It is reportedly named after Jan Viool ("John Violin"), who is said to have played the fiddle in these parts in the nineteenth century.

[2] At the other end of the bridge is the small Namibian village of Noordoewer (meaning "north bank" in Afrikaans).

The area is profoundly arid and the crossing is overlooked by steep and spectacular sandstone cliffs hundreds of metres in height.

There are small pockets of fertile alluvial soil along the course of the river and these are used for growing crops, such as dates and melons, under irrigation.

Vioolsdrif is officially one of the hottest places in South Africa; on 27 October 2015 a maximum temperature of 47 °C (117 °F) was recorded.