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JOHANNESBURG – UPINGTON – SPRINGBOK ON N14

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Distance: Jhb/Upington: 870 kilometers Upington/Springbok: 380 kilometers
Time: 12 hours 15 minutes

A journey of close on 900km along the ‘Trans-Kalahari' will bring you to the gateway for some of the most unusual and sought-after natural wonders such as the Fish River Canyon, Ai Ais Spa, the Boegoeberg Dam, the Augrabies Falls National Parks and, especially, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

The N14 is found midway between Johannesburg and Pretoria and travels west through Gauteng to the West Rand town of Krugersdorp/Mogale City, an alternate entry point to The Cradle of Humankind ( See Route 13 ) and the Sterkfontein Caves. This western edge of the Witwatersrand is noted for its gold-mining activity which continues through Carletonville in the North West province. Agriculture – particularly maize farming – then prevails through the towns of Ventersdorp and Coligny. Take a short detour to Lichtenburg, where the greatest diamond claim rush in world history, involving approximately 25 000 diggers, occurred in 1927. Sunflowers nod you into Sannieshof where one of the last battles of the Anglo-Boer War was fought. Just 20km south along the N14 is the Barberspan Bird Sanctuary - a must-see for birders! Some 120km along the N14 is the Leon Taljaard Nature Reserve at the town of Vryburg, which is also the junction of the N18 from Mafikeng to Kimberley and the N12 ( See Routes 1 & 4 ). Of interest along the N18 is Taung where Prof Dart found the Taung skull. The next town is the first you encounter in the Northern Cape. Kuruman is acknowledged as the oasis of the Kalahari because of The Eye, a natural fountain delivering nearly 20-million litres of clear water daily. Do visit the poignant Moffat Mission.

As you near the iron-ore mining town of Kathu, you notice the beautiful ‘kameeldoring' or camel-thorn trees. Upington lies 213km to the south-west of Kathu – and there is nothing much in-between except some great 4X4 country! North of Upington on the R360 is the first officially-sanctioned Transfrontier Park in Africa , the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park which combined the former Kalahari Gemsbok National Park with Botswana 's Gemsbok Park in April 1999. Red sand dunes, Kalahari scrub and arid savannah offer one of the best game-viewing and wildlife photography opportunities on the planet. The park's entrance gate is some 250km from Upington, with the last stretch on gravel.

The beautiful but barren southern Kalahari is suddenly transformed into a lush, green, tranquil oasis as Upington lies on the banks of the mighty Orange or Gariep River. This is the crossroads of the N14 and the N10 which travels north to Namibia and south to Prieska, also on the banks of the Orange River, albeit 200km south of Upington. A number of islands in the river at Upington are farmed and are connected to the mainland by bridges. The largest of these, Kanoneiland, is south-west of town along the N14 towards Keimoes. Stretch your legs at the Tierberg Nature Reserve, noted for its many aloes and a lovely view across the Orange River Valley from the summit of the reserve. Some 55km further is the town of Kakamas where adventure sports like rafting, canoeing, hiking, desert adventures and Kalahari back-road safaris are arranged. 8km beyond Kakamas is the road leading to only to the village of Augrabies and on to the spectacular Augrabies Falls National Park where the Orange River thunders through a ravine of ancient granite to rumble over the 56m falls.

50km from the Namibian borderpost of Onseepkans is the semi-desert town of Pofadder where dorper and karakul sheep farming prevails. A quiver tree forest is of note. The 100km stretch of the Kalahari between Pofadder and Springbok is broken by the mining complex at Aggeneys and the mission station village of Pella with its date palms. It is home to the only Catholic cathedral in the Northern Cape. The wide-open spaces and brilliant skies of Springbok await you. ( See Route 8 ).

Suggested stop or stretch towns on the N14: Krugersdorp/Mogale City, Lichtenburg 26km off N14, Sannieshof, Kuruman, Upington , Prieska 200km off N14, Kakamas, Augrabies and Springbok.