Although the Orange River rises only 200 km from the Indian Ocean in the Lesotho Drakensberg (ca. 3300 m a.s.l.), it turns west to traverse the southern African subcontinent for nearly 2200 km before entering the Atlantic Ocean at Oranjemund in a wide delta. The lower Orange forms the national border between South Africa and Namibia, and the stretch between the border town of Noordoewer and the coast is one of the most picturesque in either country, passing through awe-inspring mountainscapes and impressive sand dunes. Downstream from Sendelingsdrif the dirt road transects the restricted area of the Sperrgebiet (Diamond Area) to enter which a special permit is required.