At 362,000km², the Northern Cape is the largest province in South Africa comprising almost one third of the country’s landmass. It’s also the least populated, with an average of just two people per km², and its vast plains are criss-crossed by long, deserted roads leading to isolated farms and small rural towns that are inhabited by hardy and friendly folk. The region comprises mostly arid landscapes, including the scrub-covered plains of the Great Karoo, the red sands of the Kalahari, the vast Orange River, the mountain desert of the Richtersveld, and the arid soils of Namaqualand that produce the world-famous spectacular show of wild flowers in spring. Along the Northern Cape’s west coastline, the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean border it, providing a rich source of alluvial diamonds that have washed down the Orange River over the eons. Diamonds are also found in the province’s capital city Kimberley, which is home to the famous ‘Big Hole’, the largest hand-dug hole in the world that dates to the diamond rush of the late 19th Century. The region also encompasses four world-renowned national parks in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park known for its black-maned lions, the Ai Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier National Park with its stark beauty, the Augrabies National Park, which surrounds the sixth largest waterfall in the world, and the newly created Namaqua National Park protecting some of the beautiful flora of Namaqualand. Activities and attractions in the Northern Cape are numerous, and yet this far-reaching wilderness remains mostly undiscovered except by adventurers and those travellers wanting to expand their world. It’s a melting pot of culture and heritage, and life in many areas is still lived according to the traditions of the ancestors. This is the land of the explorer rather than the visitor – and the participant rather than the spectator. Come and see for yourself! --- By Brent Naudé-Moseley
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