The Northern Cape

The Northern Cape is a land of many diverse cultures, of frontier history and brave missionaries.

The last remaining true San (Bushman) people live in the Kalahari area of the Northern Cape. The area, especially along the Orange and Vaal rivers, is rich in San rock paintings. A good collection can be seen at the McGregor Museum in Kimberley.

The area is known worldwide for its spectacular annual explosion of spring flowers which, for a short period every year, attracts thousands of tourists.  Fascinating plants like the elephant’s trunk (halfmens or ‘’half-man’’), tree aloe (kokerboom) and a variety of other succulents can be seen.

Geography

The vast and arid Northern Cape is by far the largest province, slightly bigger than Germany and taking up nearly a third of South Africa’s land area.  Yet the Northern Cape has the country’s smallest population.

It contains the Orange River, the Kalahari Desert, and the Kalahari-Gemsbok National Park, Richtersveld, the 146-m high Augrabies Falls and Vaalbos National Park. The Northern Cape Province was formerly part of the original Cape Province; an area 363,389 sq km.

The capital is Kimberley which has the largest diamond mine in the world!  Other important towns are Upington, centre of the karakul sheep, dried fruit industries and most northerly wine-making region in South Africa; Springbok, which is in the heart of the Namaqualand spring flower country; Kuruman, founded by the Scottish missionary Robert Moffat and De Aar, the hub of the South African railway network.

Climate

Though the Northern Cape is a semi-desert, don’t let it fool you into thinking we’ve no plant life. The western areas of the Northern Cape, which includes most of Namakwa, and a small section of the Green Kalahari fall into the winter rainfall areas (April to September). These two sub-regions give you breathtakingly beautiful and flamboyantly displays of wild flowers from late July to November.

Not to be outshone by floral splendor, the central and eastern summer rainfall areas unleash majestic, rolling thunderstorms. In January, afternoon temperatures are usually between 33-36° Celsius, so the thunderstorms cool down the intense midday heat.   Winter days are warm, with the onset of night bringing dew and frost to supplement the low rainfall.  Sutherland, in the Hantam Karoo, is one of the coldest towns in Southern Africa.  Its average minimum is 6°Celsius! In winter, snow often blankets its surrounding mountains.

National Parks and Conservation Areas

The Northern Cape Province has a wealth of National Parks and conservation areas.

Kgalogadi Transfrontier Park is Africa’s first cross-border game park and joins South Africa’s Kalahari Gemsbok National Park to the Gemsbok National Park in Botswana.  It is one of the largest conservation areas in Southern Africa and one of the largest remaining protected natural ecosystems in the world!

The Ai-Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Conservation Park borders Namibia and has some of the most spectacular scenery of arid and desert environments in Southern Africa. Divided by the Orange River, it comprises of the Ai-Ais Hot Springs Game Park in Namibia and the Richtersveld National Park in South Africa.  Augrabies Falls ranks amongst the world’s greatest cataracts on a major river.  The spectacular 19 separate falls cascade over a granite plateau, dropping a total of 191 meters to a 43 meter deep pool!

What to do?

The Northern Cape’s vastness is a challenge to eco-adventurers who are keen to explore.  From its endless, flower-carpeted flatlands and scrub-covered plains to the jagged edges of molten mountains, it is a land of haunting natural beauty.

After scaling dizzying heights in searing temperatures with sweat-burned eyes, to hiking its rugged trails, shooting its turbulent rapids, fishing its rivers, sailing its sapphire skies, exploring its many back-roads, viewing its splendid game and enjoying its unusual flora….this land keeps calling you back!

Transport

Kimberley has air and rail links with most major South African cities. The airport is eight kilometers out of town, with no bus shuttle in or out of town.

Major car hire companies, however, have rental kiosks at the airport. A taxi service is available on request.

The capital city’s railway station is in Florence Street, close to the city centre. The luxurious Blue Train and Rovos Rail travel from Pretoria to Cape Town via Johannesburg and Kimberley, where passengers can board or disembark.

The Kimberley Tram Service - a vintage tram dating to the turn of the century, carries passengers from the City Hall to the Mine Museum from 09h00-16h00 daily. Upington also has air links with all major cities in South Africa.

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