The Northern Cape
We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Northern Cape - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. George Swanson Enterprises
Other AttractionThis is odd and quite unexpected establishment is an interesting find. If you've grown frustrated driving past land you know contains quartz crystals quietly whiling away eternity, stop at George Swanson Enterprises to dig up some treasures without a permit. Swanson's yard is full of raw rock crystals, water sapphires, turquoise, and blue lace agate along with the entire gamut of semiprecious minerals found in Namaqualand (and Namibia, where Swanson apparently found his first 'treasures'). Even if you don't find a piece of rock that speaks to you, Swanson, who "turns rock into bread," will regale you with anecdotes from his "famous past with American presidents' wives," including his ecology award for the discovery of blue lace agate, which had remained hidden for more than 50 million years until he found it in the 1960s. Swanson's is primarily a working yard, and watching the splitting of the rock is fascinating. Having the option to buy something is a bonus.
28 van Riebeeck St., Springbok, Northern Cape, South Africa027-712–2058 -
2. Goegap Nature Reserve
Each spring, this reserve transforms into a wildflower mosaic, which you can explore on either of two short—4- and 6-km (2½- and 4-mile)—walking trails; mountain biking within the reserve is also permitted. A count has recorded 581 different plant species within the reserve, and there are animals to see, too, including Hartmann’s mountain zebras, oryxes, springbuck, klipspringers, duikers, and steenbuck. There are also some 94 different bird species, including ostriches, Cape eagle-owls, martial eagles, Verreaux's (or black) eagles, Ludwig's bustards, and Damara canaries. Goegap is also home to the Hester Malan Wildflower Garden, which displays an interesting collection of succulents, including the bizarre halfmen or "half person" (Pachypodium namaquanum), featuring a long, slender trunk topped by a passel of leaves that makes it resemble an armless person—hence the name. There are picnic sites, and, during flower season, there's a small on-site kiosk where you can get a bite to eat. Quaint, simple, gas- and solar-powered, three-bedroom chalets cost as little as R1,000 per night per couple. The nightly rate for smaller, more basic "bush huts," with no electricity and shared ablutions, is R250.
R355, Springbok, Northern Cape, 8240, South Africa+27-027-718–9906Sight Details
Rate Includes: R30 -
3. Namaqualand Museum
Displays here tell the history of Namaqualand, the town of Springbok, and the people who've lived here. Items range from some 17th-century pieces to an old fridge and washing machine made of kokerboom (wood from the distinctive "half-man" tree). The museum is housed in an old synagogue. The earliest Jewish traders had a significant impact on the growth of business not only in the area, but in the country as a whole, and, up until the early 1970s, Springbok had a small Jewish community.
Monument St., Springbok, Northern Cape, South Africa+27-027-718–8100Sight Details
Rate Includes: Donations accepted, Closed Sat. and Sun. -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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