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P ort Nolloth is a small coastal town along South Africa's Atlantic seaboard. Its beaches are exotic, but the town itself is surrounded by arid, brown land dotted with shrubs. You could mistake the landscape here for the Australian Outback. But what this dusty, South African seaside town hides is a once-in-a-lifetime getaway that blends luxury, romance, and adventure. Port Nolloth is famous for the bounty of diamonds lying just off its shore. Located in Northwest South Africa, close to the Namibian border, Port Nolloth benefits from a geological process millions of years in the making. Over the millennia, inland rivers have carried kimberlite, a type of rock containing diamonds, towards the Atlantic, depositing billions of carats along the South African coast. Major diamond producers, including De Beers and Alexkor, have operated here for decades; in all, over 100 operations are licensed to mine diamonds off the South African coast. But there is only one company that will let you discover your own marine diamond, and then cut, polish, and set that diamond into a bespoke engagement ring for your loved one. Beginning in 2016, Benguela Diamonds, in partnership with the Ellerman House of Cape Town and Fronteirs International Travel, has offered luxury adventurers the chance to embark on the world's only "diamond safari." Guests on this expedition are able to participate in and experience first-hand the process of taking a seafloor diamond and turning it into a piece of custom, handmade jewelry. VUE ON TRAVEL V U E N J . C O M 59

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