Upington

Upington is bound by the Orange River and the Kalahari.

Upington is bound by the Orange River and the Kalahari. Upington is the principal city in the Northern Region, an ideal winter holiday resort with all the modern conveniences on the major routes to Namibia and Kalahari, Augrabies, Fish River Canyon and Northern Cape

Upington is a town of beautifully landscaped gardens, many rosebeds and large, graceful trees - all wrapped in a geniune atmosphere of peace and tranquility. The water that gives Upington its cool and emerald character is also essential for the intensive irrigation in the area.

The Upington Raisin Festival has a colourful parade of floats, beauty competitions, craft building competitions, potjiekos, pancakes and lots of fun for family and visitors.

This lush green oasis on the banks of the Orange River is the centre of the Green Kalahari region. The town is centrally situated on the Namakwari Route (Namibia-Namaqua-Kalahari) to and from Johannesburg, Cape Town and Namibia. Easy accessible, excellent accommodation and a well developed commercial infrastructure, make Upington a convenient stopover for those traveling to the Augrabiese Falls National Park, the Fish River Canyon, the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park and Namaqualand. Upington was named after the first Attorney General of the Cape, Sir Thomas Upington. The town was formed by uniting the Upington police station, Christian Schroder’s 1871 mission station and Olyfenhoutsdrift.

GENERAL INFORMATION

How to get there

Kimberley 411 km, Olifantshoek 165 km, Cape Town 894 km, Johannesburg 796 km, Pretoria 854 km

Altitude: 850 m above sea level

Average Rainfall: 195 mm

Average Temperatures

Summer 17,8°c – 34,6°c; Winter 3,2°c – 20,6°c

Banks

Absa (ATM’s 3), Boland (ATM’s 2), Fnb, Landbank, Saambou, Standard (ATM’s 3)

River – Orange

HISTORICAL VIEW

Camel & Rider Statue

Located in front of the police station, the statue honours the ‘mounties’ and their camels who policed the harsh desert territories of the Kalahari from here.

Date Palm Avenue

Declared a National monument in 1982 this avenue forms the entrance to Die Eiland Holiday Resort. Planted in 1935, the lane consists of more than 200 date palms planted 9 m apart. At 1041 m long, it is one of the longest and densest palm avenue in the southern hemisphere.

Dutch Reformed Church

Completed in 1911. Today a national monument.

Hortentia Windmill

Built by the Reverend Christian Schroder in 1879. View from the bridge on the road to Groblershoop.

Kalahari Orange Museum

The museum is housed in the original buildings of the mission station built by the Rev Christiaan Schroeder in 1875. Exhibits reflect the history of the region.

Donkey Monument

The monument of the donkey in front of the Kalahari Orange Museum was erected in honour of the donkey and the role these beasts played in developing the region.

Roman Catholic Church

Built in 1861, the church was renovated in 1947, and declared a national monument in 1982.

Scotty Smith

A legendary figure of the Northern Cape, George, St Leger Gordon Lennox, died in Upington during the 1918 flu epidemic and is buried here.

NATURE

Kanoneiland

14 km long and 3 km wide, Kanoneiland is the largest island in the Orange River.

Loch Maree

24 km in circumference, the largest unworked saltpan in the world is 300 km from Upington, on the far side of Noenieput.

Mier Area

A pristine southern Kalahari wilderness area with dunes averaging 35 km in height. Breathtaking and unforgettable scenery.

Spitskop Nature Reserve

A small game park about 13 km north of Upington, stocked with gemsbok zebra, springbok, ostrich, eland, hartebeest and mountain zebra.

ATTRACTIONS

Annual Events

Northern Cape Expo – April

Ysterspan Festival – October

Raisin Festival

The Raisin Festival is a load of fun with first class entertainment during October. It is also the venue for SAD triathlon.

SA Dried Fruit Co-Operative

The 2^nd largest and most modern of it’s kind in the world. More than 8 000 ha of sultanas and 1000 ha of hanepoot grapes are cultivated on the lower Orange River. Freshly packed, dried fruit is sold on the premises.

Semiprecious Stones

You can view rainbow coloured stones fashioned by the ancient earth at the Museum Office and in the foyer of the Oranje Hotel. Stones include beryl, amethyst, agate, tourmaline, aquamarine, jasper, rose quartz and tiger’s eye.

ORANGE RIVER WINE CELLARS CO-OP

Information & Bookings

This Co-op was established in 1965, with it’s five cellars all situated along the lower reaches of the Orange River. The cellars, which came into production over the period 1968 to 1976, are located at the towns of Upington, Keimoes, Kakamas, Grootdrink and Groblershoop. Upington Cellar enjoyed it’s first wine making season, with Jan Neethling as winemaker, in 1968 – after thorough planning by people like Spatz Sperling, winemaker of Delheim, and H Feil, then of Agrico. Copious rains during the 1969 season, and a resultant surplus of grapes, compelled the board of directors to consider additional cellars. A Cellar was built at Keimoes in 1970 and started production in 1971, with Noel Mouton as winemaker manager. Grootdrink pressed it’s harvest in 1972, directed by winemaker Hennie Sieberhagen. Abundant rains and the floods in 1974 influenced the decision to built yet more cellars, at Kakamas and Groblershoop, with Matthee van Schalkwyk and Jannie Engelbrecht as winemaker manager. They came into operation in 1976. Orangeriver Wine (Co-op) Ltd has 750 members producing 90 000 tons of a wide range of grapes annually. The main cultivars are chenin blanc, sultana and colombard. The two red cultivars which fare well in the area are pinotage and ruby cabernet. Although the vineyards are situated in an arid part of the country, receiving an annual rainfall of only 190 mm (7,5 in), they are all irrigated directly from the river and yield heavy crops. Due to the high summer temperatures experienced in the area, the sugar content of the grapes is very high too – as a result in the area is traditionally known for it’s fortified wines. To date the Co-op has received a total of 1550 awards at wine shows.

ACTIVITIES

4 x 4 Routes

Kalahari 4 x 4 Trail

This tough 250 km can be done in two or three days. A thatch and reed hut complete with flush toilet, running water and bar, sleeps eight people.

Hunting – Altemit, Miershooppan, Sonderpan

Other

Boating, Canoe Cruises, Fishing, Swimming, Water skiing

Accommodation in and around Upington