  Calitzdorp:
Driving east on Route 62, from Ladismith via the striking Huisrivier mountain pass,
travelers suddenly encounter the little town of Calitzdorp, once renowned as the Port Wine
Capital of South Africa, but now more commonly known to be the Heart of The Klein
Karoo.
What’s to see? No less than five wine cellars! But if you are under the
misapprehension that Calitzdorp is a single-wine town, think again! Although the Ports
made here can hold their own with the best Portugal has to offer and regularly sweep the
top SA awards, these cellars also produce some prize-winning reds, both single cultivars
and blends, and the whites are not half bad, either.
Buy a case or two of what you fancy - prices are in keeping with the modest approach
adopted by the cellars towards their success. And while visiting the cellars for free wine
tastings, keep your eyes peeled for the many examples of immaculately maintained old
Georgian, Victorian, Cape Dutch and Karoo-style houses and prepare to be stunned by the
beauty of the ubiquitous bougainvillea blooming on virtually every street corner of this
quaint village.
But that’s not all ... Pride of the main street is the Dutch
Reformed Church, Calitzdorp’s national monument, where building began in 1855. At Die
Dorpshuis opposite the church, ask for the keys to see the famed bible-illustrating
tapestries woven by congregants many years ago. If organ music is your thing, note that
four nights each week, at 18h00, a free recital of organ music is given in the church
itself. Just walk in and take a pew. The organ, too, is a famous instrument, renowned for
its sound and size. Another place of worship deserves a visit: the tiny chapel down the
road from the big church. It is reputed to be the second smallest Anglican church in the
world and is presently being painstakingly restored.
Lunch at Restaurant De-Vine, Karoo Life, Die Dorpshuis, Rose of the Karoo, or
Ebenhart’s restaurant, where fine examples of Bonsai are to be seen in a wonderfully
cool garden just meters from Route 62. To dedicated followers of tobacco lore, Ebenhart
himself is known far and wide as South Africa’s only pipe maker. Even if you hate the
weed, you are likely to appreciate the art he puts into his original designs – well
worth a look.
Anna Sofia on the main street is famed for her range of mustards of every flavour, texture
and hue – one of the national supermarket chains stocks her products, as does
Fancourt. Stop for a free tasting.
Now is the time to call at the tourist information office, adjacent to the garage, to
collect that free brochure labeled, “Kunste Kronkel” (arts meander), take a
stroll through those of the listed craft outlets that strike your fancy and pick up a
couple of items as gifts for those less fortunate than yourself. And then on to overnight
at five star Calitzdorp Country House, hosts Lyn and Allan are ready for you - how
about a luscious Harvey Wallbanger to set you up for dinner?
Calitzdorp Country House ... At Calitzdorp
Country House, guests are able to enjoy a couple of special visits to people and
places not usually accessible to ordinary tourists. The first is Beulah, a creator of
unusual and beautiful jewelry. This is not the usual junk stuff made of cheap
‘semi-precious’ stones and (alleged) silver, but designer articles in real gold
and precious stones. If you’re interested in bespoke jewelry, Allan or Lyn will set
up the visit.
Next is the renowned ex-Cape Town restaurateur, Peter Bayly, now retired from that
burdensome, if rewarding occupation to go gentleman farming with his wife, Yvonne. He now
makes port, bottled under his own name in an elegant amphora-like container, and very well
received by the industry. His cellar and tastings are only available by special
arrangement. Needless to say, Calitzdorp Country House can fix that. The Bayly farm is on the scenic
route through Groenfontein, about 20 km from the town.
If you have time and are not by now too weary, then the Gamkaberg Nature Reserve offers
short walking trails to see the famed succulents of the region. Because of the illegal
succulent trade, these are only accessible with a guide. The Calitzdorp Tourism office
will be happy to arrange this for you, but it must be done in advance, please. The guide
will share his expert knowledge with you and cover ground both literally and figuratively,
explaining how the succulents’ colourful and even risqué names came to be given to
these remarkable plants - Bobbejaankos (baboon food), Bababoutjies (babies bums) and
Haasballetjies (hares’ balls).
Perhaps best of all for visitors to Calitzdorp, is the village’s location at the
epicenter of all that is unique to the Klein
Karoo. The magnificent Swartberg Pass, the hidden valley of ‘The Hell’ and
the Victorian hamlet of Prince Albert: ostrich show farms; the famous Cango
Caves; the spectacular Redstone Hills, and fabulous Meiringspoort pass, where for ten
glorious kilometers a river meanders alongside the road surrounded by towering cliffs with
distorted and misshapen rock faces, the magical experience of hot air ballooning above the
hills and valleys of the Karoo, 4 x 4, quad bike and hiking trails of varying distances
and degrees of difficulty, hot springs, fishing in competition with the predatory fish
eagles, observing and interacting with a colony of wild Meerkats,
millionaire farmers’ ‘Ostrich Palaces’ built during the Belle Époque years
at the turn of the 19th century - these are just some of the ‘must see’
amenities within easy driving distance of Calitzdorp in the Heart of the Klein Karoo. |
Overnight at 
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