Kuruman

Kuruman is a city of 13,000 people (2011) in the Kalahari district of South Africa. It is known for its scenic beauty and the Eye of Kuruman, a geological feature that brings water from deep underground.

Understand

The Eye of Kuruman

The abundance of water from the Eye of Kuruman produces an unexpected swathe of green amidst the barren plains known as the Oasis of the Kalahari.

Kuruman was at first a mission station of the London Missionary Society founded by Robert Moffat in 1821. It was also the place where David Livingstone arrived for his first position as a missionary in 1841. The Kuruman River, which is dry except for flash floods after heavy rain (a wadi), is named after the town.

Kuruman lies virtually on the edge of the Kalahari at the foot of a range of low hills. However it has relatively mild weather patterns compared to other Northern Cape towns, such as Upington and Springbok, and is surrounded by more vegetation if compared to Upington and Springbok, which are mostly semi-arid to desert environments.

Get in

Kuruman is on the main route between Gauteng and Namibia/Cape Town via Upington.

There is a small airport at Kuruman, but there are no scheduled airline flights, only charter flights. The closest cities with scheduled flights are Kimberly and Upington, both approximately 250 km from Kuruman.

You can catch an Intercape bus to Kuruman.

There is no train station in Kuruman.

See

Church, Moffat Mission

• 1 Eye of Kuruman. A spring that rises in a cave in the semidesert thornveld area in the Kalahari region. The spring gives about 20 to 30 million litres of water daily to approximately 10,000 inhabitants. It is also known as “Die Oog” or “Gasegonyane” in the Kalahari region. It is the biggest natural fountain in the Southern Hemisphere. (updated Aug 2021)
• Moffat Mission
• Wonderwerk Cave
• Boesmansgat/Sinkhole at Mount Carmel Farm. This cave is acclaimed the sixth deepest submerged cave in the world – also known as a sinkhole.
• The Kalahari Meerkat Project, made famous by the television series Meerkat Manor, is nearby.

Do

• Kuruman Hiking Trail
• Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – where you can take mine excursions
• Billy Duvenhage Nature Reserve
• Tswalu Kalahari Reserve – the country’s largest privately owned game reserve
• Bird Sanctuary – wetland area with grass, reeds and trees. There are about 115 species of birds.

Sleep

• 1 The Guesthouse on Main (Denise Lewis), 3 Kriek Street (Off Main Street (N14) from Vryburg), ☏ +27 72 350-0029. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 10AM. The Guesthouse on Main, in its relaxing garden setting, is located just and is close to restaurants, convenience stores, petrol stations and fast food outlets. There is ample off-street parking. Each room has a fridge, kettle, a 54-cm television with satellite channels and are air-conditioned. Each suite has its own entrance. A hearty breakfast is served in the morning. R220-320.