Tsakane Nxumalo is a sergeant in the Black Mambas, South Africa's first all-women anti-poaching team.
Discover South Africa’s Northern Cape off the beaten track
21.07.2023 - 07:45 / roughguides.com
The unique Northern Cape - South Africa’s largest and most dispersed province — is something of a lesser-visited region. It’s also South Africa’sleast populated province, blessed with a landscape of dramatic red dunes, South Africa’s longest river, and a host of desert miracles — sweeping carpets of dazzling wildflowers blooming improbably from the dry earth; glittering diamonds dug from dirt; nature reserves that are as culturally important as they are ecologically significant.
All of this adds up to a destination that truly rewards travellers looking for off-the-beaten-track experiences of a lifetime. Indeed, given its sheer size and the scattered nature of its sites and settlements, it’s fair to say that not a whole lot is actually on the beaten track. From awe-inspiring adventure activities to epic wildlife-watching opportunities; from lesser-visited cultural gems to literal gems (this is, after all, diamond territory), the Northern Cape offers independent-minded travellers an abundance of bucket list-level things to see and do.
Characterised by its vast, mountainous desert, Richtersveld Transfrontier Park is home to the UNESCO Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape. Tucked along a loop of the Orange River, it’s a place of rugged majesty and extremes, with temperatures ranging in excess of 50°C, to drops below freezing during star-bejewelled winter nights. It’s also a place of unique natural wonders.
Take Richtersveld’s flora, for example. The world’s only arid biodiversity hotspot, the park is home to almost 5000 plant species, a whopping 40% of which are endemic. Among its unique species are the halfmensboom (“half-man”) tree, so named for its resemblance to the human form, and kokerbooms, or quiver trees (their branches make excellent quivers for arrows).
Richtersveld in South Africa's Northern Cape © Shutterstock
The park is also home to elegant klipspringer antelopes, elusive leopards, wild cats, and a number of rare bird species, with the land co-managed by local Nama communities as part of the Richtersveld Community Conservancy. And it’s these communities that make Richtersveld such an important cultural site, for the land here sustains semi-nomadic, pastoral practices that have been used in southern Africa for some two millennia.
Travellers interested in culture and history would also do well to visit the region’s ancient petroglyphs. Located on black dolomite rocks throughout the park, perhaps the best of these fascinating geometric engravings can be seen near the Senderlingsdrift border post with Namibia.
As for activities in Richtersveld, community tourism enterprises offer guided hikes along the park’s designated trails, while bird-lovers will want to explore the Orange River. Though
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