Travel to aliwal north and travel in South Africa with Eastern Cape tour operator offering vacation Aliwal North vacations in Aliwal North hotels accomodations in Aliwal North travel holiday Aliwal North holidays to South Africa travel tours top African Safaris & Adventures

Geography: Aliwal North is on the border between the Eastern Cape and the Free State, and 158km north of Queenstown. It lies on a strategic ford on the Orange River, which was used by both the San and the Afrikaans settlers.

History: Sir Harry Smith, the governor of the Cape at the time, commemorated the famous battle in which he defeated the Sikhs at Aliwal in India in 1846, by naming the new town Aliwal North.

Arts and Culture: Owing to the interesting historical value of the town, there are many museums and monuments that people can visit. The Aliwal North Museum has comprehensive exhibits housed in two old buildings; the Old Dutch Reformed church built in 1864 and the library from 1876. Other monuments include the Beestekraal Monument marking the track of the original Afrikaans settlers' ox-wagon trail, a memorial to the men from Aliwal North who died in the First World War, as well as a Garden of Remembrance to commemorate the lives of the 720 women and children who died in the Aliwal North Concentration Camp in the South African (Anglo-Boer) War. Other buildings of interest include St Paul's and the Roman Catholic Cathedral of 1857.

Eastern Cape

Science and Nature: The main attraction of the town is the Aliwal Spa, which has two mineral springs producing millions of litres of warm, mineralised water each day. The 'healing' properties of the water have attracted many visitors and recently the facilities around the springs have undergone a facelift. Visitors can now enjoy good places to stay, shop and eat. The archeologically inclined visitor will find various caves and rock shelters which have excellent examples of San rock art. One of these sites, declared a provincial heritage site, depicts a human figure in white in front of two eland in black.

Entertainment: The complex at the spa is great entertainment for the entire family and includes parks and gardens, outdoor and indoor swimming pools, two children's pools and a waterslide. The outdoor enthusiast can enjoy canoeing, fishing, hiking, mountaineering and river rafting in Aliwal North and its surrounds.

Sport: Sport enthusiasts can enjoy golf, tennis, bowls and freshwater fishing.