Travel to Great Karoo

some really quaint and sleepy villages

The Great Karoo is located largely in the Western Cape region of South Africa.

The high altitude land that lies north of the Cape Fold Mountains is a stark semi-desert area renowned for its open terrain and severe swings of temperature.

For early European settlers the area represented an almost impenetrable barrier which separated the Cape from the interior of the continent, although eventually various wagon routes and a railway were pushed through.

As it turned out, the presence of strong groundwater aquifers meant that water could be pumped to the surface and much of the land has since been turned into enormous sheep farms.

Although there are places of interest in the Great Karoo, the majority of travellers through the region simply tear along the main N1 highway between Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Matjiesfontein

The small settlement of Matjiesfontein is a remarkable little place just off the N1 highway.

In 1884 a Scot by the name of Jimmy Logan purchased the land around a spring and proceeded to build a Victorian spa town, complete with a graceful hotel, pub, post office, stores, villas and even a cricket pitch. Boasting of the health-giving properties of the dry air, he attempted to lure customers to come by train to his new resort.

Although the venture was only a limited success, incredibly it remains here almost completely intact. The Lord Milner Hotel may be a little jaded these days, but it’s suitably eccentric and well worth a visit

Beaufort West

The town of Beaufort West is a significant but relatively uninteresting place which lies alongside the N1 highway, a reasonable point at which to break the journey with an overnight stop.

The small Karoo National Park lies nearby, but is generally of peripheral interest.

Lemoenfontein Lodge is contained within a pleasant and historic farmstead, nicely set back from the main highway to the north of town.

Prince Albert

Set at the northern end of the Swartberg Pass to the south lies the quaint and very well preserved village of Prince Albert.

With the pass over the mountains effectively representing the gateway between the Little Karoo and the Great Karoo, this town is relatively accessible to self-drivers using the inland R62 route between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. It’s quite a detour to include Prince Albert, but the traverse over the top is a very cool and heart-racing drive.

The village itself is a time capsule of Victorian life, featuring an excellent fossil museum (which we have repeatedly forgotten to visit) and some really decent and intimate lodge options.