Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Conservation areas include the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, which together with the Gemsbok National Park in Botswana, is Africa's first transfrontier game park, known as the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.
It is one of the largest nature conservation areas in Southern Africa, and one of the largest remaining natural ecosystems in the world. This transboundary park provides unfenced access to a variety of game between South Africa and Botswana, and has a surface area of more than two million hectares.
The San
The San were the first people of the Northern Cape, who were gradually pushed out of the area by the arrival of Europeans and other African tribes. The last remaining true San people live in the Kalahari area of the Northern Cape. The whole area, especially along the Orange and Vaal rivers, is rich in San rock engravings. A good collection can be seen at the McGregor Museum in Kimberley. The province is also rich in fossils. The Wonderwerk Cave at Kuruman features extensive San paintings that may be viewed by appointment.
Sutherland
Be sure not to omit Sutherland from your itinerary. Here you can marvel at the magnificence of the universe that lies above us. Sutherland was chosen to house the The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) due to the absence of city lights and particularly clear night skies. The marvels of the Milky Way are best observed through a lens at SALT, the largest optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere.
Off Road Driving
Off-road enthusiasts are spoiled for choice and are likely to experience a tremendous thrill at Riemvasmaak in the Northern Cape, where Jackie Chan filmed part of his 1998 movie, “Who Am I?”
With three challenging off-road trails traversing moon-like rocky volcanic terrain and dunes, Riemvasmaak offers 160km of rough tracks, deep sand ditches and extremely rocky plateaux. Accessible only by 4x4. One of these trails ends at Riemvasmaak Canyon where you camp and enjoy a wallow in the hot springs.
Verneukpan
'Oh god, what a ride,' were apparently the words spoken by Sir Malcolm Campbell as he stepped out of the nickel-nosed jet-propelled Blue Bird after his attempt to break the land-speed record at Verneukpan ('trick', or 'deception', pan) in 1929. He did crack the speed he had come to beat, but Campbell had been verneuked he'd been delayed a few times by unforeseen events and was six weeks too late.
He never did return to Bushmanland in his new Springbok car as he promised - it must have been the scorpions, puff adders and very sharp stones, not to mention the aircraft accident he had en route, that put him off. Verneukpan is still the biggest salt pan in South Africa though and a favourite place for serious kite fliers and rocketeers. The rumour that a Burning Man festival is held here is not true (it's held in the Tankwa Karoo).