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THE NORTHERN CAPE IS THE PLACE TO BE!
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The Northern Cape is home to the Kalahari Desert, the main attractions being the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Augrabies Falls National Park, Mokala National Park, Namaqualand, and Namaqua National Park, Diamond Coast, Witsand Nature Reserve and our lush green Orange River Valley surrounded by barren semi-desert landscape. The Northern Cape also hosts South Africa’s only mountain desert park, the Richtersveld National Park, part of the new Ai-Ais – Richtersveld Transfrontier Park with Namibia and the Richtersveld Conservancy, recently declared a world heritage site.
Uncountable surprises awaits the visitor from the previous restricted Diamond Coast in the west, through the only arid bio-diversity hotspot in the world, the Namaqualand, to the vast plains of the Karoo, dotted with flat topped koppies (hills) in the south to the diamond capital of South Africa, Kimberley in the east.
The variety of these unique ecosystems are better to be experienced with a personalized and knowledgeable guide, who can bring out the best these areas have to offer. Like enjoying unforgettable game drives, stargazing, campfire dinners, wine tasting at the 2nd largest co-operative wine cellar in the world, visiting Private Game Reserves, remote Salt Pans and the last remaining San tribe in South Africa, the Khomani.
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
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The 37 000 square km Kgalagadi Trans Frontier Park is one of the world’s largest conservation areas. The park is sanctuary to herds of gemsbok, springbok, blue wildebeest and red hartebeest. The Park is well known for good sightings of lion, leopard and cheetah and is a bird watcher’s paradise with more than 20 larger raptor species.
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is the first declared transfrontier park in Africa and links the Gemsbok National Park with the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park. The South African side comprises 9591 km² , with a further 28 400 km² on the Botswana side. The Kalahari is a semi arid region with an average rainfall from 150mm to 350mm a year. To survive the long dry spells, animals need large areas to move in to find suitable vegetation. Winter in the Kalahari is cool & dry from May to August, followed by a warm, dry season from September to October. November to January is the hot season with warm weather from February to April with scattered thundershowers.
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park offers 3 main camps on the South African side: Twee Rivieren, Nossob and Mata Mata with chalets and camping facilities. Furthermore it offers 6 wilderness camps: Grootkolk (sand cabins), Kalahari Tented camps (desert tents), Bitterpan (reed cabins, 4x4 only), Kieliekrankie (dune cabins), Urikaruus (stilted cabins) and Gharagab (log cabins, 4x4 only). The new exclusive Xaus Lodge can only be reached with 4x4 too. The Botswana side offers camping at Two Rivers, Rooiputs & Polentswa.There is also a selection of 4x4 trails available: Nossob Eco Trail, Mabuasehube Trail and Kaa Game Viewing trail. For further information see our 4x4 tours.
Augrabies Falls National Park
The Augrabies Falls is the sixth largest waterfall in the world when South Africa’s largest river, the Orange is in flood. The Khoi people called it 'Aukoerebis', the place of the Great Noise, referring to the Orange River thundering its way downwards for 60 metres in a spectacular waterfall. Picturesque names such as Moon Rock, Ararat and Echo Corner are descriptive of this rocky region, characterised by the 18 kilometre abyss of the Orange River Gorge and craggy outcrops dominating scrub-dotted plains.
More than 60 000 hectares on both the northern and southern sides of the Orange River provide sanctuary to a diversity of species, from the very smallest succulents, birds and reptiles to klipspringer, springbok, gemsbok, giraffe, hartman's mountain zebra, kudu, red hartebeest and eland. African fish eagles and black eagles soar the blue skies.
Witsand Nature Reserve
Few eco-destinations in the Northern Cape are as scenic as Witsand Nature Reserve. Only Witsand can offer you sensual, flowing white dunes – twenty to sixty metres high – surrounded by copper-red Kalahari sand, Acacia woodland and the Langberg Mountain range. Home of the famous “Brulsand” or Roaring Sands of the Kalahari. Under the right conditions, these dunes utter an eerie rumble when disturbed. Witsand Nature Reserve is a scenic park, teeming with bird life, including the Namaqua sandgrouse, sociable weaver and Africa’s smallest raptor the pygmy falcon.
Ai-Ais Richtersveld – Transfrontier Park
The Ai-Ais Richtersveld – Transfrontier Park spans some of the most spectacular scenery of the arid and desert environments in Southern Africa. Bisected by the Orange River, which forms the border between South Africa and Namibia, it comprises the Ai-Ais Hot Springs Game Park in Namibia and the Richtersveld National Park in South Africa. The park is jointly managed by South African National Park, Namibia Wildlife and the Richtersveld Community.
Rugged kloofs (ravines), high mountains, dramatic landscapes and sandy planes form South Africa’s largest (160.000 ha) mountain desert park. The harsh Richtersveld nurtures 30% of all South Africa’s succulent species among which the famous “half men plant”. With less than 50mm of rain annually, it harbours leopards, lizards, Hartmann’s mountain zebra, brown hyena, klipspringer, ground squirrel and suricate. It’s the land for adventurers and the indegenous Richtersveld people.
Some of the distinctive features on the Namibian side include the Ai-Ais Hot springs and the 2nd largest canyon in the world, the Fish River Canyon. Ai-Ais, which means, “burning water” in one of the local languages, refers to the sulphurous hot springs which are found in this area. The awe-inspiring Fish River Canyon measures 160 km in length, up to 27 km in width and reaches a depth of 550 m. Although the Park is not known as a game park, springbok, gemsbok, red hartebeest, Hartman’s zebra, kudu, klipspringer and ostrich survive in this harsh land.
Richtersveld – A World Heritage Site
The Richtersveld, including the Richtersveld Conservancy was recently declared a World heritage Site. This harsh and unpredictable land in one of the most remote and hostile corners of the Northern Cape Province and South Africa is home to small populations of Nama people and other ethnic groups. Many of them still practice the old way of sheep – and goat herding from very remote outposts. This diamond rich desert land is home to the richest diversity of succulent plants on Earth and the dramatically shaped mountains, harsh climate and interesting geology make the Richtersveld a unique environment.
Mokala National Park
Mokala National Park is South Africa’s newest Park. The land of the previous Vaalbos National Park near Barkly West was handed back to local people and in a huge operation the game was trans-located from Vaalbos to Mokala. Mokala is situated 80 km south of the diamond city Kimberley. Black- and white rhino, Cape buffalo, roan antelope, tsessebe, black wildebeest, giraffe & eland are some of the species roaming the sandy plains. The grassy plains studded with camelthorn trees and isolated dolerite hills give this place a calming feeling.
Namaqualand
Namaqua National Park is situated in the world's only arid biodiversity hotspot. Namaqualand is home to more than 6000 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. During early August and September, seemingly overnight, the dusty valleys of Namaqualand are transformed into a wonderland, carpeted with wildflowers. Being a winter rainfall area, Namaqualand is home to the richest bulb flora of any arid region in the world. During the rest of the year the Namaqualand is still worth a visit to enjoy the star-studded night skies, rough coastline and the barren landscape with enormous granite outcrops.
Diamond Coast
The Northern Cape West Coast stretching from the Orange River mouth southwards have remained virtually unknown to the public at large as it is within the restricted and previously forbidden diamond mining areas. Today most of these areas are open to the public. The Diamond Coast offers alluvial diamond mine tours, a world-renowned resident seal colony containing more than 350 000 animals, shipwrecks, the Orange River mouth, which is a RAMSAR declared estuary, excellent bird life, rough coastline with unspoilt beaches, spring flowers in season, mild summers and a seafood delicacy, crayfish.
Orange River Valley
In the land of contrasts flows the mighty Orange River, also known as the “Great Garieb”, meandering through the arid, sun drenched Kalahari landscape. The red Kalahari soil and the thundering roar of Augrabies Falls, together with the huge variety of succulents, give this barren area its natural beauty. Upington, Keimoes and Kakamas are the main towns on the Orange River banks. Magnificent views from Tierberg Nature Reserve in Keimoes showcases the lush green Orange River Valley. The river’s blessings are agricultural produce in this arid region and the cultivation of vineyards and affordable, quality wines. The Orange River Wine Cellar is the second largest cooperative wine cellar in the world. The estuary at the Orange River mouth near Alexander Bay is declared a RAMSAR site and is home to many bird species.
Karoo
The vast landscape of the Karoo is full of unexpected surprises. This harsh scrubland dotted with koppies (hills) and windpumps is home to many extensive sheep farmers. The Karoo is a sparsely populated area with friendly inhabitants and isolated small towns with distinct Karoo architecture and imposing churches. The Northern Cape Karoo offers from the longest straight road in the country to spectacular mountain passes, from unexpected water falls to huge pans (dry lakes), from star studded night skies and the largest single, optical telescope in the southern hemisphere to important fossil discoveries, from San rock paintings to interesting small town museums.
OTHER SOUTH AFRICAN PARKS
West Coast National Park
Just inland from the secluded harbour of Saldanha Bay one finds the azure waters of the Langebaan Lagoon, focal point of the West Coast National Park. Thousands of seabirds roost on sheltered islands, pristine golden beaches stretch endlessly into the early morning mist and brooding salt marshes are home to vast concentrations of migrant waders from the northern hemisphere. During the spring the strandveld is embroidered with a tapestry of multi-hued flowers, while in the Postberg section many antelope are to be seen in a setting that is as unique as it is idyllic.
Table Mountain National Park
Situated at the south-western tip of Africa, the Table Mountain National Park encompasses the incredibly scenic Table Mountain Chain stretching from Signal Hill in the north to Cape Point in the south and the seas and coastline of the peninsula.
The narrow finger of land with its beautiful valleys, bays and beaches is surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the warmer waters of False Bay and has within its boundaries two world-renowned landmarks - majestic Table Mountain and the legendary Cape of Good Hope as well as the jackass penguin colony at Boulders Kirstenbosch gardens.
The Park is recognised globally for its extraordinarily rich, diverse and unique fauna and flora - with rugged cliffs, steep slopes and sandy flats - is a truly remarkable natural, scenic, historical, cultural and recreational asset both locally and internationally. Nowhere else in the world does an area of such spectacular beauty and such rich bio-diversity exist almost entirely within a metropolitan area - the thriving and cosmopolitan city of Cape Town.
Marakele National Park (Northern Province)
The Marakele National Park in the heart of the Waterberg Mountains, the transitional zone between the dry western and moister eastern regions of South Africa. Contrasting majestic mountain landscapes, grass-clad hills and deep valleys characterize the park. Rare finds of yellowwood and cedar trees, five metre high cycads and tree ferns, are some of the plant species found here. All the large game species from elephant and rhino to the big cats, antelope species such as reedbuck, mountain reedbuck, eland and tsessebe as well as an amazing variety of birds including what’s probably the largest colony of endangered Cape vultures (more than 800 breeding pairs) in the world, have settled here. Marakele is used as an overnight venue on the last night of the Botswana tours, returning to Johannesburg. 4
Mapangubwe National Park (Northern Province)
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Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site is rich in biodiversity, great scenic beauty and the cultural importance of the archaeological treasures of Mapungubwe. The Park is situated in the most northern corner of South Africa, at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers, overlooking Botswana and Zimbabwe. At Mapungubwe Hill, a far developed African civilisation prospered between 1200 and 1270 AD. The area was already inhabited by a growing Iron Age community from 900 AD and became rich through trade with faraway places like Egypt, India and China. This is the place where archaeologists excavated the famous golden rhino and other evidence of a wealthy African kingdom. Elephant, giraffe, white rhino, eland, gemsbok and numerous other antelope species, lion, leopard & hyena roam free between the three countries and the park is home to 400 bird species. The Limpopo Tree-top Boardwalk and hide is a magnificent facility allowing the visitor into the trees alongside the birds. Mapangubwe is used as an overnight venue on a Botswana tours (Tour V & Y), returning to Johannesburg.
Pilanesberg Game Reserve (North West Province)
Pilanesberg Game Reserve is 2 hours drive from Johannesburg. The vegetation ranges from open grasslands to densely wooded valleys. More than 35 large mammals, including Elephant, giraffe, hippo, buffalo, zebra and 19 antelope species occur in the park. It is sanctuary to the world’s third largest white rhino population. Predators include lion, leopard, cheetah, brown-hyena and smaller species such as large-and small spotted-genets, bat-eared fox, black-backed jackal and caracal. More than 350 bird species have been recorded. Pilanesberg Game Reserve is used as an overnight venue on day 01 on Botswana tours (Tour V, X & Y), departing from Johannesburg.
Accommodation
Hotels, Guesthouses, Bush camps, Chalets and Camping facilities are available to suit your need. We have our own guesthouse MAZURKA WATERS B&B*** and De Duine B&B*** in Upington. Contact us for accommodation.
Transport
Upington has direct air links with Cape Town and Johannesburg. Daily intercity coach services connect Upington with all major centres in South Africa and Namibia. Rented vehicles are available from various rental companies in Upington. We are agents for EUROPCAR.
Your hosts
Your hosts are Dantes and Elize Liebenberg. Dantes is owner/guide and was born and bred in the Kalahari. He is a THETA accredited guide (Northern Cape) and a registered 4x4 guide.
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KALAHARI TOURS & TRAVEL
Physical Address:
12 Mazurkadraai Upington 8801
PO Box 113, Upington
8800
TEL/FAX: + 27 (0) 54 3380375
CELL: + 27 (0) 82 4935041
EMAIL: dantes@kalahari-tours.co.za
Our Motto is:
"Satisfied visitors never complain”
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