Upington

Upington is a town of about 75,000 on the north bank of the Orange River in the Northern Cape, a green strip of vineyards and date palms in the middle of the Kalahari. It began in 1873 as a mission station called Olyvenhoutsdrift and was renamed after Sir Thomas Upington, the Cape attorney-general who cleared out the river pirates. It is the last proper town before Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and the base for Augrabies Falls, and most people pass through on the way to one or the other.

Getting there

Upington Airport has one of the longest runways in the world at 4,900 m, built in the 1960s for fully loaded 747s flying non-stop to Europe; today Airlink flies in from Johannesburg and Cape Town. By road, the N14 comes in from Johannesburg and continues west to Springbok, the N10 comes up from the south, and the N8 from Kimberley is 402 km. Hire a car here if you are flying in; nothing beyond the town is reachable without one.

When to go

This is one of the hottest and sunniest places in South Africa. January highs average 36 °C and the town has been called the sunniest spot on earth from November to January. July days reach 21 °C but nights fall to around 4 °C. Rain is scarce. Regulars say May or September for comfortable temperatures, and to avoid midsummer if you plan to walk in the Augrabies gorge.

What to do

Walk the avenue of more than 200 date palms that runs a kilometre to Die Eiland, the island resort on the river. The Camel Rider statue outside the police station honours the camel-mounted police patrols of the early days, and there is a donkey statue on the same street. The Kalahari-Oranje Museum in the old mission tells the story from the San and Khoekhoen onwards, open weekday mornings and afternoons and Saturday mornings. Orange River Cellars, a co-operative of more than 800 grape growers, has tastings in town, and Sakkie se Arkie is a double-decker floating bar that cruises the river at sunset.

Augrabies Falls, 120 km west along the N14 past the vineyards of Keimoes and Kakamas, drops 60 m into an 18 km granite gorge; the Khoekhoe name means “place of great noise”. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is 240 km north. Quiver trees line the road south to Kenhardt, and the Witsand reserve’s roaring white dunes are a longer day out.

Good to know

Heat is the hazard. Carry water in the car, keep the tank full and leave early for Augrabies or Kgalagadi; distances are long and services are sparse. Roadside farmstalls, padstalle, are the place to stop for dried fruit and coffee. If you leave the tar, drop tyre pressures to about 1 bar in soft sand. Winter nights are icy, so pack a jacket even if the days are warm. The Orange River wines are better than their reputation.

Last updated 6 October 2026. Sources: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage, Daily Maverick, Karoo Space, Wikipedia, Wikipedia.