In a long history stretching back thousands of years, a variety of people have interacted in the Northern Cape. In remote northern and western parts of the province, a few old people still speak nearly extinct San and Khoekoe languages such as N/u and Nama, while in the north-eastern areas, Setswana cultural influences have predominated for nearly a millennium. Xhosa groups lived and traded along the Orange River from the late eighteenth century, and missionaries and traders moved through the area during this time. The discovery of copper and then diamonds attracted huge influxes of fortune seekers and migrant workers. The province’s archaeological heritage includes a wide variety of ancient rock art engravings.

The lush, green vineyards of the Orange River’s fertile valleys contrast dramatically with vast tracts of semi-desert in this region. Augrabies Falls National Park is where the Orange River thunders through a ravine and into a pool, walled by sheer granite, creating the world’s sixth largest waterfall. The falls derive their name from the Khoi word meaning “place of great noise”, after the huge roar created as the falls plummet 56m into the ravine. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a truly unspoilt ecosystem. Formed as a result of the historic 1999 unification of South Africa’s Kalahari Gemsbok Park and Botswana’s Gemsbok National Park, at 3.7 million hectares, the park is one of the largest conservation areas in the world. 

In 1871, diamond deposits were found on the farm Vooruitzicht, owned by the De Beers brothers, which led to a rush of feverish diggers crowding New Rush, the mining town surrounding the hill. Spacious homes began to rise from the dust, and, in 1873, the town was renamed Kimberley. The discovery of diamonds in 1871 led to the diggings which became the Big Hole - the largest man-made excavation in the world. A protected vantage point provides a view of the diggings. The McGregor Museum was originally erected by Cecil John Rhodes as a sanatorium. Exhibits reflect the culture and history of Kimberley. In the flower season, between July and September each year, this normally barren landscape is transformed into a vast landscape of wild flowers.

The Hantam National Botanical Garden, the youngest of the South African National Biodiversity Institute’s gardens, is located in a truly remarkable place - one which is world renowned for its incredible diversity of bulbous plants. Yellow, orange, scarlet and hints of white and many other colours cover the south-western area of the Northern Cape in an explosion of spring brilliance. The 160 000ha Richtersveld National Park is a 4 x 4 adventurers’ dream. Although harsh and dry, the Richtersveld is a botanist’s living laboratory, home to around 30% of all South Africa’s succulent plant species. The park is soon to be unified with the Namibia’s Ais-Ais Hot Springs Game Park, forming an immense Transfrontier Park.