The first Boer Trek to Angola that started in 1874 reaches Lake Ngami (Thirstland Trek) in 1875

Date: 29 Apr 1875
Updated: 30 Sep 2019

The Thirstland Trek is the name given to the exodus of Boer/Afrikaans families, most of them from the districts of Pretoria and Rustenburg, through Northern Bechuanaland to Angola, in search of a country where they could live according to their ideals and ideas. The movement comprised of several separate treks from 1874 to 1905. It became known as the Thirstland Trek on account of the hardships the Afrikaners experienced in the desert. The first Thirstland Trek, which started in 1874 under the leadership of Gert Alberts, reached Lake Ngami on 29 April 1875. Feature: Afrikaner Treks

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01Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar, Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau;
02Potgieter, D.J. et al. (eds)(1970). Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa, Cape Town: NASOU, v. 10, p. 491

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2011, March 16). The first Boer Trek to Angola that started in 1874 reaches Lake Ngami (Thirstland Trek) in 1875. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011051

South African History Online (2011) 'The first Boer Trek to Angola that started in 1874 reaches Lake Ngami (Thirstland Trek) in 1875', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011051 (Accessed: 20 September 2026).

South African History Online, The first Boer Trek to Angola that started in 1874 reaches Lake Ngami (Thirstland Trek) in 1875 [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011051, (accessed 20 September 2026).

"The first Boer Trek to Angola that started in 1874 reaches Lake Ngami (Thirstland Trek) in 1875." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011051. Accessed 20 Sept. 2026.

South African History Online. "The first Boer Trek to Angola that started in 1874 reaches Lake Ngami (Thirstland Trek) in 1875." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011051.