Travel to Kimberley

epicentre of the greatest diamond rush in history

Kimberley, although being centrally located in South Africa, is actually the capital of the Northern Cape province.

From around 1870, Kimberley rose to become the world’s leading centre for diamond mining.

The Big Hole, an enormous chasm to the west of the town centre, was excavated by hand by prospectors intent on getting their hands on one of the huge stones that were coming to light.

Gradually, with the help of renowned colonial expansionist Cecil Rhodes, the whole place was brought under the control of the De Beers company, which still exerts a good deal of control over worldwide diamond markets to this day.

Since the initial rush other huge holes have been mechanically excavated around the city. But these days the diamonds are drying up and De Beers has closed its mine.

The town remains a really interesting place to visit, with a tour of the mining museum and a goof at The Big Hole definitely being top of the list.

As fascinating as we find Kimberly and the history of the great diamond rush, it very rarely ends up featuring in a trip.
If you were to visit, then it would most likely be a part of a long self-drive exploration of South Africa.

very rarely features in trips