Travel information on the Northern Cape, South Africa


Welcome to the magic of the Northern Cape Province: -		Search our Site: sitemap

This is the golden landscape of South Africa in more ways than one.

Mile upon mile of golden fields of maize cover the high plains between Johannesburg and Kimberley, hiding even greater riches below - real GOLD and real DIAMONDS.

Vast expanses of space and silence, drought and blazing summer sunshine…Across the arid landscape, the Orange River Flows, at places in a sluggish tide, at others in a powerful explosion of sound and fury.

Were it not for the river, much of the region may well have remained bleak and populated only by nomadic bands of Bushmen.

Instead, prosperous towns and villages have risen from its banks, and large stretches of once barren land have been transformed into fields of cotton, Lucerne, dates and grapes.

This page contains information on the various towns on the backpacking route in Northern Cape Province. The lodges in each town are linked to their home page.

Each lodge has a booking facility for each room in their establishment or the places on their tours.

If you wish to book, just follow the instructions on their booking page.

Select a region or town from the list below: - You will be taken to that region or town.

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Kimberley, THE WORLD'S DIAMOND CAPITAL is approximately 485 kilometers from Johannesburg on the road to Cape Town.

Without the enthusiastic digging of a cook named “Damon”, Kimberley may never even have existed.

In 1871, Damon was the first to discover three diamonds that lay beneath a small hill known as the “Colesberg koppie.”

Kimberley Mine Museum - Kimberley - Northern Cape

Kimberley Mine Museum - Kimberley - Northern Cape

This turned out to be the tip of an iceberg of precious stones which within a few years led to the biggest man-made hole in the world.

Today the “Big Hole”, as the mine is known, together with the restored diamond town, forms the Kimberley Mine Museum.

From the imposing City Hall you can step back into the ‘new rush' days on a 1910 tram and experience the feel of the early days of the big hole. Staring out over the viewing platform you can almost hear the sound of shovelling and shouting as men dug their way to fame and fortune in the vast 457 m diameter crater.

Kimberley Mine Museum - Kimberley - Northern Cape

The nearby reconstructed diamond town contains original relics and with a bit of imagination you can join the sounds and bustle of the early Kimberley. Kimberley also contains many other beautifully preserved and restored buildings from its early days, all well worth viewing.

Elegant residences can be visited by arrangement and it is then that you will discover the 2nd treasure in the town - the friendly welcoming people.

Out at Gum Tree Lodge, (5 km from the centre of town) Mr Shuttleworth the proprietor will introduce you to

another Kimberley treasure. The Lodge has all its rooms looking out on to a central quadrangle of beautiful garden where you can enjoy the quiet splendour of a star studded Kimberley night.

Rooms are beautifully clean and welcoming after superb belly stuffing food and ale on tap at the wooden bar of the adjacent Diggers Restaurant.

Leaving Kimberley, whether you're heading either on the Cape Town, through the dry and dusty Karoo or traversing the maize fields back to Johannesburg. The memories of South Africa’s diamond capital and its hospitality will remain with you throughout your “hole life long” (or should that be whole?)

In addition to the fabulous diamond discoveries which catapulted Kimberley to fame and fortune, and changed the course of history, a rich bounty of alluvial diamonds is mined off the west coast.

The wild and lonely western coastline is also one of the world’s most prolific fishing grounds, providing yet another source of venue.

Wealth there is too, in copper, but to some, the greatest gift of all lies in the extravagant beauty of Namaqualand’s wild flowers.

The

Kimberley

Mine

Museum

The area is also notable for fine examples of Bushman art, abundant deposits of semi-precious stones, and friendly hospitality. Four major wildlife sanctuaries and a number of smaller reserves provide endless opportunities for getting back to nature.

Although the majority of Bushmen have been absorbed by other cultures, a few still live off the land in remote areas of the Kalahari.

They are the survivors of a people who inhabited the entire subcontinent and much of East Africa for many millennia before the arrival of settlers from other parts of the world.

They are totally self- sufficient and dependent on the land for all their needs.

From plants, they produce food, building materials, tools, twine, musical instruments, and bows and arrows. They

are renowned for their extraordinary skills in tracking, stalking and snaring game.

Bushman wall paintings and engravings are found in most parts of South Africa and as far north as Tanzania.

Depiction’s are mainly of animals, hunting scenes, rituals and dances.

The most striking characteristics of Bushman art are boldness and simplicity of design, accurate draughtsman ship and limited use of colour, the latter due to the small number of pigments available to the artists.

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Kimberley. Kimberley Mine Museum. Northern Cape's Best Lodges. The Bushmen ( San ) of the Northern Cape. Detailed Map of Northern Cape. Northern Cape Backpackers Association.