NORTHERN CAPE ACCOMMODATION MAJOR ATTRACTIONS
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS in the NORTHERN CAPE area include:
The Richtersveld National Park, created in 1991, occupies the northwestern Namaqualand and is home to the Nama people, another ancient population group and part of the rich cultural heritage of South Africa. The Nama people are mainly sheep or goat-herders and live a simple life in the harsh surroundings of the Namaqualand. The landscape is very harsh and rugged with very descriptive names like Skeleton Gorge, Devil’s Tooth and Helskloof. The Richtersveld is a popular destination for 4x4 enthusiasts and nature lovers.
The Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, together with the Gemsbok National Park in Botswana, is Africa's first transfrontier game park, known as the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. It is one of the largest nature conservation areas in southern Africa, and one of the largest remaining protected natural ecosystems in the world. The Park provides unfenced access to a variety of game between South Africa and Botswana, and has a surface area of more than two million hectares.
One of the lesser-known game parks in the country, it is here, on the Orange River, that Africa’s second largest waterfall thunders down into a granite gorge in a spectacular display. Adventure activities are par for the course at this attraction, including rafting, hiking and cycling as well as canoe trails.
• THE NAMAQUALAND
Namaqualand, on first impressions, is a harsh, relentless, arid wilderness. Surface water is practically non-existent and subterranean water is brackish and hard to find. Namaqualand hides much of her treasure, which is great mineral wealth, with large copper deposits and rich diamond diggings on a hundred kilometres of its coastline. Gemstones, gypsum and sillimatite are also mined. Here in this desert, one of the most remarkable wonders of nature occurs in the spring, during August and September, provided there has been sufficient winter rain to create the right temperature. The rains transform the Namaqualand region into a brilliant carpet of wild flowers, giving the world its most beautiful botanical spectacle. The famous flowers of Namaqualand are of a wide variety, but principally saisies of many colours, red Gazanias, purple Cineraria, orange and black spotted Gortevia are a few of the species. The Namaqualand is world-famous for its floral beauty and photographic safaris to the area are very popular with both local and international tourists.
• ROCK ART
The Northern Cape Province is rich in San rock art paintings that date back to ancient times. The San people were hunters and gatherers of plants (veldkos) who lived off the desert and their rich heritage has been preserved in numerous paintings and engravings found in caves and on rocks all over the Northern Cape region.
• DIAMOND COUNTRY
KIMBERLEY houses an excellent museum called the KIMBERLEY MINE MUSEUM with viewing decks into the famous Big Hole and a number of historic buildings. This living museum has beautifully preserved old shops, bars, restaurants, churches and banks that appear almost exactly as they were during the diamond digging days and the era of Cecil John Rhodes and Barney Barnato.
• THE BIG HOLE AT KIMBERLEY
Diamond miners with picks and shovels dug the famous 500-metre wide hole with a depth of around 240 metres manually during the diamond rush days. The Big Hole is the largest manually created excavation sight in the world and remains the major attraction for visitors to this part of the Northern Cape Province.
• TRAINS AND TRAMS
The capital city's railway station is in Florence Street, close to the city centre. South Africa’s famous and luxurious Blue Train stops over in Kimberley on its way to Cape Town or Johannesburg and passengers can board or disembark at Kimberley’s quaint station. The Kimberley Tram Service - a vintage tram dating back to the turn of the century, carries passengers from the City Hall to the Mine Museum, on daily basis.
• MOFFAT MISSION STATION
The missionaries Robert Moffat and his wife Mary arrived in the KURUMAN area in 1820. Their aim was to convert the local people to Christianity and the Reverend Moffat was the first person to attempt translating the Holy Bible into the indigenous Tswana language. They built a mission station in Kuruman, which is now an educational centre and retreat.
• WONDERWERK CAVE
Not far from KURUMAN lies the Wonderwerk Cave. This remains a popular area for archaeologists as the site is home to precious artefacts, fossils and San Rock Art dating back nearly a million years.
The Kalahari is home to endless spaces and huge African skies. This arid wasteland gets its name from the San word `kglagagadi’, which means ‘thirsty land’. The almost lunar landscape boasts a wide variety of unique flora and fauna.
• SMALL TOWNS
The Northern Cape Province has a number of beautiful small towns that offers peace and quiet to the tired city dweller. Places such as UPINGTON, Keimoes, Nieuwoudtville, Calvinia, Poffadder and Springbok are known for their warm-hearted hospitality and is worth a visit.
• ADVENTURE ON THE ORANGE RIVER
Canoeing down the Orange River is one way to get an adrenalin rush in the Northern Cape. Although not exactly “white river rafting”, the Orange offers a number of aggressive rapids. Trips down the river are organised by accredited operators and can last anything from two to six days.
Pella Mission is truly in the middle of nowhere, situated approximately 150km east of the town of Springbok. Tourist will remember Pella for its dates and a striking yellow cathedral built by French missionaries in the late 1880’s. This cathedral is still in use today, forming a central focus for the religious community in the area.
The Namakwa 4X4 route starts at Pella and stretches 642km along the Orange River to Alexander Bay, exploring one of the most isolated corners of South Africa. The beauty of the route lies in the contrast between rugged mountains, green riverbeds and sandy plains, the peaceful silence and the rich variety of succulent plants.
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NORTHERN CAPE ACCOMMODATION TOWNS & CITIES
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