Prieska, Upper Karoo

243 km south-east of Upington, the town of Prieska lies right on the Orange River in the midst of dry country in the sense that it seldom rains and summer days soar upwards in the region of 40 degrees Celsius.

The unusual name is a derivative of a Koranna word that apparently means 'place of the lost she-goat', about which people speculate - although nobody knows quite which goat, or when.

The area between Prieska and the Namibian border on the other side of the Augrabies Falls National Park, is unofficially known as the 'Rock Garden Route' in reference to the range of rare succulents that grow in this part of the country. These include the quiver tree and 'halfmens' or half human succulents called Pachypodium namaquanum.

Prieska is set at the foot of the Doringberg, its streets littered with older, historic homes with wooden floors and tin roofs, some of which are now zoned for business. Because of where it lies it often serves as a 'halfway house' for those en route to Namibia.

The proximity of the river to Prieska means that the river's edge is lined with irrigation farms (farms that grow crops dependent on water). A little further on and farms mainly raise sheep, cattle and game.

Interesting 'sights' in Prieska:
• the Prieska Museum on Victoria Street includes a display of early farm implements
• Die Bos Nature Reserve is filled with local indigenous trees, shrubs, birds and picnic spots as well as suspended birdges across the Prieska River
• Wonderdraai (wonder corner) is an unusual occurrence where the Orange River forms a U around an island in the shape of a horse shoe that creates the illusion of the river flowing upstream
• a fort built entirely out of tiger eye stone by British soldiers during the South African War
• a memorial garden in town that hold a number of British soldiers' graves
• the Ria Husiamen Aloe Garden - a wonderful collection of succulents
• the Schumann Rock collection that features ancient Khoisan stone tools and semi-precious stones

Additional Reading

For additional information see our article at "Have you been to Prieska?".

Travellers' Reviews

1 Review from SA-Venues.com travellers. All reviews are verified.

Verified reviewpoor

Sad, but the town is run down, the only coffee shop I read about is closed down. The town is dirty with garbage lying around next to the roads.

Adre-Marie (Worcester)

In the vicinity

Hotels & other accommodation options

Things to do in the area

Noteworthy attractions

Find accommodation in Prieska

FIND / South Africa Accommodation / Northern Cape Accommodation / Upper Karoo Accommodation / Prieska Accommodation

Prieska as a destination

Want to stay overnight?

Dates

When would you like to stay?
Choose dates

Number of Guests

Why book with SA-Venues.com
  • Your card is safe with us; strictest card verification in the industry and we don't store card numbers.
  • No airy fairy service fees; you save!
  • We care. Service with integrity.
  • Multiple payment methods:
    credit card, SID instant EFT, bank transfer.
  • All Prieska property owners / managers are verified (our experience protects you from online fraud).
  • Secure your booking
Our Payment Protection Guarantee only applies if your deposit payment is made via SA-Venues.com
Destinations
South Africa. Explore. Experience. Stay

SA-Venues.com® has been assisting travellers with their South Africa travel plans since 1999, and is the largest, independent online travel guide for South Africa available in both English and German.