Northern Cape

The Northern Cape - San rock art, diamond diggings, 4X4 safaris

The Northern Cape is noted for its San rock art, diamond diggings, 4X4 safaris and the Kgalagadi Wildlife Park. It is a vast stretch of semi-desert land and home to Namakwaland/Namaqualand. The distance from the capital, Kimberley, on the eastern border to Springbok (in the west) is more than 900km. It is a large, dry region of fluctuating temperatures and varying topographies. As the most arid part of South Africa it offers the visitor an experience that is not elsewhere available.

Towns of the Northern Cape

• Colesberg
• Hanover
• Nieuwoudtville
• Norvalspont
• Richmond
• Sutherland
• Victoria West
• Augrabies
• Douglas
• Grootdrink
• Hopetown
• Kakamas
• Kimberley
• Tswalu
• Upington
• Springbok
• Port Nolloth
• Alexander Bay

For some this sun drenched, often forgotten corner of South Africa, with it’s vast lunar landscapes, it’s misty horizons and remarkable people, may seem a bit forbidding and bleak at first, but beyond this curious façade, one discovers an amazingly dynamic and exquisitely beautiful land, begging to be explored and enjoyed. From the high lying wilderness plateau of the Karoo in the south to the red sands of the Kalahari in the north, from the floral splendour of Namaqualand in the west to the glitter of Kimberley in the east, the area offers an escape in time to a land mostly untouched by the march of progress, a land whose beauty and fascination lie in it’s ancient contrasts

INTRODUCTION

DIAMOND FIELDS

Long gone are the hectic days of the diamond rush and the gay laughter of a lucky digger striking it rich with the turn of a shovel, but the memory lingers on in the museums of this beautiful region. The area’s attractions provide the opportunity to retrace the lives of the colourful characters who made it all happen. The discovery of diamonds in 1866 and 1871 triggered the first diamond rush into the Kimberley area, drawing the world’s fortune hunters to the Northern Cape. The first discovery was made by Erasmus Jacobs in 1866, near Hopetown. This 21,25 carat yellow diamond was later named ‘Eureka’. The second, an 83,50 carat diamond, was made by a Griqua shepherd and later became known as the ‘Star of South Africa’.

Cities / Towns

Barkly West, Campbell, Douglas, Griquastown, Kimberley, Hartswater, Jan Kempdorp, Warrenton, Windsorton

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