Stays in Springbok

Springbok grew out of copper: the first prospecting shaft was sunk in 1685 at Carolusberg, east of town, on the orders of the Cape governor Simon van der Stel. Everything a visitor uses still sits within a few blocks of the Klipkoppie, the granite hill in the middle of town used as a fort during the Anglo-Boer War, with the 1921 stone Klipkerk beside it and the Namaqualand Museum in the former synagogue. Sleep in this centre; both hotels are there. The Springbok Inn, with 87 rooms and secure parking, suits a late arrival after a long day on the N7, and its 7.9 comes from more than a thousand guest reviews. Galenia has only a couple of dozen reviews so far, so read its 8.3 as a promising early score rather than a settled verdict. Goegap Nature Reserve, a short drive east, has a circular drive, the Myers hiking trail and Hartmann's mountain zebra. Namaqua National Park lies to the south near Kamieskroon and has no shop, restaurant or fuel, so fill up in Springbok first. The trap is the flower season: from late July to September every bed in town goes, and the bloom follows that winter's rain, so even an August booking can arrive before the flowers do.