Upington Travel Guide: Things to Do & Best Time to Visit

Upington combines river-valley greenery with some of South Africa’s most dramatic arid landscapes.

• Augrabies Falls National Park — Watch the Orange River thunder into a deep granite gorge, then walk trails among quiver trees and rocky outcrops.
• Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park — A vast cross-border park of red dunes and dry riverbeds, famous for black-maned lions, cheetahs and raptors.
• Orange River wine route — Taste wines and grape juice produced along the irrigated river valley, one of the country’s warmest wine regions.
• Kalahari Oranje Museum — Housed in an old mission complex, it tells the story of the town and is known for its donkey statue honouring working animals.
• Riverside and Die Eiland — Relax on the palm-lined island in the Orange River, with picnic spots and a long avenue of date palms.
• Spitskop Nature Reserve — Drive or hike to a granite viewpoint overlooking the Kalahari plains and spot antelope along the way.

Upington has a hot, dry desert climate with intense sunshine for most of the year. Summer, from about November to March, is extremely hot, with occasional thunderstorms bringing most of the year’s little rain. Winter, from June to August, brings clear, mild days but cold nights that can drop close to freezing.

The most comfortable months are autumn (April and May) and spring (August to October), when days are warm rather than scorching. These seasons suit game drives in the Kgalagadi and hikes at Augrabies. Early autumn also coincides with the grape harvest along the river.

Upington Airport lies just outside the town, a short drive from the centre. It is a small regional airport handling mainly domestic flights, and is notable for having one of the longest runways in the world.

Car hire is the most practical way to arrive and explore, as distances to Augrabies and the Kgalagadi are long and public transport is very limited. Many guesthouses and lodges can arrange transfers if booked ahead, and taxis can be pre-arranged locally.

Upington is compact, and most visitors combine a night or two in town with stays in nearby parks.

• Riverside — Guesthouses along the Orange River with gardens and views; ideal for a relaxed stopover.
• Town centre — Convenient for shops, restaurants and business travellers.
• Kakamas and Keimoes — Small farming towns among vineyards on the way to Augrabies; good for wine lovers and road-trippers.
• Inside the national parks — Rest camps at Augrabies and the Kgalagadi suit wildlife enthusiasts who want early starts.

• Money: Cards are widely accepted in town, but carry some cash for rural farm stalls and fuel stations.
• Getting around: Hire a car and keep the tank full; distances between towns in the Northern Cape are long.
• Heat: Wear a hat and sunscreen and carry plenty of water, especially when hiking or driving in summer.
• Wildlife: Stay in your vehicle in the Kgalagadi except at designated areas, and respect park gate times.
• Connectivity: Mobile coverage is good in town but patchy or absent in the remote parks, so download maps in advance.