Kimberley in the Great Karoo is known for its Big Hole, a remnant of the diamond rush which swept South Africa in the late 19th century.
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The Great Karoo is the name for much of the interior of the Northern Cape. It offers vast majestic vistas in every direction, and superb star-gazing. From the pure silence of a sheep farm to a daisy extravaganza or a dance in the dust, the Great Karoo offers a grand offbeat, South African overland experience. Spanning nearly 400 000 km2 in the geographic midriff of South Africa, the Great Karoo must be one of the quietest places on Earth. It is a place of immense spaces, wide-angle horizons, craggy mountain ranges and conical hills. An ancient inland seabed, and a sky so big that at night it feels like you can touch the stars.
The northern border of the Great Karoo is the Kalahari Desert. Its southern border heads into the Eastern Cape.
In the middle is the diamond town of Kimberley. It is best-known for the ‘Big Hole’ left by the early Diamond Rush of the 19th century. The Big Hole lies at the heart of the Kimberley Mine Museum. There’s also a reconstruction of a Kimberley Street during the diamond boom.
The other fascinating aspect of Kimberley – for history buffs – are the battle sites of the Anglo-Boer War. These include the Magersfontein Battlefield and Modder River Battlefield.
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