The Northern Cape is the largest sized province in South Africa and allows tourists views of a few of the most striking landscape in the country. It is home to the age-old San people who lived here thousands of years ago. Whilst the San people are gone from the place, their heritage endures in the rock art they have left behind. Aside from the McGregor Museum in Kimberley, you’ll find loads of samples of San Rock Art to be found at many different points down the Orange and Vaal rivers.

Among the best parts of the Northern Cape is the Augrabies Falls National Park. The thundering waterfalls are the focus of an place where people can walk, mountain bike or indulge in paddling outings. The 90m falls plummet down a number of granite cataracts.

Up in the extreme north of the province is the Richtersveld Transfrontier Park which is a joint venture among South Africa and Botswana. It is home to magnificent creatures including the black maned lions, gemsbok and the oryx. This area of the Northern Cape is notoriously scorching, dry and distant. The only standing water is the Orange or Gariep River. There are few roads therefore it is not a straightforward region to go to.

The primary city is Kimberley and along with the quite a few museums, art galleries and aged properties, tourists will also come across “The Big Hole” which had been created as a result of open cast mining for diamonds. It is the biggest manufactured hole on the planet that was dug all through what was the largest diamond rush ever.

Namaqualand is renowned for the blooming flowers that flood the area with a magnificent selection of colours for a handful of brief weeks in August and September. Even so, this part of the Northern Cape is not appreciated very much outside of the flower time of year. The desert and semi-desert regions do have their lure. The sky is wide open and wonderful, the faraway hillsides and the multi-coloured stones produce their very own fantastic spectacle.

Rob Atherton
http://www.robatherton.com