Kimberley

Kimberley is the capital of the Northern Cape and the city that diamonds built. The Eureka diamond was found in the district in 1866, diggers swarmed a low hill in 1871, and by 1914 they had dug the Big Hole 240 m deep by hand and taken out 2,722 kg of diamonds. De Beers was formed here in 1888. It is a long way from anywhere, which is why most visitors are on a road trip between Johannesburg and the Cape or the Kalahari.

Getting there

Kimberley Airport has Airlink flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town. By road, the N12 brings you 480 km from Johannesburg and 960 km from Cape Town; the N8 runs 160 km east to Bloemfontein and 402 km west to Upington. Passenger train services were suspended in 2025. The historic centre is walkable by day, but a car is needed for the outlying sites.

When to go

The climate is semi-arid, with about 404 mm of rain a year, nearly all in summer. Summer days from December to February often reach 36 °C and the record is above 43 °C; winter nights from June to August often drop below freezing while the days stay sunny and clear. Autumn and spring are the comfortable seasons, and there is no real tourist peak.

What to do

The Big Hole and Kimberley Mine Museum is the reason to stop. The pit is 463 m across and 17 ha in area; what you see from the viewing platform is 175 m deep, with another 40 m of water below. The museum complex has a reconstructed mining town of original and rebuilt buildings, an underground mine experience with a cage descent, and the Eureka diamond itself. The orange tram, introduced in 1887, makes a 20-minute circuit of the hole from the museum.

The McGregor Museum, in a building from 1897, is the main history museum, and the Duggan-Cronin Gallery holds some 8,000 photographs of southern African peoples taken between 1919 and 1939. The Honoured Dead Memorial remembers the siege of Kimberley, which ran from 14 October 1899 to 15 February 1900, and the Star of the West has been pouring drinks since 1873. Magersfontein battlefield, 30 km south, has a museum on the Anglo-Boer War battle fought there. Kamfers Dam, 7 km north, holds the largest permanent population of lesser flamingos in southern Africa, tens of thousands of birds at times. Galeshewe township and the Sol Plaatje Museum tell the other side of the city’s history, and the Wildebeest Kuil Rock Art Centre outside town has San engravings.

Good to know

Kimberley has the ordinary South African city problems: keep valuables out of sight, do not walk around the centre at night, and use a car or taxi after dark. Distances between towns in the Northern Cape are long and fuel stops are far apart, so fill up before leaving. Summer heat is serious; carry water and plan outdoor sightseeing for early morning.

Last updated 6 October 2026. Sources: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage, Sun International, South African Tourism.