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.

Region 1 – Namaqualand

Namaqualand in the north-west of South Africa is a sunburnt and barren semi-desert. But that changes dramatically in spring, when after a short rainy season the countless wildflowers spread over the wide plains like a colourful carpet. Most of the flowers belong to the different species of daisies.

The spectacular wealth of blossoms can be best admired in the period from August to October. Then the visitors can phone the regional and national “Flower Hotlines” to enquire about quality, size and position of the most beautiful flower regions.

Namaqualand is the home of the Nama tribe who are directly descended from the Khoikhoi bushmen as can be seen from their fine features and pale skin.  Their strange multi-clicked language, which is classified by UNESCO as endangered, is being taught again and they hope to add it to the school curriculum.

Region 2 - Kalahari

The Kalahari Desert in the Northern Cape is part of the huge sand basin that reaches from the Orange River up to Angola in the west to Namibia and in the east to Zimbabwe. The sand masses were created by the erosion of soft stone formations. The wind shaped the sand ridges, which are so typical of the landscape in the Kalahari.

The Karoo

More of a region than a destination, the Karoo covers much of the west and northwest quarter of South Africa, and has traditionally been an area of sheep husbandry and occasional irrigated agriculture. The region has always had a curious appeal, with the London Missionary Society settlement of Kuruman being traditionally one of the most important points of early missionary outreach, and now a beautifully situated town. Once the home of significant populations of zebra and antelope, lately these are confined to a handful of parks and several private game reserves.

Major attractions in the Northern Cape

Richtersveld National Park

Created in 1991, the Richtersveld National Park is situated in north western Namaqualand. Here, the landscape is rough and unforgiving. Some of the more rugged landscapes have been given names such as Skeleton Gorge, Devils Tooth and Helskloof (hells gorge). This area is home to the fascinating Nama people who are mainly sheep or goat-herders and live a simple life in these harsh surroundings.

Flowers, Flowers Everywhere

During August and September, the area of Namaqualand is transformed into a brilliant carpet of wild flowers. The area is world-famous for its transformed landscape and floral beauty and photographic safaris to the area are very popular with both local and international tourists. Nowadays, it can be said that the Namaqualand experiences something of a “gold rush” during peak season.

Rock Art

The province is rich in San rock art paintings that date back to time immemorial. The San were hunter-gatherers who lived off the desert, and their rich heritage has been preserved in numerous paintings found in caves all over the Northern Cape region.

Kimberley - Diamond Digging Country

Kimberley (the capital city of the Northern Cape Province) boasts with an excellent museum called the Kimberley Mine Museum. Part of the museum includes the viewing decks into the Big Hole, as well as a number of historic buildings. The old shops, bars, restaurants, churches and banks appear almost exactly as they were during the diamond digging days. A visit here is like stepping back in time.

The Big Hole at Kimberley

The famous five-hundred-meter wide cavity that sits at a depth of around 240m was dug manually by pick and shovels by diamond miners, and is known to be the largest man-made excavation site in the world.

Moffat Mission Station

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 Moffat was the first person to attempt translating the Holy Bible into Tswana, one of the indigenous languages. They built a mission station, which has now been revived as an educational centre and retreat.

Wonderwerk Cave

Not too far from Kuruman, lies the Wonderwerk Cave.  A keen stomping ground for archaeologists and the like, the site is said to be home to human life dating back nearly a million years. The area also includes precious artefacts, fossils and San Rock art.

The Kalahari

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.

Pella Mission

Pella Mission is truly in the middle of nowhere. Approximately 150 km from Springbok, Pella boasts a striking yellow cathedral that was built by French missionaries in the late 1880s. The cathedral is still in use, today, and a central focus for the religious community in the area.

Whether the Northern Capes brings forth adrenaline inducing river adventure, wildlife or bush excursions or historical exploration, everyone will find something to experience and will leave with many awesome memories of Africa’s great desert landscape.

Climate

The summers throughout the region are hot and dry – 30°C (86F) or higher, with highs up to 40°C (104°F) – while the winters are cold with limited rainfall, with certain areas in the south dipping regularly to below freezing. A dusting of snow is common on the hill summits in winter. Days in winter tend to be fresh and clear.

Photos Of The Northern Cape

Kalahari Desert Namaqualand Daisies Sunset In The Karoo

Kimberley & The Big Hole Rigterveld

New here? You may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 7th, 2008 at 9:17 am and is filed under Places of Interest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.