Travelling to Pella is a bit like a spiritual journey; navigate the endless plains of the Northern Cape Province, deserting the straight and narrow N12 beyond Springbok to wind your way along backroads towards the rugged course of the Orange River. You will find Pella simmering amidst craggy sun-baked mountains, with a faded yellow cathedral seemingly out of place upon a dusty square surrounded by Medjool date palms swishing in the breeze.
Pella was originally founded by the London Missionary Society in 1814. The mission served as a haven for Khoisan people driven out of Namibia, and named for the village that gave refuge to Christians in Macedonia. Although serene, life at Pella is a continuous struggle against the elements and the contemporary descendants of those early converts scrape through on small-stock farming and growing figs, grapes and pomegranates in the surprisingly fertile, red-oxide soil.
In summer, temperatures may peak at above 60°C, and some droughts last for several years. The ‘Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception’ was built in 1875 by French missionaries with minimal architectural knowledge or skill, using a drawing from the “Encyclopedie des Arts et Metiers” as their artistic inspiration and guide. Pella is pretty much in the middle of nowhere (and the gateway to the Richtersveld), so it’s the perfect place to kick up your feet and soak up the Northern Cape atmosphere.
The Namaqua Eco 4x4 route covers more than 600 km of dirt roads from Pella to Alexander Bay, following the Orange River as closely as possib...