Upington Information and Tourist Attractions
Upington Information
Upington is situated on the banks of the Orange River and is rich in culture and history. Founded in 1870 as a mission station, the town has expanded rapidly to become the commercial, agricultural and educational centre of the Gordonia district. The Mission station is now the town museum and is also home to the famous donkey statue which recognizes the enormous contribution the animal made to the development of the region.
The rich flood plains of the Orange River provide very fertile soil and fruit crops are grown in irrigated fields. The area is best known for its export quality grapes, raisins and wines. The beauty and tranquility of the Orange River is a huge attraction to people from all over the country.
Upington is the gateway to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Augrabies National Park, the flowers of Namaqualand and the Richtersveld. Upington offers exciting activities such as boating, fishing, watersking, golfing, and hunting. It is an ideal winter holiday resort offering all the modern conveniences. The Orange River Wine Cellars are the largest in the country and offer fantastic wine tasting tours. The South African Dried Fruit Co-Op is the second largest in the world and freshly packed dried fruit can be purchased on the premises. The annual raisin festival attracts visitors from far and wide and provides loads of entertainment for all.
Upington offers tourists vast accommodation options with choices from Hotels, Guest Houses, Bed and Breakfasts, Self Catering, Camping and much more. Food Lovers will not be disappointed as the towns numerous restaurants has something on offer for all tastes.
Upington Climate
Upington has a mild climate receiving most of it’s rainfall during the Autumn months. Average daytime temperatures range from 19.8”C in July to 33”C in February. More information
Places of Interest
SA Dried Fruit Co-operative
Situated on the road to Groblershoop. More than ten percent of South Africa's vineyards or 23,5 million vines are cultivated along the lower Orange River. Products are distributed to the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Canada, Switzerland, the Scandinavian Countries and Argentina. Quality & hygienic packaging ensure that this co-operatives products are rated to be the best in the world. The factory covers an area of more than 2 ha and processes and packs all dried sultanas in the country. Products are sold on the premises. Visiting hours are Mondays to Thursdays at 9h45 and 14h00 as well as Friday mornings at 9h45. The shop is open during normal business hours.
Kalahari Oranje Museum
Built by the Reverend Schröder in 1875 as a church and mission station. Domestic items dating from that era and articles relating to the history of Upington and the lower Orange River can be seen here. The museum is home to the life-sized monument of the donkey, sculptured in bronze by Hennie Potgieter. It symbolizes the unselfish contribution made by the donkey in developing the Lower Orange River Valley during the pioneer days. Museum visiting hours are Mondays to Fridays at 9h00 to 12h30 and 14h00 to 17h00. Closed on weekends and public holidays.
Oranje Rivier Co-operative Wine Cellars
Situated in the industrial area. This five cellar co-operative is the second largest in the world. It presents the visitor with a unique range of natural and fortified wines. Wine tasting & tours are offered, except on Saturdays.
Kalahari Kuierfees
The Kalahari Kuierfees held in October is lots of fun with first class entertainment that caters for the whole family ranging from rides on a donkey-car, shows from various cabaret artists to art exhibitions.
Date Palm Avenue
These palms were planted in 1935 by officials of the then Department of Lands and were declared a national monument in 1982. The length of the avenue is 1041m and consists of more than 200 date palms planted 9m apart. This makes it one of the longest and densest palm avenues in the southern hemisphere.
Augrabies Falls National Park
Few sights are as awesome or a sound as deafening as water thundering down the 56m Augrabies Waterfall when the Orange River is in full flood. The Khoi people called it ‘Aukoerebis’, or place of Great Noise, as this powerful flow of water is unleashed from rocky surroundings characterized by the 18km abyss of the Orange River Gorge. Picturesque names such as Moon Rock, Ararat and Echo Corner are descriptive of this rocky region. Klipspringer and kokerboom (quiver trees) stand in stark silhouette against the African sky, silent sentinels in a strangely unique environment where only those that are able to adapt ultimately survive. The 55 383 hectares on both the northern and southern sides of the Orange River provide sanctuary to a diversity of species, from the very smallest succulents, birds and reptiles to springbok, gemsbok and giraffe. More Information
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Where the red dunes and scrub fade into infinity and herds of gemsbok, springbok, eland and blue wildebeest follow the seasons, where imposing camel thorn trees provide shade for huge black-mane lions and vantage points for leopard and many raptors... this is the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. An amalgamation of the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in South Africa (proclaimed in 1931)and the Gemsbok National Park in Botswana, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park comprises an area of over 3,6 million hectares – one of very few conservation areas of this magnitude left in the world. More Information
