Adrenalin Junkie Activities in the Northern Cape

The gor­geous Northern Cape fre­quently gets a raw deal. Often ignored or over­looked for the more obvi­ously excit­ing altern­at­ives of the Eastern and Western Cape or the Limpopo, it doesn't deserve its Cinderella com­plex, des­pite its appar­ent desert or semi-desert state.

If any­thing, these beau­ti­ful arid plains inter­spersed with haphaz­ard rocky out­crops, bril­liant blue skies, unique fauna and flora and the icy Atlantic that washes its west­ern bound­ary give it a unique beauty all its own. And when it comes to beauty noth­ing beats the floral car­pets that cover these scrub-covered plains come spring, or the star-filled skies dur­ing evenings.

What makes this province par­tic­u­larly attract­ive to adren­aline junkies is its largely open and unpop­u­lated spaces. Rugged trails, dusty back roads, enchant­ing caves, dia­mond fields and the Northern Cape's oasis – the Green Kalahari – offers end­less out­door adven­ture possibilities ...

Uncover the dais­ies in Namaqualand:
It's imper­at­ive to define 'adren­aline type exped­i­tions' around now, before we land ourselves in 'hot water' at wax­ing lyr­ical about flowers.

Whilst dis­cov­er­ing dais­ies in the beau­ti­ful Namaqualand does not require a desired level of fit­ness, it cer­tainly gets the blood pump­ing for the sheer beauty of this magical floral display.

After the first winter rains, seeds that have lain dormant from the year before sud­denly begin to ger­min­ate and as spring begins, burst into flower. Timing is everything, and if you must work up a sweat, then do it at a hop, skip and a jump, or soar over the Namaqualand on a hot air bal­loon! Alternatively hike the Malan Wild Flower Garden in the Goegap Nature Reserve.

Ride the Orange River:
Hardly a tra­di­tional take on the life force of the Northern Cape. The Orange River, Gariep river, Groot River or Senqu River is the longest in the coun­try. Along its banks runs a green agri­cul­tural belt that is in stark con­trast to the rug­ged­ness of the Richtersveld. Sometimes also known as the Green Kalahari, the Orange River is flanked by a com­bin­a­tion of vine­yards, farms and game farms.

A num­ber of canoe tours ride the waters along which there are reg­u­lar camps where you get to sleep under the stars. During the day the waters can vary from smooth and tepid to fast-paced rap­ids. It's a tough but beau­ti­ful view of the Northern Cape's greener side.

Contact: Umkulu Safari & Canoe Trails on +27 (0)21 853‑7952 or Felix Unite on +27 (0)21 702‑9400.

Do the Gariep 3-in-1 Adventure in the Augrabies:
This com­bin­a­tion of canoe­ing, walk­ing and moun­tain bik­ing should get the adren­aline pump­ing. Row 4 kilo­metres through a gorge along the Orange River, then desert hike 4 kilo­metres, and return to camp by moun­tain bike on gravel road for 12 kilometres.

This allows a won­der­ful explor­a­tion of the Augrabies National Park. It's also not the only adven­ture you can fol­low in the park.

You can choose from the Aukoerebis 4x4 eco-trail, and a three day Klipspringer hik­ing trail.

Contact: Augrapies National Park on +27 (0)54 452‑9200 or SAN Parks on +27 (0)12 428‑9111.

Sandboard the roar­ing dunes of the Kalahari:
The beau­ti­ful Witsand Nature Reserve is home to the fam­ous roar­ing sands of the Kalahari (given the right con­di­tions they rumble if dis­turbed, in a dis­tinctly super­nat­ural fashion).

Witsand's white dunes stand rise between twenty to sixty metres and are sur­roun­ded by the equally beau­ti­ful copper-red sand of the Kalahari and the Langberg Mountains.

It is one of the sand­board­ing des­tin­a­tions in the coun­try (rent your board at recep­tion), and on a clear day one can even see Table Mountain from the top of dunes.

Dive for cray­fish at Port Nolloth or Hondeklip Bay:
Spend a morn­ing on a tra­di­tional row­ing cray­fish­ing boat with the local fish­er­men. This part of an almost untouched coast­line is incred­ibly beau­ti­ful. Some of the best cray­fish diving spots are pretty remote and aside from diving gear and a boat, you'll also need a few diving partners.Special licences can be bought in Garies or Springbok ahead of time. Bon apetite! Contact Port Nolloth Backpackers on +27 (0)79 866‑9960.

Paraglide in De Aar:
This excit­ing hybrid of hang­glid­ing and para­chut­ing leaves you sus­pen­ded and fly­ing free as a bird once launched out of an aero­plane, or from a moun­tain launch (the choice is yours, by all accounts). Sitting on little more than a har­ness and air, this is regarded as one of the purest forms of free flight. De Aar, south east of Prieska and south west of the Gariep Dam, has its very own paraglid­ing school that attracts hang­gliders and paragliders from all over the coun­try and indeed the world.

Contact: Fly De Aar on +27 (0)53 631‑1555.

Useful Links:
For more ideas of activ­it­ies in the Northern cape see our grow­ing selec­tion of Things to Do in Northern Cape and browse through our Northern Cape Attractions pages. You are sure to find plenty to keep you busy whilst on hol­i­day in the Northern Cape. And don't for­get to book accom­mod­a­tion — for best rates and no-commission book­ings see Northern Cape Accommodation.