Escape to the tranquil beauty of clear skies and vast open plains and desert that is South Africa’s largest province, the Northern Cape. Enjoy the wide, open spaces of the golden deserts by day and the clear black star-studded skies by night. The Northern Cape holds many stories and is a treasure trove of unexplored adventure, from the rock art of the fearless San people to the treasure hunters after the most precious gem found in abundance in the area – the rare and beautiful diamond.

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 it has the country’s smallest population.

The province lies to the south of its most important asset, the mighty Orange River, which feeds the agriculture and alluvial diamonds industries. The river forms the border with the country of Namibia in the north, while the Molopo River is at the border with Botswana to the northeast.  The Northern Cape landscape is characterised by vast arid plains with outcroppings of haphazard rock piles.

The capital is Kimberley, on the province’s eastern border. Other important towns are:   Upington, Kuruman, Springbok and De Aar.  The Northern Cape can be divided into three regions: Namaqualand in the west, the Kalahari in the north and the Karoo. Read More »