Kimberley Big Hole: visiting South Africa's diamond capital without GetYourGuide
What the Big Hole is
The Big Hole (formally the Kimberley Mine) is an open-pit diamond mine excavated between 1871 and 1914. When it was closed, it was 240 metres deep and 463 metres wide. Since then, groundwater has partially filled it — the current water surface is approximately 174 metres below the rim.
It is the largest hand-excavated hole in the world. Every gram of kimberlite removed from this hole was done with picks, shovels, and muscle. At peak (1870s-1880s), approximately 50,000 miners were working simultaneously in and around the pit — a density of labour almost impossible to visualise from the modern viewing platform.
The numbers extracted: approximately 2,722 kilograms of diamonds were recovered from the Kimberley Mine over its 43-year operational life. This is approximately 14.5 million carats — enough to fill a bathtub (a small bathtub, but still). The famous Kimberley diamond, the Tiffany Yellow Diamond, the Eureka (the first diamond found in South Africa in 1867), and hundreds of significant stones came from this ground or its immediate vicinity.
The mine complex and the De Beers museum
The Big Hole has been a heritage site since the mine’s closure. The surrounding complex includes:
The viewing platform: the primary view of the hole itself — a railing at the rim, looking down into the water and the exposed kimberlite walls. The scale is vertiginous. Photographs do not convey it; standing at the edge does.
The open-air mining village: the surrounding open-air museum recreates a section of the 1880s mining town — the buildings, equipment, and social infrastructure of a Victorian boomtown built overnight on dry Northern Cape veld. Buildings include the original De Beers Boardroom (still with original furniture), the Methodist Church, the traditional Kimberley tram (the oldest in South Africa, still operating on a short circuit through the village), and a recreation of the canteen district.
The underground tour (de Beers Mine Museum): takes you below the surface into the mine’s upper workings — not the full 240 metres, but deep enough to see the kimberlite pipe and the drilling and blasting equipment used in the 1880s-1900s. This is the best interpretive element of the Kimberley site.
The diamond hall: displays of uncut rough diamonds, polished stones (mostly reproductions — the actual significant stones are in London, New York, and private collections), and the history of the individual major Kimberley diamonds.
Entry: ZAR 200 adults, ZAR 100 children (2026 approximate, check bighole.co.za for current pricing). Open daily 8am-5pm. Allow 3-4 hours for the full complex.
No GetYourGuide inventory: book direct
The Big Hole is one of the most significant heritage attractions in South Africa with essentially no presence on major aggregator platforms. GetYourGuide has no Kimberley inventory as of 2026. Viator has limited and often outdated options. This is a structural gap that this guide exists partly to address.
Book all Kimberley visits directly:
The Big Hole Museum: bighole.co.za
Phone: +27 53 839 4600
Email: info@bighole.co.za
The underground tour is the element that benefits most from advance booking — group sizes are limited and the tour runs at fixed times. For individual visitors and small groups, walk-up access is typically available, but for groups of 8+ or for guaranteed timing, book 48 hours ahead.
Getting to Kimberley
From Johannesburg: 480 km on the N12 or N14, approximately 5-5.5 hours driving. The N12 through Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp passes through Afrikaner Nationalist heartland landscape — flat, dry, historically charged. The N14 through Vryburg is marginally faster but less interesting.
From Cape Town: 960 km on the N1 through Beaufort West, or the N12 through the Hex River Valley and Worcester. Either route is approximately 8-9 hours. This is a serious drive. Do it over two days: overnight in Beaufort West (a town with its own merits — the Karoo National Park is adjacent) or Colesberg.
By air: the Kimberley Airport (KIM) has scheduled flights from Johannesburg (approximately 1 hour, FlySafair or Airlink, ZAR 700-1,500 return in advance). If you are flying specifically for Kimberley, the flight is far more practical than the drive. There is no direct air connection from Cape Town.
By train: the Trans-Karoo train (Cape Town-Johannesburg) stops at Kimberley. The overnight train from Cape Town arrives early morning; from Johannesburg, it arrives early evening. This is an excellent option for train enthusiasts and for visitors who want to see the Karoo landscape on the way. Book via Shosholoza Meyl (transnet.net).
What Kimberley offers beyond the Big Hole
Kimberley’s history extends beyond the diamond mine. It is also:
The birthplace of Cecil John Rhodes’s empire: De Beers Consolidated Mines was formed here in 1888 by Cecil Rhodes through the forced buyout of smaller claims. The Rhodes Memorial in Kimberley (not to be confused with the Rhodes Memorial in Cape Town) commemorates this history from a perspective that is no longer uncritical. Understanding De Beers’ origins in the systematic dispossession and labour exploitation of African and coloured miners is essential context for the heritage site.
The Anglo-Boer War Siege of Kimberley: Kimberley was besieged by Boer forces for 124 days (14 October 1899 to 15 February 1900). Cecil Rhodes was trapped inside during the siege; his behaviour during it made him considerably less popular than before. The Siege Museum on Currey Street covers this period.
The McGregor Museum: Kimberley’s general history museum, occupying a building where Rhodes lived during part of the siege. Strong collection on the Northern Cape environment, Khoikhoi and Griqua history, and the diamond rush period.
The Kimberley Club: the private members’ club founded in 1881 where Rhodes entertained and dominated Kimberley’s business elite. The building is Victorian and well-preserved. Lunch or dinner at the club restaurant is available to non-members and is one of the more atmospheric ways to close a Kimberley visit.
The ethical shadow over diamond heritage
No honest guide to Kimberley can omit what the diamonds were built on. The labour force that dug the Big Hole was predominantly African and Coloured workers operating under conditions of racial stratification that preceded the formal apartheid system. The compound system — mine workers locked in closed compounds for months at a time to prevent diamond theft and prevent strike organisation — was developed in Kimberley and became the model for mining compounds across South Africa.
Cecil Rhodes made his fortune here; so did Barney Barnato and Alfred Beit. None of them paid their African workers anything approaching a fair wage. The Griqua people, whose land the diamond fields occupied, received no royalties and no compensation.
The De Beers museum complex handles this history with partial honesty — it is mentioned but not foregrounded. A guide willing to provide the full labour history alongside the diamond sparkle is the appropriate response.
FAQ
What is the deepest mine in Kimberley?
The Big Hole itself reached 240 metres (before water fill). The Kimberley Mine’s underground workings extended to approximately 1,097 metres below surface level — not visible from the visitor experience, but documented in the mining records.
Can I buy diamonds in Kimberley?
Yes. The Kimberley Diamond Co. at the Big Hole complex sells polished stones in various cuts and sizes. Pricing is competitive with Johannesburg and Cape Town jewellers. Certification from the Kimberley Process (international diamond traceability standard) is provided for all commercial sales.
Is it safe to drive to Kimberley from Johannesburg?
Yes. The N12 and N14 are well-maintained national roads. Do not drive after dark on the Northern Cape roads — not because of crime but because game and livestock on the road are a real hazard. Plan to arrive at Kimberley before sunset.
What is the Kimberley Process?
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), established in 2003, is an international certification system designed to prevent “conflict diamonds” (diamonds sold to fund rebel movements) from entering the legitimate diamond trade. It was named after Kimberley, where the meeting to establish the scheme was held in 2000. The scheme has been criticised by NGOs for insufficient enforcement, but it remains the primary international instrument for diamond traceability.
