Location

The far northern part of the Eastern Cape province, on the Gariep (formerly Orange) River, the provincial border with the Free State.

The town was named by soldier and one-time Cape colonial governor (1848-51) Sir Harry Smith in commemoration of his victory over the Sikhs at Aliwal, India, in 1846. Aliwal North played a prominent part in the Anglo-Boer war of 1899-1902; a memorial to those who died in the British concentration camps can be seen at the southern edge of town. Principal attraction for visitors is the local health spa, whose mineral waters flow at a steady 35 degrees Centigrade and are said to cure all manner of ills.

Highlights

The Buffelspruit nature reserve, east of town (antelope, wildebeest, ostrich thrive in the mix of grasslands and Karoo scrub). There are Bushman rock-art sites in the area. To the west, largely in the Free State, is the huge Gariep dam with its surrounding nature reserves.

Amenites:  Tourist information centre (in Somerset Street); hotels (clustered around the spa); restaurants; shops.

Nearest towns

Queenstown; Burgersdorp; Cradock, Bloemfontein capital of the Free State, is just over 200 kilometres to the north (take the N6 national highway)

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ALIWAL NORTH

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PROVINCES

Western Cape
Gauteng
Eastern Cape
Free State
Kwazulu Natal
Mpumalanga
Northern Cape
Northern
North West