Upper Karoo, Northern Cape
The Karoo is famous for its wide open spaces and healthy climate. The seemingly arid soil of the Karoo bursts into life after rains, which totally transform the landscape. Hardy succulents are complemented by grasses on which the region’s cattle graze. Seemingly countless windpumps are indicative of the countless streams that flow between cracks and fissures that lie beneath the dry but fertile soil.
Small towns with distinct Karoo architecture and their imposing churches lie in the valleys between lone flat-topped koppies. Visit Colesberg, (a perfectly situated stopover for travellers from Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal to the Cape) a sheep-farming centre, then travel on to Hopetown where South Africa’s first recorded diamond was found. Return via Orania which is a self-proclaimed Afrikaner 'volkstaat', and take some time to visit the Rolfontein Reserve on the shores of the Vanderkloof Dam.
Destinations / Town & Suburbs of Upper Karoo
Britstown
Where to Stay: Upper Karoo Accommodation
Britstown is a small farming town, named after Hans Brits who settled here after accompanied David Livingstone on a venture into the interior. It was in the days of The Great Diamond rush in 1877 that Britstown came ... Britstown information
Calvinia
Where to Stay: Upper Karoo Accommodation
This attractive Karoo town lies in one of the largest wool-producing districts in South Africa. The Calvinia Museum, housed in an old Art Deco synagogue in Church Street, focuses on farming, transport and the lifestyle ... Calvinia information
Colesberg
Where to Stay: Accommodation in Colesberg
This quiet Karoo town which serves a thriving horse and sheep stud district, has retained a few interesting reminders of the past. When visiting Colesberg, make a point of visiting the old horse-driven mill pub, the ... Colesberg information
De Aar
Where to Stay: Upper Karoo Accommodation
De Aar is the second most important railway junction in South Africa. In De Aar, the lines from the Eastern and Western Cape, the northern provinces, Zimbabwe and Namibia meet. The town has 110 km of track and a high ... De Aar information
Gariep Dam
Where to Stay: Accommodation in Gariep Dam
South Africa’s largest water storage reservoir, the Gariep Dam, is placed on the Orange River between the Northern Cape and the Free State just 30 kilometres east of Colesberg. Apart from serving an important ... Gariep Dam information
Hanover
Where to Stay: Accommodation in Hanover
The little Karoo town of Hanover is often described as the town in the middle of South Africa. It lies halfway between Johannesburg and Cape Town; between Cape Town and Durban, and between Upington and Port Elizabeth. ... Hanover information
Hopetown
Where to Stay: Upper Karoo Accommodation
The first diamond discovered in South Africa was found at Hopetown. It was the 23,25 carat Eureka, and soon after its discovery the 83,5 carat Star of Africa was found nearby. It was the discovery of this second diamond ... Hopetown information
Loxton
Where to Stay: Accommodation in Loxton
Travelling through the Karoo along the popular R63 towards the West Coast and Namaqualand, the road passes through a little cutting in a hill before revealing the tiny village of Loxton that stands surrounded by endless ... Loxton information
Marydale
Where to Stay: Upper Karoo Accommodation
North-west of the village of Marydale, at Koegas, a quiver tree forest provides an unusual spectacle. Water sports and angling are popular pursuits at Boegoeberg Dam Resort, some 40 km from Marydale. The town depends ... Marydale information
Nieuwoudtville
Where to Stay: Upper Karoo Accommodation
Nieuwoudtville is known for its unique vegetation and the 100m high Nieuwoudtville Falls, on the Doring River. Nieuwoudtville has a vast variety of plant life. Ten kilometres south of town, the Oorlogskloof Nature ... Nieuwoudtville information
Norvalspont
Where to Stay: Upper Karoo Accommodation
Norvalspont, as the word 'pont' in its name suggests (a pont is a ferry boat or punt), lies on the southern banks of the Orange River minutes from the Gariep Dam. It is also really close to the border of the Northern Cape... norvalspont information
Prieska
Where to Stay: Upper Karoo Accommodation
Set on the south bank of the Orange River at the foot of the Doringberg, Prieska is renowned for its semi-precious stones. A British fort (Anglo-Boer War) perches on the summit of the Prieska Koppie (hill). Impressive ... Prieska information
Richmond
Where to Stay: Upper Karoo Accommodation
The little town of Richmond lies nestled next to the N1 between the other typical Northern Cape villages of Hanover and Victoria West. Its residents refer to it not as a destination, but as a way of life, and there is something about ... Richmond information
Sutherland
Where to Stay: Upper Karoo Accommodation
Sutherland is the principal astronomical centre in Africa. The South African Astronomical Observatory, about 14 km outside of town, is said to be one of the best observatories in the southern ... Sutherland information
Three Sisters
Where to Stay: Upper Karoo Accommodation
Three Sisters is not actually a town, but a landmark along the N1 where a large refuelling point is situated for travellers. The Three Sisters 'koppies' are an icon of the N1 and the Karoo. Three Sisters is close to the ... Three Sisters information
Victoria West
Where to Stay: Upper Karoo Accommodation
Victoria West is a typical and flourishing Karoo town on the N12 between Cape Town and Johannesburg via Kimberley, a minor detour off the N1 of some 60 kilometres or so. You can also reach the village via the R63. It is well worth a ... Victoria West information
Upper Karoo
Featured and "Must See" Attractions in Upper Karoo
Akkerdam Nature Reserve
Akkerdam Nature Reserve lies just outside the little town of Calvinia, which is found at the foot of the Hantam Mountain (mountain of the red bulbs) that towers over the town, roughly 400 kilometres outside of Cape Town. Akkerdam, also known as the Akkerendam Nature Reserve, is practically a requisite ... more information
Doornkloof Nature Reserve
Lying peacefully in the mountainous upper Karoo of the Northern Cape, just outside the little town of Colesberg, Doornkloof Nature Reserve is positioned at the top end of the southern shore of the Vanderkloof Dam - South Africa’s second largest water reservoir. It shares this privilege with the Rolfontein ... more information
Gariep Dam Nature Reserve
The Free State's largest nature reserve is a combination of the 36 487 ha Gariep Dam on the Orange River and an 11 237 ha game sanctuary on its northern shore. From the Gariep dam some 200 000 ha of land is irrigated, by means of a tunnel of 83,8 km, delivering water to the upper valleys of the Fish River, and then ... more information
Karoo Gariep Conservancy
Karoo is a “quenna” word meaning “dry and hard”. Gariep is also a “quenna” word meaning “big water”or river. The Karoo Gariep Concervancy is found on the Karoo “dry and hard” side of the Gariep “big river”. Like its name describes this is a very natural diverse part of South Africa. The fact that ... more information
Molteno Pass
Said to be South Africa's first mountain pass, Molteno Pass links Beaufort West to Loxton, in effect joining the oldest town in the area to the Northern Cape. It lies in the Nuweveld Mountains on R381, completed in 1881 and named after the first Prime Miinister of the Cape, Sir JC Molteno, who also represented Beaufort West ... more information
Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve
Just 10 kilometres outside of the little town of Nieuwoudtville, between the towns of Van Rhynsdorp and Calvinia, lies the Oorlogskloof (war gorge) Nature Reserve. It is an untamed accumulation of gorges, rivers, caves and plateaus that provide anyone with even a vague botanical leaning with hours of ... more information
Ouberg Pass
Lying in the Northern Cape the Ouberg Pass descends into the town of Sutherland, the coldest town in the country and home to the biggest single optical telescope (SALT) in the southern hemisphere. Usually one reaches Sutherland via the Verlatekloof Pass. But the Ouberg Pass into the town offers a rather euphoric ... more information
Rolfontein Nature Reserve
Situated in the upper Karoo where an infinite sky and horizon seem to go on without end, the Rolfontein Nature Reserve is found roughly 16 kilometres north of Petrusville, one of many isolated little villages in the midst of the Karoo’s endless plateaus. Rolfontein borders on the Vanderkloof Dam - South Africa’s ... more information
Tankwa-Karoo National Park
The 80 000 hectare Tankwa Karoo National Park, proclaimed in 1986 and still in a development stage, is at present in a veld recovery phase and it will be some time before the original vegetation re-establishes itself. Even so, after the occasional shower, the park erupts into a dazzling display of flowering ... more information
Upper Karoo
Featured Things To Do in Upper Karoo
SA Astronomical Observatory
Where: Sutherland, Upper Karoo
How much (per person): On Request
The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) is the largest single optical telescope in the southern hemisphere, with a hexagonal mirror arra ... more information
Visit the Colesberg-Kemper Museum
Where: Colesberg
How much (per person): On Request
Colesberg has several national monuments, one of which is the Colesberg-Kemper Museum. A fine example of 19th century Karoo architecture, it ... more information
Visit the Richmond Horse Museum
Where: Richmond
How much (per person): On Request
Housed in what was formerly, in the 1800’s, a school and boarding house, and more recently a cabinet maker’s workshops and residence, is the ... more information
Upper Karoo
Holiday Accommodation in Upper Karoo
For accommodation in Upper Karoo see:
• Colesberg Accommodation • Gariep Dam Accommodation
• Hanover Accommodation • Loxton Accommodation
Or to see all accommodation in this region at once, visit Upper Karoo Accommodation.
Visiting Upper Karoo?
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