Olifantshoek

Municipality

Municipality:
District Municipality:

Olifantshoek Tourism Bureau

The Town Clerk
Olifantshoek

Phone number: 053-331-0002

Olifantshoek (Elephant Corner) is named after the tusk of an elephant which was used as payment for the farm on which the town was built.

Attractions

Also see the neighbouring towns

Olifantshoek is a small village to the east of the Langberg mountain, and southeast of the Korannaberg Mountains.

Olifantshoek is 165Km east of Upington on the N14 in an area called the Green Kalahari. Postmasburg is about 65Km to the south of Olifantshoek on the R385. Between the two towns, very small railway stoppings with interesting names are: Lohathla, Glosam, Palingpan, Bokkoppie, Beeshoek.

There are a number of game farms in the area.

Witsand

The White and Roaring Sands in the Witsand Nature Reserve are 70Km southwest of town. Red sand is blown here into dunes from the Kalahari which is bleached by the water taking out the iron oxide. During dry weather the resulting smooth sand vibrate to make a roaring noise. Lightning often create fulgurites when it strikes the sand - these are tube like glazed bits of sand fused by the heat in sections as long as 2m.

San rock paintings

To the south of the town, in the Langberg Mountains, San (Bushman) rock paintings can be viewed at Meerlust and Pan Heuwel farms.

War memorials

Some 1822 War graves can be viewed in town.

Graves from the 1897 Galeshewe War can be seen on the farm Fuller.

Hiking

Neylan and Pudu hiking trails

History

The San (Bushman) people are the earliest known humans to live in the area. Closer to our times, the Tswana people lived in the area.

In 1885 the British annexed the area as part of the British Bechuanaland. Ten years later, Thlaping people, under Chief Luka Jantje, rebelled against the British, but he was killed and Tswana property confiscated by the British.

The first permanent brick buildings were constructed in the early 1900s. The first building, the office of the magistrate and a jail cell, was built in 1906. The first house was built in 1909 by the Cape Mounted Police, Sergeant Hubert Warren.

The semi-desert conditions forced the early police force to use camels for transport, used until 1946.

The village of Olifantshoek was founded in 1912.

Transport

There is an airport just south of Olifantshoek: ICAO Code : FAOF

Economy

Farming, and iron mining

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