A Weekend Trip
For those who do wish to spend some time in Steinkopf, there are several things to see. The Immanuel Succulent Nursery and Tea Garden, run by the local home for the disabled, displays numerous succulents as well as arts and crafts. The Steinkopf Art Gallery is located inside the old Rhenish Mission Church, featuring paintings donated by the Brecher family.
For 4x4 vehicle enthusiasts, you can take a trip up into the mountains for splendid views. Historically minded visitors may also want to pop in at the Kinderlê memorial or visit the ruins of the old Klipfontein Hotel, which also has several gravesites dating back to the Anglo-Boer War.
Other sights include Annenous, the historic steam train station used for the transport of copper, and Nonahams, the watering point where the original fountain and dam still exist. The Meel Road, also known as the postal road, was built in the 1860s and meanders up the mountain from Annenous to Nonahams and continues to Steinkopf. Today the road is only accessible to 4x4 vehicles.
There isn’t much of a tourism industry here, but the petrol station on the outskirts of town is a good place to fill up before entering the fuelless expanse of the RCC, Residual Catalytic Cracking (method for refining heavy hydrocarbons into lighter fuel products). The adjoining convenience store and café also makes a surprisingly good chicken burger.
The quiver tree is found in abundance in this area. The original huts built by Namaqua inhabitants can still be viewed. These huts provide isolation against heat, rather than the occasional downpour.