Northern Cape Attractions
An utterly beautiful coastline with a dazzling history and a variety of cultural attractions.
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Big Hole: Kimberley developed around this huge hole in the ground, the largest hand dug excavation in the world where diamonds were discovered early in 1871 by prospectors. Between 1871 and 1914, men toiled by hand to remove some 25 million tons of earth from the site. It yielded about 14,5 million carats of diamonds, among them some of the worlds largest diamonds
Kimberley Tram Service: Dates from the beginning of the century and still transports passengers from the City Hall to the Mine Museum every hour. The route leads past a number of historically interesting buildings. Underground mine tours are a big attraction, as are the famous ghost tours.
McGragor Museum: The museum features a collection of natural history specimens and Bushman (San) relics. Other exhibits reflect the early history and development of Kimberley, including the most opulent period in the history of the city.
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Augrabies Falls National Park: The Orange river is an impressive body of water that winds its way downwards for 60 metres in a spectacular waterfall.
Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape: A remarkable mountainous desert of extreme temperatures characterised by a harsh, dry landscape in the north-west of the country that is uniquely owned and managed by the Nama community, descendents of the Khoi-Khoi people.
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Vanderkloof Dam: The second largest dam with the highest dam wall in the country (108 m). The dam attracts a great number of birds and water sports enthusiasts.
Northern Cape 4x4 Trails: The 4x4 trails in the Northern Cape guarantee you of an exhilarating experience that you will never forget. It boasts 6 trails which vary in distances between 10 and 66 km, degrees of inclines, deep dongas and loose rock. You will traverse magnificent passes boasting exquisite views. Bird and wild life are abundant in this beautiful area.
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The Wild Flower Route: One of nature’s grandest infusing the air with fantasy and delight. The splendour of the flowers depends heavily on a good rainfall. Too soon the show is over and the freshly-spilled seeds hide, once again, beneath the soil, awaiting the onset of the first rains of a new and far-off spring. Once seen, Namaqualand in bloom is never forgotten.
Goegap Nature Reserve: Take advantage of a 3 hour guided tours in an open truck, which is conducted seasonally. In this way tourists have a bird's eye view of this floral wonder. Besides the unbelievable number of floral species, Goegap boasts a recorded 45 mammalian species including springbok, gemsbok, the endangered Hartman's Zebra and the aardwolf among several others.
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