Tourism

New mountain reserves will protect rare plants.

Rare succulent plants in the Succulent Karoo biome have a new level of protection with the declaration of four new parks in the Northern Cape. The Karrasberge Protected Area (pictured) which is the collective name for the four new provincial reserves (Areb, Karas, Marietjie van

Niekerk and Smorgenskadu Nature Reserves) will also preserve these plants for the future enjoyment of visitors. UNESCO has described the Succulent Karoo the “most biologically diverse arid area in the world”.

The WWF reports that the new parks represent about 5 700 hectares of previously unprotected or poorly protected vegetation types: Bushmanland Inselberg Shrubland, Aggeneys Gravel

Vygieveld and Bushmanland Arid Grassland.

The designated land is part of the Northern Cape Provincial

Protected Area Expansion Strategy and the project has come about through the efforts of the Wilderness Foundation Africa (WFA) funded by the Leslie Hill Succulent Karoo Trust (LHSKT) via WWF South Africa, with the cooperation of the land owners and the Northern Cape Department of Environment and Nature

Conservation (DENC).

The provincial government reported that the tourism industry contributed R1.3-billion to the provincial economy in 2018. In that year, a total of 542 769 trips were taken to the

Northern Cape by South African and international visitors.

The Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDaT) reports that in 2018/19 training was provided to 86 tourism entrepreneurs, 43 of whom were young people. SECTOR INSIGHT Country Hotels has eight properties in the province.

Hotels

With eight properties in the Northern Cape covering a range of accommodation options from camping to hotels, the investment strategy of Country Hotels has reached maturity. The group also has a few hotels in the northern Western Cape, catering to the same market of flower-lovers and tourists in search of the beauty of arid landscapes.

The Orange River Rafting Lodge has an obvious purpose while the Namastat Lodge and Caravan Park caters to travellers on the N7. What used to be known as the Hantam Hotel in Calvinia is now the refurbished Calvinia Hotel and Tankwa Lodge offering 25 air-conditioned rooms and easy access to flower-spotting and the Tankwa Karoo National Park.

The Pofadder Inn offers reliable accommodation in one of the region’s smallest towns and the Kakamas Hotel (pictured) is surrounded by vineyards in the Orange River valley, on the route frequented by travellers to popular destinations such as the Augrabies National Park, the Kalahari, Namibia, the Richtersveld and the West Coast.

The riverside town of Upington has a large number of guesthouses and bed-andbreakfast establishments, together with a 90-room Protea Hotel by Marriott. The Protea Hotel by Marriott Kimberley has 117 rooms and three suites and is located right next to the Big Hole. Also near the capital city’s biggest attraction is the historic Kimberley Club Boutique Hotel.

Tsogo Sun has two properties in Kimberley: a 135-room Garden Court and a 64-room budget hotel, SUN1. The Flamingo Casino is run by Sun International and offers gaming tables, slot machines and conference facilities. Kakamas Lodge Credit: Country Hotels

National parks

There are six national parks in the province, each with distinct geographical and biological features. Most of the province lies in the Nama-Karoo Biome and the annual display of spring flowers is spectacular.

The north-western portion of the province is known as the Green Kalahari, much of which is taken up by national parks. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (with Botswana) encompasses 3.7-million hectares, making it one of the biggest conservation areas in the world.

The Kalahari in the north-east is home to many of the province’s biggest mines, but also to great numbers of raptors, vultures and owls. A specialist raptor route has been developed.

A proposed Heritage Route traces the footprints of the early missionaries to Southern Africa and will include Kuruman and the Robert Moffat Mission.

Hunting is a lucrative subsection of the tourism sector that brings valuable economic development to rural communities.

The Diamond Fields region contains the spectacular Big Hole, the Mokala National Park and portions of the famed South African War or Battlefields Route. The Magersfontein War Memorial is an iconic attraction. The town of Kimberley is itself a popular attraction.

The Karoo region encompasses the south-eastern portion of the province. While most of the region is dry, the Vanderkloof Dam is a major tourism asset. Many of the region’s small towns are geared to cater to tourists drawn to the magic of the Karoo’s open spaces and features famous Karoo towns such as De Aar, Britstown, Hanover, Victoria West and Carnarvon. Other attractions are the unique Karoo architecture, rock art, ancient Paleo surfaces, farm stays and the famous Karoo lamb.

The Namakwa region is famous for its flowers, but it also hosts the South African Astronomical Observatory, several historic mission settlements, the Namaqua National Park (on the West Coast) and the awe-inspiring Richtersveld Transfrontier Park. Springbok and Calvinia are the two major towns in this huge district, which is also the only Northern Cape region with a coastline and soon to be the home of a new small harbour. ■

ONLINE RESOURCES

Northern Cape Tourism Authority: www.northerncape.org.za Richtersveld: www.richtersveld-conservancy.org South African National Parks: www.sanparks.co.za World Wide Fund for Nature: www.wwf.org.za