didn't try to join one of the tours. If I have time before I leave South Africa, I will definitely visit again.

    Wendy

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