Kimberley South Africa

SOUTH AFRICAN SAFARIS AND KIMBERLEY

Kimberley boasts a rich history filled with diamond mines and amazing diamond discoveries! Kimberley is located close to the meeting point between the Vaal River and the Orange River but regardless of its location, Kimberley is known as the place that lies where the big diamond hole is! This hole is commonly referred to as ‘the big hole of Kimberley’ and was man-made through extensive diamond mining… This Northern Cape region was named on the 5th July 1873 after the British Secretary of State, since then any diamond found in this region is referred to as ‘a Kimberley diamond’.

In 1866 Erasmus Jacobs found a small brilliant and eye catching pebble... After analysing it he discovered that it was in fact a real diamond! Jacobs did what anyone would have done at that time and sold it to Schalk van Niekerk who in turn sold it at a substantial profit. This Kimberley diamond was 21.5 carats! In 1871 a bigger diamond was discovered in Kimberley and measured 83.5 carats… after this discovery word got around and the diamond rush era began. Cecil John Rhodes and the De Beer corporation profited immensely from this diamond rush era in Kimberley… to this day De Beers is still a monopoly in the region offering world class diamonds!

During the diamond rush era miners began digging and removing hills in order to find as many diamonds as possible. This resulted in the big hole in Kimberley. The huge crater measures 17 hectares; is 463 m wide and 240 m deep (only 175 m is actually visible as the bottom of the Kimberley hole is filled with water).

The Kimberley mine museum is located directly next to the ‘big hole of Kimberley’ making it a very popular tourist attraction! This museum contains a rich collection of articles and information from the early days. The Kimberley museum was actually the first house ever built in Kimberley and also the first church there. There is also a historic rail carriage that once carried Cecil John Rhodes (governor of the Cape of Good Hope then) to Rhodesia (now commonly known as Zimbabwe and Zambia) and back again. There are also other attractions in Kimberley that travellers might enjoy, such as; digger’s memorial, honoured dead memorial, Kimberley city hall and the De Beers head office.

For the brave travellers there is the world’s only guided tour of an operational diamond mine - this tour will take you 840 m below the earth’s surface… something only the adventurous should try. Otherwise Kimberley is a historic region offering great exploratory and educational tours as well as guided walks and sightseeing trips.

Kimberley boasts continental weather with hot wet summers (December to February) and mild dry winters (June to August). Travel is recommended at any time of the year but between September and November & March and May are the optimal times.

Have a look at our South African Safaris that include the Kimberley region… There are also other South African attractions beneath that you might want to visit on your South African Safari.

Safari Selection

Call Us Toll Free

Africa Countries

Kimberley South Africa

More Safari Attractions in South Africa:

Quick Contact

2013 Brochure