Kimberley

Introduction

The Big Hole!

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Kimberley is located right in the centre of South Africa and is the capital of the Northern Cape province. The city has about 175,000 inhabitants and is the birthplace of the De Beers diamond company, the largest in the world. It has kind of a Wild West feeling and can feel a little rough around the edges (like uncut diamonds!) but it's a great place to spend a day or two and visit its main feature: The Big Hole!

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

The Big Hole

Come and visit what Kimberley is all about: the The Big Hole. This is the largest hand-dug hole in the world and still is owned by De Beers Consolidated Mines company. There are tours lasting about an hour and admission costs 80 rand. It's open every day from 8am until 5pm, except Good Friday (Friday before Easter) and the 25th of December. The tour is surprisinly objective and the downside of mining is also portrayed. Tours include a 20-minute film and walk around to the viewing platforms, where you can see how deep the Big Hole actually is: a massive 800 metres! A turquoise lake fills up most of it though, except the last 150 metres or so. There is also a simulated mining experience which provides a great insight into how bad the life of miners actually was.

Other Sights and Activities

• Galeshewe Township
• Anglo-Boer War Battlefields
• Wildebeest Kuil Rock Art Tourism Centre
• William Humpreys Art Gallery
• Duggan Cronin Gallery

Events and Festivals

Weather

Kimberley has a dry and warm climate. Summers last from November to March when temperatures are mostly around or above 30 °C while nights are actually rather pleasant. Temperatures can get above 40 °C during some days though. Winters last from June to August when it's mostly very clear with blue skies and sunny conditions. Temperatures are way lower but still pleasant at around 20 °C. Nights can get cold though and frost is not unheard of. Although Kimberley is dry, there are showers from September until April.

Getting There

By Plane

Kimberley Airport (KIM) has flights to and from Johannesburg with South African Express and to and from Cape Town with South African Airlink.

By Train

Shosholoza Meyl is the national railway and several trains stop in Kimberley:

• Cape Town - Durban via Kimberley, Bloemfontein, Kroonstad and Ladysmith, 36 hours, tourist and economy class both once weekly
• Johannesburg - Cape Town via Kimberley and Matjiesfontein, 27 hours, premier class twice weekly, tourist 4 weekly and economy daily.

By Car

Kimberley is at the crossroads of the N8 east towards Bloemfontein and the N12 between Vryburg and Britstown, eventually meeting the N1 towards Cape Town.

Sample distances from Kimberley are:

• Johannesburg - 476 kilometres
• Bloemfontein - 177 kilometres
• Cape Town - 968 kilometres
• Durban - 811 kilometres
• East London - 780 kilometres
• Port Elizabeth - 743 kilometres
• Pretoria - 530 kilometres

By Bus

Several bus companies serve Kimberley, among which is Translux. Daily buses go to Johannesburg and Pretoria taking about 7 hours. Daily buses to Cape Town take about 12 hours. Minibuses also travel on these routes and take a little less time. There are also minibuses on a regular basis to Bloemfontein (2.5 hours), Kuruman (2 hours) and Upington (4 hours)

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

• Gum Tree Lodge
• Heerengracht Guest House
• Formula 1 hotel
• Bishop's Lodge

Mid-Range

• Ekhaya Guest House
• Kimberley Club Boutiqua Hotel
• Australian Arms Guest House

Upscale

• Edgerton House
• Protea Hotel

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

The SAPO (South African Post Office) is the nation's postal service. Post offices are open from 8:30am to 4:30pm from Monday to Friday, and 8:00am to noon on Saturdays. Domestic and international deliveries are reliable but can sometimes take up to several weeks. If you want to send something oversees of any value, try using one of the private mail services, like Postnet.