--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Kimberley, South Africa | Wimup" description: "The 10 best things to do in Kimberley, ranked and mapped. The Big Hole, Magersfontein, San rock engravings, flamingos at Kamfers Dam and the drive-in pub, plus when to go." url: https://wimup.com/city/kimberley type: City guide updated: 2026-10-21 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in Kimberley Kimberley, South Africa · Africa · By Wimup Editorial, 14 min read Kimberley is the city the 1871 diamond rush built: a hand-dug crater at its centre, Anglo-Boer War battlefields to the south and San engravings to the west. Below are the ten experiences worth your time, plus the months, roads and bookings to sort before you arrive. ## Quick answer The best things to do in Kimberley are the Big Hole and its mine museum, the McGregor Museum in Belgravia, the San engravings at Wildebeest Kuil, the Magersfontein battlefield and a drink at The Half, the drive-in pub. Give the city two days, three with Mokala National Park, come in autumn or spring, and hire a car: the best sites sit outside town. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** Mar–May · Sep–Oct - **Ideal length:** 2–3 days - **Budget per day:** $60–100 - **Language:** Setswana, Afrikaans, English - **Getting around:** Car hire - **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://www.experiencenortherncape.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## The 10 best things to do in Kimberley ### 1. Look into the Big Hole Mining heritage · West Circular Road, Kimberley Miners dug this crater by hand from 1871 to 1914 and lifted 2,722 kg of diamonds out of it. The viewing platform hangs over the edge; the mine museum and the rebuilt Old Town behind it explain how the rush made De Beers. - **Time:** 2–3 hrs - **Cost:** Entry fee - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Join the first guided tour at 09:00 Links: [Website](https://thebighole.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 2. Spend a morning at the McGregor Museum Museum · Atlas Street, Belgravia, Kimberley Built by Cecil Rhodes as a sanatorium, it sheltered him through the 1899 to 1900 siege and now holds the region's natural history, archaeology and siege story. Its Ancestors gallery is the briefing to read before Wildebeest Kuil. - **Time:** 2 hrs - **Cost:** Entry fee - **Best at:** Weekday morning - **Tip:** Buy the Belgravia walk booklet here Links: [Website](https://www.museumsnc.co.za/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 3. Walk the engravings at Wildebeest Kuil Rock art · R31 towards Barkly West, 16 km from Kimberley Hundreds of San engravings, made between one and two thousand years ago, on a low hill owned by the !Xun and Khwe San. Custodians from those communities guide the walk, and the visitor centre sells their contemporary art. - **Time:** 1.5 hrs - **Cost:** Entry fee - **Best at:** Early morning - **Tip:** Ask for a custodian; the walk is better guided ### 4. Stand on the Magersfontein battlefield Battlefield · Magersfontein, 31 km south of Kimberley Boer trenches at the foot of these koppies stopped the British column marching to relieve Kimberley on 11 December 1899. The field museum explains the battle; the hilltop memorials to the Highland Brigade and the Scandinavians frame the plain. - **Time:** Half day - **Cost:** Entry fee - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Book a guide for the trench line ### 5. Read the walls at the William Humphreys Art Gallery Art gallery · Cullinan Crescent, Civic Centre, Kimberley Opened in 1952 on a collection of Dutch and Flemish Old Masters, it now puts South African painting first, from Pierneef and Stern to Boonzaier. Rock engravings removed from Wildebeest Kuil sit in the collection too. - **Time:** 1.5 hrs - **Cost:** Small fee - **Best at:** Midday heat - **Tip:** Pair it with the Duggan-Cronin Gallery ### 6. Order a drink at The Half Historic pub · 229 Du Toitspan Road, Belgravia, Kimberley The Halfway House Hotel stood between the Bultfontein and Dutoitspan mines, and its bar has served drinkers on horseback and then in cars since the diamond days. Flash your headlights and the order still comes out to you. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** Bar prices - **Best at:** Sundowner - **Tip:** Eat at the Hussar Grill on the same site ### 7. Count the flamingos at Kamfers Dam Birdlife · Kamfers Dam, N12 north of Kimberley Tens of thousands of lesser flamingos feed on this pan on the city's northern edge, and in 2006 it gained the world's first artificial breeding island built for them. Numbers swing with the water level, so expect pink one month and less the next. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Early morning - **Tip:** Bring binoculars; the birds sit far out ### 8. Stand under the Honoured Dead Memorial Monument · Memorial Road, Belgravia, Kimberley Herbert Baker's sandstone tomb for the defenders who died in the siege, unveiled on 28 November 1904 where five roads meet. Long Cecil, the gun built in the De Beers workshops during the siege, stands beside it. - **Time:** 30 mins - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Start the Ghost Trail here after dark ### 9. Visit the Sol Plaatje House Museum Heritage house · 32 Angel Street, Kimberley The home where Sol Plaatje, founding secretary of what became the ANC, wrote Mhudi, among the first novels in English by a black South African. A national monument since 1992, it keeps his books and papers in the old Malay Camp. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** Donation - **Best at:** Weekday - **Tip:** Phone ahead; weekend hours are not fixed ### 10. Drive Mokala National Park Safari · Mokala National Park, Lilydale or Mosu gate SANParks' youngest park sits where the Kalahari meets the Karoo, about an hour south, and its business is rare antelope: roan, tsessebe and both rhino species. The Lilydale gate is the quick one, about 40 minutes from town. - **Time:** Full day - **Cost:** Conservation fee - **Best at:** First light - **Tip:** Fill the tank in Modder River Links: [Website](https://www.sanparks.org/parks/mokala?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## Best museums & galleries in Kimberley (2026) Five collections that cover the rush, the siege, the San and the art the diamonds paid for. 1. **Kimberley Mine Museum** (Entry fee · Big Hole precinct): The Big Hole's own museum, with the rebuilt Old Town, the diamond vault and the mine's working history. [Website](https://thebighole.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **McGregor Museum** (Entry fee · Belgravia): Natural history, archaeology and the siege, in the sanatorium where Rhodes waited it out. [Website](https://www.museumsnc.co.za/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 3. **William Humphreys Art Gallery** (Small fee · Civic Centre): Old Masters on the founding gift, South African painting as the current focus. 4. **Duggan-Cronin Gallery** (Weekdays · Belgravia): Alfred Duggan-Cronin's early 20th-century photographs of southern Africa's peoples. 5. **Sol Plaatje House Museum** (Donation · Malay Camp): The writer and activist's home, kept with his books and papers. ## Siege, war and struggle sites in Kimberley (2026) The siege of 1899, the battle that failed to lift it, and the township that resisted apartheid. 1. **Honoured Dead Memorial** (Free · Belgravia): Herbert Baker's 1904 tomb for the siege dead, with the Long Cecil gun beside it. 2. **Magersfontein Battlefield** (Entry fee · Magersfontein): Boer trenches, a field museum and hilltop memorials 31 km south of the city. 3. **Robert Sobukwe's law office** (Exterior · Galeshewe): The one-man practice the PAC founder ran in Galeshewe from 1975, now a heritage site. 4. **Mayibuye Memorial Precinct** (Free · Galeshewe): Marks the 8 November 1952 Mayibuye Uprising, with murals by local artists. ## Best restaurants in Kimberley (2026) A steak town first, with a Greek grill, a hotel dining room and a mine-era bar in the mix. 1. **The Hussar Grill** (Steakhouse · Belgravia): Aged steaks and grills inside the Halfway House Hotel; book on weekends. 2. **The Fat Greek** (Mediterranean · Belgravia): Greek and Mediterranean plates with a steakhouse menu, and one of the city's best-rated tables. 3. **Copper Oryx** (Fine dining · Royldene): The Kimberley Anne hotel's dining room, the closest the city gets to fine dining. 4. **Occidental Bar** (Pub food · Big Hole precinct): A rebuilt diamond-rush saloon in the Big Hole's Old Town, serving pub lunches. [Website](https://thebighole.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 5. **The Kimberley Club** (Club dining · Belgravia): The 1881 club where the mining magnates met, now a guesthouse with a dining room. ## Best bars & cafes in Kimberley (2026) Two pubs from the diamond years and two daytime cafes for breakfast. 1. **The Half** (Pub · Belgravia): The drive-in bar at the Halfway House Hotel, served to the car since the diamond rush. 2. **Star of the West** (Pub · Big Hole precinct): A Victorian pub from the 1870s, still pulling pints on North Circular Road. 3. **Lyve Cafe** (Cafe · Du Toitspan Road): Breakfast and lunch six days a week, walk-ins only. 4. **Green Bean Coffee Shop** (Cafe · Carters Glen): A garden-centre cafe for breakfasts, wraps and quiche. ## Best neighborhoods in Kimberley (2026) Four parts of a small city, each with its own chapter of the story. 1. **Belgravia** (Heritage · Belgravia): The mining magnates' suburb: the club, the museums and the best of the guesthouses. 2. **Big Hole precinct** (Sights · Central): The crater, the Old Town and the hotels on its rim. 3. **City centre** (Civic · Central): City Hall, Market Square and the station, best seen by day. 4. **Galeshewe** (Township · Galeshewe): The township north-west of the centre, home to the Mayibuye precinct and Sobukwe's office. ## Best day trips from Kimberley (2026) A battlefield, a game park, ice-age rock and the first diamond diggings, all within an hour. 1. **Mokala National Park** (About 1 hr · South): Roan, tsessebe and rhino where the Kalahari meets the Karoo. [Website](https://www.sanparks.org/parks/mokala?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **Magersfontein** (35 mins · South): The battlefield of 11 December 1899, with a guide for the trenches. 3. **Nooitgedacht Glacial Pavements** (30 mins · North-west): Rock polished by ice about 300 million years ago, later engraved by San and Khoe ancestors. 4. **Barkly West** (40 mins · North-west): Canteen Kopje, scene of the first alluvial diamond diggings in 1869, and a small museum. ## Best walks & tours in Kimberley (2026) Three ways to read the city's streets, by day and after dark. 1. **Belgravia Historical Walk** (Self-guided · Belgravia): About 30 historic sites in under 3 km, starting at the McGregor Museum. [Website](https://www.museumsnc.co.za/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **Kimberley Ghost Trail** (Guided · Belgravia): A guided night walk through the city's haunted corners, starting at the Honoured Dead Memorial. 3. **Historic pub tour** (Guided · Central): A guided round of the old bars, The Half and the Star of the West among them. ## Festivals & annual events in Kimberley (2026) - **Meerkat Marathon** (Feb): Billed as the Northern Cape's best-attended road race, run from Bayagro on Kimberley's edge. - **Diamond Marathon** (Mar): Kimberley Harriers' marathon, run every year since 1970. - **Diamonds & Dorings** (Easter): The city's big music festival, a weekend of national acts at the Langley Resort. - **Currie Cup at Griqua Park** (Jul–Sep): Griquas play their home Currie Cup matches at Griqua Park through the season. - **Ya Rona Literary Festival** (Oct): Two days of local writers and readings at Sol Plaatje University, first held in 2026. - **Mayibuye Arts and Heritage Experience** (Nov): Art, food and music in Galeshewe around the 8 November anniversary of the 1952 uprising. - **Northern Cape Arts, Music & Jazz Festival** (Nov): A day of more than 30 artists with crafts and food, running since 2021. - **Kimberley Big Hole Marathon** (Nov): A Comrades qualifier from Sol Plaatje University, with 21 km, 10 km and 5 km races beside it. ## Must-try dishes in Kimberley, South Africa - **Karoo lamb**: Lamb raised on veld herbs, grilled as chops or roasted on the bone. - **Skilpadjies**: Lamb's liver wrapped in caul fat and cooked over the coals. - **Boerewors**: Coiled, coriander-spiced sausage, the anchor of every braai. - **Potjiekos**: A slow stew of meat and vegetables layered in a three-legged iron pot. - **Roosterkoek**: Bread rolls baked on a grid over the braai, eaten hot with butter. - **Vetkoek**: Deep-fried dough, split and filled with mince or syrup. - **Biltong**: Air-dried spiced beef or game, sold by weight at every butcher. - **Melktert**: A custard tart dusted with cinnamon, the country's teatime classic. ## Kimberley transport & airports - **Kimberley Airport** (KIM): About 6.5 km south of the centre, with domestic flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town. Car hire desks sit in the terminal. - **Shosholoza Meyl** (Rail): Long-distance trains stop at the station on Florence Street on the Johannesburg to Cape Town line. Slow and infrequent, so check the timetable first. - **By road** (Car): The N12 runs north to Johannesburg and south to the N1, and the N8 east to Bloemfontein. A car is the only practical way to Magersfontein, Mokala and Wildebeest Kuil. - **Taxis** (Taxi): Metered taxis cover the airport run and evenings in town. Minibus taxis serve Galeshewe and the suburbs but are hard to read on a first visit. ## Kimberley at a glance - **Country:** South Africa - **Province:** Northern Cape (capital) - **Population:** 270,078 in Sol Plaatje municipality (2022 census) - **Founded:** 1871 - **Nickname:** The Diamond City - **Language:** Setswana, Afrikaans, English - **Currency:** Rand (R) - **Time zone:** SAST · UTC+2 - **Calling code:** +27 53 - **Airports:** KIM - **Power:** 230V · Type M/N/D - **Emergency:** 10111 / 112 ## Interesting facts - Kimberley switched on electric street lighting on 2 September 1882, among the first cities in the world to do so. - The Big Hole was dug to 240 m, then partly filled with debris to about 215 m before water flooded it. - Kamfers Dam got the world's first artificial breeding island for lesser flamingos in 2006. - The Half's licence to serve drinkers on horseback was never revoked, so cars get served instead. - Sol Plaatje wrote Mhudi at 32 Angel Street, now a national monument. ## Kimberley travel FAQ ### How many days do you need in Kimberley? Two. One for the Big Hole, the McGregor Museum and Belgravia, and one for Wildebeest Kuil and Magersfontein by car. Add a third for Mokala National Park, and stay the night there if you want the morning game drive. ### Is the Big Hole worth visiting? Yes. It is the reason the city exists, and the museum explains the diamond rush better than anything else in the country. Go on the first guided tour and allow two to three hours for the platform, the Old Town and the vault. ### When is the best time to visit Kimberley? March to May and September to October. Summer afternoons are hot and thunderstorms build in the late day, while winter nights drop below freezing. Spring and autumn give warm days that suit the battlefield and the rock art. ### Do you need a car in Kimberley? Yes. The centre and Belgravia are walkable, but Wildebeest Kuil, Magersfontein, Kamfers Dam and Mokala sit outside town with no public transport to them. Hire at the airport and keep to the main roads after dark. ### How far is Kimberley from Johannesburg? About 480 km on the N12, five to six hours by car, or around an hour by air. Bloemfontein is under two hours east on the N8, and the long-distance train from Johannesburg stops here on its way to Cape Town. ## Nearby guides - [Maseru](https://wimup.com/city/maseru.md): Lesotho · 10 picks - [Gaborone](https://wimup.com/city/gaborone.md): Botswana · 10 picks - [Gqeberha](https://wimup.com/city/gqeberha.md): South Africa · 10 picks - [All of Africa →](https://wimup.com/africa): 64 cities Part of the [South Africa guide](https://wimup.com/country/south-africa.md) · [Africa](https://wimup.com/africa.md) ## Sources - [Kimberley tourism board](https://www.experiencenortherncape.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Look into the Big Hole (official site)](https://thebighole.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Spend a morning at the McGregor Museum (official site)](https://www.museumsnc.co.za/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Drive Mokala National Park (official site)](https://www.sanparks.org/parks/mokala?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.