Touws River, Karoo
The pretty little railway town of Touws River, between Barrydale and Ladismith in the little Karoo, lies some 185 kilometres east of Cape Town.
Touws River is set on the fringes of the Klein Karoo, basically a valley sandwiched between the Langeberg and the Outeniqua Mountains, which in turn separates the Little Karoo from the Garden Route’s coastal strip. The town, built on the banks of the Touws River, is one of few towns this close to Cape Town to have escaped, for the most part, the overexcited exodus of Capetonians to ‘weekend’ homes in villages within easy reach of city living - possibly because the N1 passes through it.
Calling it a ‘railway’ town is something of a misnomer however, as though it began its life as the first major staging post, locomotive depot and marshalling yard after Cape Town, its beautiful setting at the summit of the Hex River Mountain Pass belies this polluted image.
Visit the Loganda pillars, used for astronomical calculations in the 1880s, and the Kaggakamma reserve to the north of Touws River, where ancient San painting sites are said to be 6000 years old.
In the vicinity
Hotels & other accommodation options
Jasmine Hideaway
Jasmine Hideaway is perfect for two guests. It has a bedroom furnished with a double bed an en-suite bathroom. The open plan kitchen is fitted wi...
Gecko Rock Private Nature Reserve
Gecko Rock Private Nature Reserve offers comfortable accommodation in the Nougaspoort Valley, just 25 km from Touws River, and offers visitors an...
Honey Badger Cottage
Honey Badger Cottage is located at Rangers Reserve in Touws River and offers self catering accommodation on a 1385h farm with views of the mounta...
Gecko Rock Camping
Gecko Rock Camping offers Karoo accommodation for up to 38 guests, in the Nougaspoort Valley. Our aim at Gecko Rock is to offer our visitors an u...
Aquila Private Game Reserve
Aquila Private Game Reserve, under a two hour scenic drive via the N1 from Cape Town, is named after the rare and endangered Black Eagle that thr...
The Wagon House
The Wagon House is an old shepherd's house that has been renovated into a family holiday home in the Sand River Conservancy. The house can sleep ...
Weavers Landing
Weavers Landing Holiday Home in Touws River has three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The main bedroom is furnished with a Queen-size bed. The seco...
Njalo-Njalo Safari
A Wild African Experience awaits you at Njalo-Njalo Safari Game Lodge in the Western Cape. Connect with nature at one of the most natural, well-p...
Loganda Karoo Hotel
Loganda Karoo Lodge offers accommodation in the heart of the Karoo mountains. Less than two hours drive from Cape Town, the lodge provides accomm...
Things to do in the area
Game Viewing at Aquila Game Reserve
A representative of Aquila Private Game Reserve will meet you at your hotel, travel via the scenic Du Toitskloof Pass and endless winelands to Aq...
Horseback Safari at Aquila
Game viewing on horseback is an unforgettable experience as one can get so much closer to the wildlife. It has been described as an epic experien...
Diep en Deur 4x4 Trail
Between Laingsburg and Touws River you’ll find the Witteberg Private Nature Reserve and in that the Diep en Deur 4x4 trail which is a bundle of f...
Anysberg Horse Trail
For an equestrian experience of a lifetime why not get on the Anysberg Horse Trail. This two day trail takes place in Anysberg Nature Reserve and...
Gecko Rock Seattle 4x4 Trail
The Karoo has a quiet, unassuming quality that belies the immensity of its beauty and variety. The landscapes are sometimes arid, sometimes scrub...
Leeuwenboschfontein 4x4 Trail
The Western Cape Province of South Africa is home to a plethora of natural attractions and intriguing terrains. The Karoo is one of these, and sh...
Noteworthy attractions
Anysberg Nature Reserve
In the heart of the Cape Fold Mountains, the natural abundance of the Anysberg Nature Reserve is situated in the Little Karoo of the Western Cape...
Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden
In Roux Road on the outskirts of Worcester, some 120 kilometres from Cape Town, lies a unique gem of a garden - the only truly succulent garden i...
Cango Caves
Almost 30 kilometres outside of Outshoorn in the Klein Karoo, and certainly one of the main reasons for placing this little town on your itinerar...
Karoo National Park
The Karoo National Park is situated close to the N1 highway between Cape Town and the hinterland, approximately 1000 km south of Johannesburg and...
Gamkaberg Nature Reserve
Lying in the Little Karoo is the remote Gamka mountain range, isolated because of the conduit of the Gouritz River that slices between the Gamkab...
Kammanassie Nature Reserve
Lying in the Little Karoo between the Swartberg and Outeniqua Mountains, lies an inselberg or monadnock - an isolated hill or small mountain that...
Sanbona Wildlife Reserve
At the foot of the Warmwaterberg, in the heart of the Little Karoo, between Montagu and Barrydale on the famous Route 62, the vision of the San i...
Swartberg Nature Reserve
The Swartberg Nature Reserve lies in the Oudtshoorn district between the Great Karoo and Little Karoo, bordered by the Gamka River in the west an...
Meiringspoort
The towering sandstone cliff walls and breathtaking rock formations of Meiringspoort lie on the N12 between Beaufort West and Oudtshoorn. The poo...
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