From its vast blue skies, to its red earth, golden grasses, quirky quiver trees and striking vistas, the Northern Cape is quite something. The semi-desert beauty is startling and surprising at the same time, with interesting towns breaking up the seemingly endless space – it’s almost as if the province was designed for road-trips. Speaking of which, if you’re headed on one through the Northern Cape, be sure to make a few (if not all!) of the following stops.
The Big Hole in Kimberley
Kimberley is the capital of the Northern Cape and is known as the “Diamond City”. Mining began back in 1871 and today the result is the famous Big Hole, one of the largest holes excavated by hand in the world. Standing on the viewing deck and looking down into the deep hole now filled with water is quite a rush, and you can almost picture the hundreds of mine workers working long, hard hours in search of as many diamonds as possible.
Combine this with: A visit to the Mine Museum that helps to round out the picture of the life of early miners, or a walk around nearby Belgravia where you can enjoy looking at the Victorian villas that once belonged to mining merchants and magnates.
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Straddling the border of South Africa and Botswana, this wildlife conservation area is the result of South Africa’s Kalahari Gemsbok National Park merging with Botswana’s Gemsbok National Park in 2000 to create one of the world’s largest wilderness areas. Known as the “Place of Thirst” because of its soaring summer temperatures that can reach well over 40°C, it’s home to the red sands of the Kalahari, the famous black-maned Kalahari lion and an array of other animals including cheetah, leopard, gemsbok, meerkat and more. Because of the scant vegetation, it makes for a superb game viewing experience.
Other parks worth mentioning:
- Tankwa Karoo National Park (home of AfrikaBurn)
- Mokala National Park (see endangered white and black rhino)
- Richtersveld National Park
SALT near Sutherland
Standing tall on a hilltop in a nature reserve just outside of Sutherland, the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) is the largest optical telescope in the southern hemisphere. Observatory tours are available during which the work done by selected research telescopes can be discovered – truly enthralling for budding astronomers.
Under the night sky: Night tours are also available and provide a magical display with the lit-up night skies.
Goegap Nature Reserve, Springbok
This reserve in Namaqualand is perhaps most well-known for its kaleidoscope of wild flowers that bloom just before the springtime – a photographer’s dream! Apart from this colourful display, the reserve is also where you’ll find some of the area’s most typical vegetation such as succulents and quiver trees, as well as a range of creatures, from aardwolf and honey badger, to antelope, the endangered Hartmann’s zebra and over 90 bird species. For those who are outdoorsy, there are amazing hiking and biking trails worth checking out. At the end of the day, it’s well worth the visit at any time of the year.
Flower power: Late July/early August is usually when the flowers begin to bloom, but of course this is dictated by the amount of winter rainfall (and various other factors), so it’s important to be open-minded if you’re planning on seeing this phenomenon.
The Eye of Kuruman
Found in the heart of the town of Kuruman (in the northeast of the province), this natural spring produces huge amounts of crystal clear water daily (up to 20 million litres!). A small lake surrounds the spring with various aquatic life, including crabs and a variety of fish. Surrounded by willow and palm trees, it’s a wonderfully tranquil spot.
Cave network: The Eye of Kuruman cave forms part of the eight caves on the dolomitic Ghaap Plateau.
Augrabies Falls National Park
Created in 1967 to protect the powerful Augrabies Falls, this park offers so much more than just “The Place of the Great Noise”. Whilst it is home to the world’s sixth largest waterfall (consisting of the Orange River plunging down into a gaping granite gorge below), it’s also where you’ll find many different animals, from the African wildcat, to leopard, aardwolf, giraffe and porcupine, not to mention an impressive selection of birds – over 140 species. Keep an eye out for the red-eyed bulbul, dusky sunbird and the Verreaux’s eagle. You’re also able to choose from a range of activities in the park including game drives, hiking and mountain bike trails as well as 4x4 routes.
Challenge yourself: The three-day Klipspringer Hiking Trail takes you through the gorge – a fantastic way to experience this feat of nature. The trail is closed during the summer though due to the excessive heat experienced in the area.
Wine dreams in Upington
You wouldn’t immediately expect a place with such an arid landscape to have fertile soil, let alone that which is able to produce some of the finest grapes in the country, but this is exactly the case in Upington in the Green Kalahari. Because it’s situated on the banks of the Orange River, the rich floodplains are able to support varied fruit crops, of which grapes make up the majority. And where there are great grapes, there is sure to be great wine…
Say cheers: Orange River Cellars produces and exports Upington’s most famous wines and is an excellent wine-tasting option – their dessert wines are delicious.
We’d love to help you discover the Northern Cape and its gems. Simply get in touch and our reservations team can assist in finding you the perfect accommodation for your journey.