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Car Rental Services offers you low cost car hire in the Northern Cape with car rental branches conveniently located in Kimberley, Upington, De Aar, Springbok and Khatu. Our car hire rates are inclusive of all insurances and taxes and may also include unlimited mileage and a zero excess. We rent cars from the Northern Cape's top car rental companies, offering you a wide choice of vehicles ranging from economy to luxury rent a cars. Car Rental Services will find you the best deal for car rental in the Nothren Cape.
Contact us to start the easy reservation process to book car hire in Kimberley, Upington and the rest of the Northern Cape. Low cost and best value car hire in the Northern Cape is what we would like to offer you. We can arrange car hire with Europcar car hire, National rent-a-car, Avis, Alamo car hire, Hertz car rental, Budget car hire and other well known car rental companies.
Click below to start the easy reservation process to book your car rental in Limpopo
Satellite Navigation and Smart Tour Guide
Satellite navigation includes our unique Smart Guide, a must for all Northern Cape self drive travelers. Enjoy a guided tour including useful information about South African history, fauna and flora, food, local entertainment, what’s hip, hot and happening in the vicinity as you drive past. A daily service fee applies.
Northern Cape Car Rental - Location Information
KIMBERLEY AIRPORT CAR RENTAL
Kimberley Airport, Kimberley, Northern Cape
Station Code: KIMA
Tel: 053 851 1131/2
Fax: 053 851 1108
Mon - Fri: 06:30 - 20:00
Sat: 08:00 - 15:00
Sun & Publilc Holidays: Meet Reservations
DE AAR CAR HIRE
56 Voortrekker Street, Northen Cape
Station Code:DAAR
Tel: 053 631 2107
Fax: 053 631 0911
Mon - Fri: 08:00 - 17:00
Sat & Sun: Closed
Public Holidays: Meet Reservations
KATHU CAR RENTAL
17 Nieshout Street, Kathu
Station Code: KAT
Tel: 053 723 2417
Fax: 053 723 2417
Mon - Fri: 08:00 - 17:00
Sat & Sun:Closed
Public Holidays: Meet Reservations
SPRINGBOK CAR HIRE
JJ Mining, Inry Street, Industrial Area, Springbok
Station Code: SBOK
Tel: 072 171 3081
Fax: 027 712 1492
Mon - Fri: 08: 00 - 17:00
Sat - Sun: Closed
Public Holidays: Meet Reservations
Northern Cape Province
Kimberley
<>Kimberley is a town in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the Orange River, and is serviced by the nearby Kimberley Airport. The Kimberley Comprehensive Urban Plan (1998) estimates that Kimberley has 210,800 people representing 46,207 households living in the city. Kimberley also hosted a match from the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup.
History
In 1866, Erasmus Jacobs found a small white pebble on the banks of the Orange River, on the farm De Kalk leased from local Griquas, near Hopetown. The pebble turned out to be a 21.25 carat (4.25 g) diamond. In 1871, an even larger 83.50 carat (16.7 g) diamond was found on the slopes of Colesberg Kopje by Esau Damoense, the cook for prospector Fleetwood Rawstone's "Red Cap Party," who was sent to dig on the hill as a punishment for being drunk. This find led to the first diamond rush into the area. As miners arrived in their thousands, the hill disappeared, and became known as the Big Hole. A town, New Rush, was formed in the area, and was renamed to Kimberley on 5 June 1873, after the British Secretary of State for the Colonies at the time, John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley. The British, who had control of much of South Africa, were quick to annex the area of the diamond mine, which became the British colony of Griqualand West. The Boers were upset by this, because they wanted it to be a part of the Orange Free State as it lay inside the natural borders created by Orange and Vaal Rivers. Du Toit Span Road Kimberley, 1899The largest company to operate a diamond mine in South Africa was the De Beers Company, owned by Cecil Rhodes. Very quickly, Kimberley became the largest city in the area, mostly due to a massive African migration to the area from all over the continent. The immigrants were accepted with open arms, because the De Beers company was in search of cheap labour to help run the mines. Kimberley Mine MuseumFive big holes were dug into the earth, which followed the kimberlite pipes. The largest, The Kimberley mine or "Big Hole" covering 170 000 m², reached a depth of 240 m and yielded 3 tons of diamonds. The mine was closed in 1914, while three of the holes – Du Toitspan, Wesselton and Bultfontein – closed down in 2005. On 2 September 1882, Kimberley became the first town in the southern hemisphere to install electric street lighting. The rising importance of Kimberley led to one of the earliest South African and International Exhibitions to be staged in Kimberley in 1892. It was opened by Sir Henry Loch, the then Governor of the Cape of Good Hope on the 8th of September. It presented exhibits of art, an exhibition of paintings from the royal collection of Queen Victoria and mining machinery and implements amongst other items. The exhibition aroused considerable interest at international level, which resulted in a competition for display space. South Africa's first school of mines was opened here in 1896 and later relocated to Johannesburg, becoming the core of the University of the Witwatersrand. In fact the first two years were attended at colleges elsewhere in Capetown, Grahamstown or Stellenbosch, the third year in Kimberley and the fourth year in Johannesburg. Buildings were constructed against a total cost of 9000 pounds with De Beers contributing on a pound for pound basis. Soup ration ticket from the Siege of KimberleyOn 14 October 1899, Kimberley was besieged at the beginning of the Second Boer War. The British forces trying to relieve the siege suffered heavy losses. The siege was only lifted on 15 February 1900, but the war continued until May 1902. By that time, the British had built a concentration camp at Kimberley to house Boer women and children. The city housed South Africa's first stock exchange.
Modern Day
Today, the Kimberley Mine Museum, situated next to the Big hole, is an important tourist attraction that houses a rich collection of articles and information from the early days of the city.Kimberley has proposed the new Kimberley Stadium to be built in May 2007 for the 2010 Football World Cup but the proposal was not chosen as one of the ten venues for the tournament. The McGregor Museum, which celebrated its centenary in 2007, houses a wealth of knowledge about the history and ecology of the Northern Cape. Kamfers Dam to the north of the town is an important wetland containing a breeding colony of Lesser Flamingos. It is the site of intense and imaginative conservation initiatives aimed at bringing people from the city in touch with its wildlife.
Upington
Upington is a town founded in 1871 and located in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, on the banks of the Orange River. Its current population is estimated at 72,198 inhabitants. The town was founded in 1884 and named after Sir Thomas Upington, Attorney-General of the Cape. Upington originated as a mission station established in 1875 and run by Reverend Schröder. The mission station now houses the town museum, known as the Kalahari Orange Museum. The museum is also the home of a donkey statue, which recognizes the enormous contribution that this animal made to the development of the region during the pioneering days of the 19th Century.
View from "Die Eiland" Holiday ResortThe elevation of Upington is 2742 feet (835 metres). It is the closest large centre to the Augrabies Falls, arguably the king of South African waterfalls. The landscape is very arid but the soil is fertile and crops such as fruit are grown in irrigated fields. The area is best known for its export-quality grapes, raisins and wines, which are cultivated on the rich flood plains of the Orange river.
Overview Northern Cape
This province boasts a colourful history and a variety of cultural tourist attractions and is particularly well known for its incredible annual floral display that takes place in Namaqualand.
The Northern Cape lies to the south of the mighty Orange River and comprises mostly desert and semi-desert. The landscape is characterized by vast arid plains with outcroppings of haphazard rock piles. The cold Atlantic Ocean forms the western boundary.
This region covers the largest area of all the provinces yet has the smallest population. The last remaining true San (Bushman) people live in the Kalahari area of the Northern Cape. The whole area, especially along the Orange and Vaal rivers, is rich in San rock engravings. The province is also rich in fossils.
Climate
Apart from a narrow strip of winter-rainfall area along the coast, the Northern Cape is a semi-arid region with little rainfall in summer. The weather conditions are extreme cold and frosty in winter, and temperatures are extremely high in summer. Sutherland, in the Hantam Karoo, is one of the coldest towns in southern Africa with an average winter minimum is -6º Celsius. In winter, snow often blankets its surrounding mountains.
Getting to know the Northern Cape
The Northern Cape’s sheer size, clear skies, flamboyant sunsets, brilliant starry nights and incredible silence is powerfully intoxicating. This is the kind of place you want to take in slowly…
Regions:
The Northern Cape is divided into the following regions:
Diamond Fields – Kimberley and beyond
Green Kalahari – north and northwest valley, home of the Orange River
Kalahari – lunar landscapes in the northeast of the province
Karoo – home of the San people and ancient rock art
Namakwa – a harsh land that comes alive with flowers after the winter rains.
Major attractions in the area:
Richtersveld National Park
Created in 1991, the Richtersveld National Park is situated in northwestern Namaqualand. Here, the landscape is rough and unforgiving. Some of the more rugged landscapes have been given names such as Skeleton Gorge, Devil’s Tooth and Helskloof (hell’s gorge). This area is home to the Nama people – who are mainly sheep or goat-herders and live a simple life in these harsh surroundings.
The Richtersveld is popular with 4x4 enthusiasts and nature lovers.
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
The Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, together with the Gemsbok National Park in Botswana, is Africa's first transfrontier game park, known as the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. It is one of the largest nature conservation areas in southern Africa, and one of the largest remaining protected natural ecosystems in the world. The Park provides unfenced access to a variety of game between South Africa and Botswana, and has a surface area of more than two million hectares.
Augrabies Falls National Park
One of the lesser-known game parks in the country, it is here, on the Orange River, that Africa’s second largest waterfall thunders down into a granite gorge in a spectacular display. Adventure activities are par for the course at this attraction, including rafting, hiking and cycling as well as canoe trails.
During August and September, the area of Namaqualand is transformed into a brilliant carpet of wild flowers. The area is world-famous for its floral beauty – and photographic safaris to the area are very popular with both local and international tourists. Nowadays, it can be said that the Namaqualand experiences something of a `gold rush’ during peak season.
Rock Art
The province is rich in San rock art paintings that date back to time immemorial. The San were hunter-gatherers who lived off the desert, and their rich heritage has been preserved in numerous paintings found in caves all over the Northern Cape region.
Diamond Digging Country
Kimberley boasts an excellent museum called the Kimberley Mine Museum. Part of the museum includes the viewing decks into the Big Hole, as well as a number of historic buildings. Known as a ‘living museum’, the old shops, bars, restaurants, churches and banks appear almost exactly as they were during the diamond digging days.
The famous five-hundred-metre wide cavity that sits at a depth of around 240m was dug manually by pick and shovel by diamond miners (during the gold rush days), and is known to be the largest man-made excavation sight in the world. This ‘Big Hole’ remains the major attraction for visitors to this part of the world.
Moffat Mission Station
Missionaries, Robert Moffat and his wife Mary, arrived
in the Kuruman area in 1820. Their aim was to convert the local people to Christianity, and Moffat was the first person to attempt translating the Holy Bible into Tswana, one of the indigenous languages. Together, they built a mission station, which has now been revived as an educational centre and retreat.
Wonderwerk Cave
Not too far from Kuruman, lies the Wonderwerk Cave. A keen stomping ground for archaeologists and the like, the site is said to be home to human life dating back a long time. The area also includes precious artefacts, fossils and San Rock art.
The Kalahari
The Kalahari is home to endless spaces and huge African skies. This arid wasteland gets its name from the San word `kglagagadi’, which means ‘thirsty land’. The almost lunar landscape boasts a wide variety of unique flora and fauna.
Smalltown Delights
The Northern Province is littered with small towns that are fast growing in popularity with the arty set in search of peace and quiet. Places such as Nieuwoudtville, Calvinia, Poffadder and Springbok are definitely worth a visit - for their warm-hearted local hospitality
Orange River Adventures
For adventure-junkies, canoeing down the Orange River is one way to get an adrenalin rush in this part of the world. Not quite `white river rafting’, the Orange does offer a number of aggressive rapids to add to the roughing-it ambience. Trips down the river can last anything from two to six days and are organised by a number of accredited operators.
Pella Mission
Pella Mission is truly in the middle of nowhere. Approximately 150km from Springbok, Pella boasts a striking yellow cathedral that was built by French missionaries in the late 1880’s. The cathedral is still in use, today, and a central focus for the religious community in the area.
Links:
Richtersveld National Park and Augrabies Falls National Park, visit: www.sanparks.co.za for more information.
For info about Kimberley (and the Big Hole), visit: www.kimberley.co.za
Namaqualand, visit: www.namaqualand.com
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Gaint Quiver tree, Richtersveld National Park
Photo by Walter Knirr. Copyright SA Tourism
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