Oasis of the Kalahari - 545km

DANIëLSKUIL

...like many other South African towns, owes its existence to the presence of a spring, around which a centre for the surrounding farming community gradually developed. The Tswana inhabitants of the region knew the spring as Tlaka le Tlou, or Tlaka lo Tlou, meaning ‘elephant reeds’, and apparently refers to an elephant killed in the reeds near the spring. The Afrikaans name means ‘Daniel’s pit’ and may stem from the resemblance of a 6-m-deep hole in the limestone to the biblical lion’s den braved by Daniel.

Following the discovery of limestone and diamond deposits in the area, Daniëlskuil has become an important centre for the nearby mines. Points of interest in and around the town are a British blockhouse built during the South African War and the Gaol, a natural limestone sinkhole erroneously said to have been used as a prison by Griqua leader, Adam Kok.

WONDERWERK CAVE

...was formed approximately 800 000 years ago when rainwater charged with carbon dioxide percolated along cracks in the dolomite rock, which eventually dissolved to form a cavity extending 140 m into the hillside. With a floor area of 2 000 m2, this cave provided a perfect home for Stone Age people and is one of the few caves in South Africa to be occupied as far back as the Earlier Stone Age. Among the vast amounts of archaeological relics recovered from the site are hand axes, decorated ostrich egg shell, cleavers, and bone arrow-points.

One of the most significant finds, however, was a small slab of dolomite rock decorated with an engraving, dating back some 10 200 years. Near the entrance to the cave, a variety of animals are depicted in black, yellow, ochre and white rock paintings, while a beautiful stalactite is unlikely to escape attention. The cave was not only home to early humans: from 1909 to 1911, the Bosman family lived in the cave while building their farmhouse, and in the early 1940s they exploited the cave to a depth of 35 m for bat guano.

Although the archaeological material taken from the cave is displayed at the McGregor Museum in Kimberley, displays on the cave’s geology and archaeology at the site museum make a visit well worthwhile.