Upington

Introduction

Church

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Situated on the banks of the Orange River, Upington is the largest town in Northern Cape province. It is a gateway to Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, in particular the Kalahari Gemsbok section, as well as a base from which to visit Augrabies Falls.

Sights and Activities

• Upington is about 250 kilometres south of Twee Rivieren, the southern entrance to the Kalahari Gemsbok section of Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. If you don't have your own vehicle, you will need to arrange a safari from Upington in order to see the park. There are several companies in the town, but you should shop around as prices vary wildly.
• Augrabies Falls are about 120 kilometres west of Upington.

Getting There

By Plane

Upington Airport (UTN) has flights with South African Airlink to Cape Town and Johannesburg.

By Train

There is a regular overnight train service with TransNamib, the national railway company of Namibia, from Upington to Windhoek in Namibia via Keetmanshoop. The total trip takes about 26 hours. Although the domestic service from Keetmanshoop to Windhoek rides every day except Saturdays, the train between Upington and Keetmanshoop only rides on two days: from Upington on Sundays and Thursdays at 5:00am arriving 11 and a half hours later in Keetmanshoop and from the latter on Wednesdays and Saturdays around 9:00am, taking well over 12 hours to reach Upington.

By Car

Upington is located at the crossroads of the N14 between Springbok and Johannesburg/Pretoria and the N10 from Port Elizabeth and the border with Namibia.

Sample distances from Upington are:

• Johannesburg - 796 kilometres
• Pretoria - 854 kilometres
• Port Elizabeth - 933 kilometres
• Cape Town - 894 kilometres
• East London - 968 kilometres
• Durban - 1208 kilometres
• Bloemfontein - 574 kilometres
• Kimberley - 397 kilometres

By Bus

Intercape has daily buses to Johannesburg and Pretoria (10 hours), Windhoek (12 hours, 4 times weekly), Cape Town (10 hours, 4 times weekly) and Calvinia (5 hours, 4 times weekly).

Getting Around

By Car

As with most of South Africa, it is best to get around by hired car. Most car hire companies in South Africa have branches nationwide. Those with branches in Upington include Avis, Hertz, Budget Car & Van Rental, and First Car Rental

By Foot

The town centre is small enough to negotiate on foot.

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

• Affinity Guesthouse a comfortable option not far from the centre of town, with rooms starting at about R500. The price includes a truly gargantuan buffet breakfast, and the owners are knowledgeable about the area.

Keep Connected

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.