The Northern Cape

  • by Jana Meyer
  • 03 Sept, 2020

From its vast blue skies, to its red earth, golden grasses, quirky quiver trees and striking vistas, the Northern Cape is quite something. The semi-desert beauty is startling and surprising at the same time, with interesting towns breaking up the seemingly endless space – it’s almost as if the province was designed for road-trips. So our Mirjam and Kerstin decided to explore the Northern Cape once again to get to know the places they haven’t known that well before and to check on hygiene measurements (spoiler – all the hotels and lodges they visited took great care and all the necessary precautions were taken). Read here about their little road trip :)


Day 1: We packed our bags for a 10 days trip, took the N1 to a one night stay in Colesberg and enjoyed the view of the Free State. 

Colesberg is a traveller’s oasis on the main Cape Town to Johannesburg route. Colesberg is situated in the Great Karoo in the Northern Cape on the N1 national freeway. Colesberg lies in typical Karoo veld and is surrounded by hills. The most famous is Coleskop, which can be seen from a distance of over 40km.

Day 2: We drove further to Sutherland and spent around 3 hours in the Karoo National Park.

What was once known for being a convenient, single-night stopover for weary travellers between the Cape and inland, has become a Park offering a multitude of activities enticing guests to want to stay longer. A mountain bike trail, guided and un-guided walks, a selection of 4x4 trails, guided game drives, breathtaking landscapes and an array of plant and animal life now sees guests specifically planning visits to Karoo National Park.

Day 3. Sutherland - Rogge Cloof.

Sutherland, what comes to mind when you hear “Sutherland”? Maybe snow or Stars. If so, you're absolutely right – this place is the coldest one in South Africa, but has much more to offer. About a four-hour drive from Cape Town, Sutherland is an excellent weekend getaway for romantics, families and off-the-beaten-track travellers. Once in town, it won’t take long to orientate yourself (in fact, there is only one long tarred main road, and a few dusty side branches that seem to melt into the horizon; it would be difficult to get lost). But, as small as the town is, there are about 40 guest houses ready to welcome you, along with a few restaurants and groceries stores in the main road.

We stayed 4 nights at the Rogge Cloof Lodge, which was an amazing choice. Besides the warm hospitality, the Rogge Cloof offers a Fossil and Fort-Nature Drive – this piece of land comes with lots of history. 

Another really cool tip: the cheetah trekking. We did that on our second day and we were lucky again. It was a beautiful sunny day and a beautiful sighting with an amazingly talented guide.

Day 4. Sutherland to Cederberg Ridge.

We took the R356 (gravel road - there is one stretch they would not suggest a Toyota Corolla. Minimum requirement - Ford EcoSport). A beautiful road, no cellphone reception at all, so you can totally focus on the beautiful nature. 

Eventually you get to Ceres – Ceres is often the starting point for those taking more of a back-road trip from city to city. The road through Ceres became the main route to the north when diamonds were discovered in Kimberley in the late 1800’s. Ceres is nice for a quick stop, but if you look for something really stunning - rather continue to Tulbagh valley for a coffee or lunch.

Day 5: Cederberg Ridge (read our other blog post about this beautiful lodge) – a beautiful place overlooking the panorama of the Cederberg Mountains with its raw, rugged beauty. Truly stunning!

Day 6. We took the Cape Namibia Route northbound and stopped quickly in Vanrhynsdorp. Many people associate the north-western Cape Karoo town of Vanrhynsdorp with the magnificent seasonal blooms of spring. Vanrhysndorp, however, is really all about succulents – and they’re an all-year phenomenon. The town’s first name was Troe-Troe, said to originate from a Nama war cry. It’s centrally situated for travellers going north, south, east or west. Whether they’re headed for the open deserts of Namibia on the N7 or whether they’re exploring southern Namaqualand in September, many use Vanrhynsdorp as a stop-over. Here travellers can also visit a Kokerboom Nursery, which we did. And we stopped in Springbok as well - this is a normal stop if you travel for leisure. But since we were on an educational, we continued to Upington and stopped at the Augrabies Falls.

Day 7: We stayed 2 nights at !Xaus Lodge. We were fortunate to be hosted by the Management couple – truly amazing and warm-hearted people,  we had such an amazing time. Pronounced ‘kaus’, the lodge is a place to experience a unique desert environment, providing accommodation in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park for eco-tourists and visitors to this wilderness area in the Kalahari, really an amazing and unique African experience. The lodge also convinces with their community project and the activities they offer (read more about it on their website).

Day 8: We stay in Upington (again) to check on the possibilities as you have to stay a night before and after in this area. Upington itself is nice for a stopover. Originally known as Kharahais, bound by the Orange River and the Kalahari desert, Upington is the principal town and commercial, educational and social centre of the Green Kalahari, owing its prosperity to agriculture and its irrigated lands along the Orange River.

There is a mall which gives lots of restaurant options. But besides that a trip to the Orange River Winery Tasting room is a must – really delicious wine. And 25km from Upington you can find the Bezalel Wine Estate: https://www.bezalel.co.za/ – trust us, it's worth a visit :)

Also a Kokerboom Nursery is along the road. You can improve on your knowledge there and just experience the indigenous plants.

Day 9: Our plan was to drive back home after those experiences, but then we were informed that there was a snow forecast for Sutherland. So we took this opportunity and drove all the way back to experience our first snow in South Africa. And it was worth every mile.

Day 10: We drove back to Pretoria with amazing new memories of the magical Northern Cape :)