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Top 10 Places to Visit in the Northern Cape

By Sandra Olivier

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 18Jun2008 Word count: 839 Viewed: 401 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

The Northern Cape is a refuge for lovers of the outdoors, with its vast wildlife, unique flora and picturesque scenery. It is a land of assorted cultures, and has a long history, stretching back thousands of years. We bring you our list of top 10 places to visit for travelers coming to the Northern Cape.

1. Tswalu Kalahari Reserve

This mysterious desert wilderness situated on the edge of the Kalahari covers some 102 000 ha of land. Tswalu is the largest privately owned game reserve in South Africa and a conservation vision in progress, committed to "restoring the Kalahari to itself". Some of the highlights include true Kalahari Lions, majestic Cheetah and Desert Black Rhino. Tswalu is home to over 70 species of mammal, including Sable and Roan Antelope and more than 250 species of bird. Tswalu is a member of the prestigious Relais & Chateaux and offers guests luxurious accommodation, splendid cuisine, and unparalleled safari experiences including guided walks, horseback safaris and hot air ballooning over the desert landscape.

2. The Orange River

The River stretching 2340 km is ideal for canoeing and rafting with long stretches of open flat water punctuated by rapids and weather that is warm all year round. For wine lovers the Orange River Wine Route makes up 10% of South Africa's vineyards. The Cellars are made up of five wineries and the wine grapes of the Oranjerivier Wine Cellars originate from 794 producers along the Orange River.

3. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

This Park is a result of the unification of South Africa's Kalahari Gemsbok Park and Botswana's Gemsbok National Park and a truly unspoiled ecosystem. The park, at 3.7 million hectares, is one of the largest conservation areas in the world.

4. The Kimberley Big Hole

In 1871, diamonds found on a once flat-topped hill resulted in a mad scramble for fame and fortune. Now the awesome Kimberley Big Hole is the largest hand-dug excavation in the world. Dug by picks, shovels and sheer determination, measuring 215 metres deep with a surface area of 17 hectares - the mine yielded 2 722 kilograms of diamonds.

5. Augrabies Falls National Park

The world's sixth largest waterfall is where the mighty Orange River is at its most impressive. Thundering its way through a ravine and into a pool walled by sheer granite, creating the Augrabies Falls. The name of the falls originated from the Khoi word meaning 'place of great noise' which describes the roar as the falls plummet 56m into the ravine.

6. Sutherland

Sutherland is known for its brilliant night skies and the world-renowned Southern African Astronomical Observatory, a site that houses 10 telescopes, one being 'SALT' (Southern African Largest Telescope). It can record distant stars and galaxies a billion times too faint to be seen with the unaided eye.

7. Kuruman

This little town is blessed with a permanent and abundant source of water. More densely vegetated than most oases, its water flows from Gasegonyana, commonly known as the Kuruman Eye. The Eye is a natural fountain delivering approximately 20-30 million litres of crystal clear water daily, which supplies water for the town, feeds the Kuruman River and spills yet more water into two 7km irrigation canal. It was this fresh source of water that led to the establishment of the Moffat Mission Station here in the early 1900th, naming the eye the 'fountain of Christianity'.

8. Richterveld National Park

The Richtersveld is hauntingly beautiful, with mountains and sandy plains forming Southern Africa's largest mountain desert park, an area covering 160 000 ha. Although harsh and dry, the Richtersveld is a botanist's living laboratory, home to around 30% of all South Africa's succulent plant species. With less than 50 mm of annual rainfall, the Richtersveld is an extremely fragile ecosystem. Surprisingly beautiful, it offers seldom- seen purity of an unspoilt wilderness.

9. Kathu, "the town under the trees"

The name came into being because of Kumba's iron ore mining activities, one of the world's largest open-cast iron mines. The mine is also home to one of South Africa's greatest golfing gems, Sishen Golf Course, a truly unique setting to play a round of golf winding its way through a 500 hectare Camelthorn forest on the edge of the Kalahari Desert. This par 72, 18-hole course is the last masterpiece of Robert Grimsdell and is currently rated in the top 30 best golf courses in South Africa. Being situated off the beaten track, the course is blissfully un-congested and visitors are always assured of getting a game here.

10. The Namaqua National Park

Between July and September Namakwa sheds its drab facade and showers the world with a riot of flowers of every hue, offering rich and splendid brilliance. It contains more than 6 000 plant species, 250 species of birds, 78 species of mammals, 132 species of reptiles and amphibians and an unknown number of insects, making it the world's most diverse, arid environment. More than 40% of these species are found nowhere else on Earth.

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