Upington is a town founded in 1873 and located in the Northern Cape province of South Africa on the banks of the Orange River. The town was originally called Olijvenhoutsdrift (‘Olive wood drift’) due to the abundance of olive wood trees in the area but later renamed after Sir Thomas Upington, Attorney-General and then Prime Minister of the Cape. It originated as a mission station established in 1871 and run by Reverend Christiaan Schröder. The mission station now houses the town museum, known as the Kalahari Orange Museum. The museum is also the home of a donkey statue, which recognises the enormous contribution that this animal made to the development of the region during the pioneering days of the 19th century. Upington is the closest centre to the Augrabies Falls and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The landscape is very arid but the soil is fertile and crops such as fruit are grown in irrigated fields. The area is best known for its export-quality grapes, raisins and wines, which are cultivated on the rich flood plains of the Orange River. Read more >
Journey: Namibia Safari