Driving along the N8 towards the little town of Keimoes, one cannot help but stare in awe at the contrasting landscape. Lying in an otherwise arid region, the area surrounding Keimoes is green with sultanas, lucerne, wheat and fruit, making it look like an oasis in the semi-desert region.

Like most of the places on the Orange River, Keimoes makes use of the water of this river for the irrigation of the vineyards and is therefore often described as a lost piece of the Boland. However, here they don’t press the grapes into wine, but spread them out on fields to let them dry in the burning sun, to become raisins.

The origin of this little oasis’s name is in dispute. Legend has it that Klaas Lukas, a Koranna river-people leader, established a village on the banks of the Orange River near the Tier Mountains. He called the village Keimoes (mouse nest) after the colonies of mice living there. A more probable origin lies in the Nama words ‘gei’ (great) and ‘mus’ (fountain or eye). Semantics aside, Keimoes is a picturesque little town.

There are a few interesting attractions in the town. A particularly beautiful subject for a photographer is the paddle wheel of the old watermill, which still does its work the traditional way, leading water from the Orange River to the vineyards. The Dutch Reformed mission church, built in 1889, is now a national monument.

Brief History

This section of the Northern Cape’s Green Kalahari is situated 40 km west of Upington. No one is sure where its name meaning “Big Eye”, originates, but two possible explanations are that either it is due to the permanent fountain near the Roman Catholic mission or due to the magnificent view from Tierberg.

This lush valley consists of some 120 islands, all of which are inhabited. Their history is a rich and colourful one. Picture for a moment the Koranna chiefs Klaas Lukas and Piet Rooi hiding with about 10 000 stolen livestock on this island maze in the 19th century. Thus one of these koppies is named Loerberg, translated literally means “Mountain from where one can peep”.

The first water tunnels were completed in 1883 and this then led to the rapid growth of the settlement.