THE NORTHERN CAPE

The Northern Cape has a unique and different beauty to the rest of South Africa, with it's roling hills, karoo veld and grasslands. Despite the fact that it gets very hot in the Northern Cape, this is an ideal place to come if you are interested in unique plant species, landscapes and the Namaqualand flowers. Several very interesting people groups also make their home in this province, and it is full of diverse cultures.

GEOGRAPHICS

The Northern Cape is generally a hot province, with most of it covered by the Karoo, a vast, arid plateau. Rainfall usually fall during the summer months between November and March, but amounts to only about 250mm per year.

It can get pretty hot in this area with temperatures ranging from 17 degrees Celsius to 32 degrees Celsius in summer time, and during the winter months reaches temperatures of 3 degrees Celsius minimum and 18 degrees Celsius maximum.

LAYOUT

The only main city in the Northern Cape, which is also the provincial capital is Kimberley, where the big hole is located, a diamond digging dating years ago. Other towns in the Northern Cape are Carnarvon, Colesberg, De Aar, Kuruman, Springbok, and Upington.

SURROUNDINGS

There are lots of interesting places to visit in the Northern Cape, such as the Big Hole in Kimberley, the Augrabies Falls National Park, the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park and the Richters Veld National Park. The Orange River is a major tribute to the Northern Cape, as is Namaqualand, ever year when the world famous flowers are in bloom. In the North, it is bordered by the Kalahari desert, which extends all the way up in Botswana.

TRAVEL INFORMATION

To visit the Northern Cape, one should be packed with light, cool clothes as the days can get very hot. The country side is semi desert and one of those areas where a hot summers day can make one really regret not having the proper clothes to wear. In the cooler, winter months, make sure that you have a jacket or two handy, as it can get a bit cold, actually freezing. Some places temperatures will go down to below 0 degrees, so it is always a good idea to have warm clothes, put on in layers that you can throw off during the winter time.

AIRPORTS

There are no airports in this part of the country, although there are one or two small airfields and a couple of private air strips belonging to farmers.

ATTRACTIONS

A “have-to-visit” is Mandjies Fontein where you can step back in time, see a town from the early 21st century and enjoy all the old goodies such as the first petrol pumps and the Prince Edward hotel, set in victorian style.

The Kimberley Big Hole is another must visit, a 19th century diamond digging reminder of days long gone by. It's quite a historical place and tells a lot about this part of the South African history.

Namaqualand with it's range of diverse flowers which just after the winter rainfalls. The entire area is usually covered in a carpet of color, where many and different ranges of flowers come up every year. If you ever wanted to know whether artists used paint brushes, this literally looks like an artist went wild on a canvas!

The Kalahari is a sundrenched landscape with endless horizons, full of historical towns and cultural villages which is a must see for anyone going through the Northern Cape and Botswana.

The Hantam Karoo was an inland sea, many many years ago. Today, fossilised prints of dinosaurs can be seen on the sun baked floor. The Hantam Karoo also boasts with many game reserves, filled with unique vegetation and awsome birdlife.

The Upper Karoo must not be neglected. There are many small, isolated but charming vilages with different cultures and historical diversity all over. Great architecture and ancient churches. This is a must see, as it forms a huge part of South Africa which has it's unique beauty in a way.