Richtersveld RouteSNTR logo
Route Map
map of the region

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Towns:
Alexander Bay, Eksteenfontein, Kuboes, Lekkersing, Port Nolloth, Sanddrift, Steinkopf

National Parks:
Richtersveld National Park
Richtersveld World Heritage Site

Other Routes:
Crayfish Route
Diamond Coast Route
Kamieskroon Mountain Route
Hardeveld Route
Nama Route


Port Nolloth Museum and Tourist Information
027 851 8350

Bedrock Lodge
Fred
027 851 8865 (tel/fax)
e-mail: bedrock@telkomsa.net
website: www.bedrocklodge.co.za

Muisvlak Motel
027 851 8046

//Gami /Goas Guesthouse
Marinda: 0736774014

Sizamile Guesthouse
Ursula Mouton: 027 8517628

Port Nolloth Municipality
Alta Kotze
tel: 027 851 1111
fax: 027 851 1101
e-mail: port@lantic.net

Websites
for more infornmation on Port Nolloth, see: www.portnolloth.org.za

ATTRACTIONS

Port Nolloth, formerly known as 'Aukwatowa' (Nama: "Where the water took the old man away"), was virtually uninhabited until the discovery of diamonds in 1926. Old railway tracks bear testament to copper deposits that were mined inland at Okiep and transported by train to be exported from this harbour town in long forgotten days. Sizamile (which means: "we have tried") was built in 1993 and is home to about 1200 people. In 1921, the first black people started living in Port Nolloth in Paraffien-Street on the border of the coloured settlement. Later, they were moved to the Tent Dorp and the Bloukamp, before they settled in in Sizamile. Topographically, the town belongs to the dry and vast Sandveld, and is often shrouded in sea fog locally known as the malmokkie.

Established as a small-vessel harbour in 1854, Port Nolloth is a centre for small-scale diamond recovery and crayfishing industries. Access to much of the South-North coast is restricted by diamond mines but at Port Nolloth you can enjoy sunbathing, walking and line-fishing on clean beaches. Local guides from Sizamile will take you on a walking tour during which they will fill you in on the settlement's rich history, cultural and social challenges and recent developments. Visit the developing chicken farm, vegetable gardens or creche, drink some Namaqualand whisky at the shebeens, and step into shacks as well as RDP (Reconstruction and Development Programme) - houses in this charismatic part of the South-North Tourism Route.

Clean beaches and calm seas at McDougalls Bay invite boating, kayaking, swimming or walking. Enquire about a fishing permit at the tourism office in Port Nolloth (situated in the old post office), and catch your own snoek or yellow-tail fish, which can also be bought from the factory in season, should you be unlucky with your own fishing efforts.

GETTING THERE

Port Nolloth and the informal settlement, Sizamile, are situated on the Atlantic Coast and form part of a circular route through the Richtersveld. Turning off the N7 at Steinkopf the R382 takes you some 90 km to Port Nolloth and Sizamile. From here you can continue to Alexander Bay, Sanddrift, the Richtersveld National Park, Kuboes, Eksteenfontein, Lekkersing and finally back to the R382.

accomodation

Sizamile has yet to develop the facilities to accommodate visitors, but plans are afoot for a guesthouse in the heart of the settlement. There is a lovely Caravan and Bungalow Park in McDougall's Bay, where you will also find Port Indigo guesthouse. Guesthouses such as Bed Rock Lodge and the Scotia Inn are found in Port Nolloth itself, and 7 km outside of town on the road to Alexander Bay is a community-run motel known as Muisvlak.

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