The Northern Cape covers a vast area of 129 480 square kilometers and a population of only about 3 million. The landscape includes the Vaal and Orange River Valleys lying lushly between the open grasslands of the Karoo with the Kalahari Desert to the north. A place to hike and ride and canoe and camp and game watch, the Northern Cape is a wonderful escape from it all. Farming and mining keep the economy alive while bird watching is recommended, especially a visit to the flamingo colony at  Kamfers Dam, Spitskop dam or the Orange River Estuary.