Northern cape

NORTHERN CAPE

The Rugged Regions of the Northern Cape appeal to those seeking broad horizons and peace and quiet. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and contains the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, set in the rolling dunes of the Kalahari Desert. The park is home to the magnificent gemsbok antelope, as well as the delicate springbok and the Kalahari lion, with its distinctive black mane. To the south is the Augrabies Falls National Park, where the river plunges nearly 200 feet into a narrow ravine.

The entire region has only one major town, Upington, the jumping-off point for the Kalahari, the Augrabies Falls and Fish River Canyon, and one city, Kimberley. Kimberley has been dubbed the "City of Diamonds" and its Big Hole bears testament to the diamond-rush days of the last century.