by Michelle Snaddon
The mystery of our beautiful Karoo has attracted astronomers for years, with some of the blackest, sparkliest starry skies known to stargazers. But it’s not the Astronomical Observatory at Sutherland that we yearn for: it’s often the ancient stone farmhouses we retreat to when we truly need an escape.
So where on earth is this place that local South Africans sing about, pen heartfelt poems about and that Olive Schreiner most famously wrote about in The Story of an African Farm way back in 1883? Head northeast of Cape Town on a road trip and within two hours, you’ll be captivated by the Little Karoo, the gentler of the two. Crest the mountain passes winding into the interior of the country, and you’ll instantly notice the change: the semi-desert that is the Great Karoo will stretch out before your eyes.
‘At first encounter the Karoo may seem arid, desolate and unforgiving, but to those who know it, it is a land of secret beauty and infinite variety,’ said Eve Palmer in her book The Plains of Camdeboo, about life on their family farm Cranemere, near Graaff-Reinet, in the heart of the Great Karoo. Known for its fossils, it has drawn palaeontologists, archeologists and geologists from all over the world, but also botanists and ecologists who continually research here.
‘The Karoo is a uniquely South African space in that it’s got layers of culture and history that sum up a lot of what it means to be South African,’ says architect Greg Truen, owner of Buffelsdrift, up Route 62 in what’s known as the Little Karoo. ‘The land is at the heart of everything, and Buffelsdrift allows you to experience this in a visceral way.’
The Great Karoo lies to the north-east and the smaller Little Karoo (Klein Karoo) in the south-west. But to give you an idea of its rather staggering scale, the Karoo covers more than 400,000 km², which equates to an area larger than Germany! And while Germany is home to almost 85 million, the Karoo’s sparse landscape hosts just 75 000.
Perfect Hideaways’ has a long history with the Karoo – particularly the Tankwa Karoo, around four hours’ drive from Cape Town. Owner Peter van Wyk convinced us that guests would love his old stone farmstead, Tankwa River Lodge. We visited and were smitten. The rest, as they say, is history. We now have almost 20 beautiful homesteads spread far and wide, each one unique and no longer an enforced digital detox (keep it a secret from the kids if you want to!) as WiFi is now mostly available. If needed, it can make remote working a complete pleasure.
‘I learned very quickly that unlike other parts of the Karoo, the Tankwa is a very old farming area with families who have been there for generations and they don’t like change,’ said Peter as he was rattling along the dirt road in his bakkie one day. ‘Then English-speaking Van Wyk turns up at Tankwa River Lodge. They were friendly… but kept their distance.
They did this for over 15 years. One year, just as I was getting the swimming pool finished for my family who were coming to spend Christmas here, one of my neighbours came over and said: “Van Wyk, there are two things in the Karoo we don’t do: the first is we don’t swim and the other is we don’t speak English! If you want to fit in here you’re going to have to learn to speak Afrikaans very fast, and properly.” 19 years later, and my Afrikaans is fluent!
The original Perfect Hideaways gem: Tankwa River Lodge on a private farm with herds of antelope, sleeps 12, the magic number for two or three families who want to holiday together. Go for a game drive early in the morning, returning for a swim and a lazy day spent reading beneath the fever trees… a veritable oasis in the Karoo heat.
‘What I really love about it is that it’s remote, quiet and peaceful. There’s absolutely no traffic. It feels like time has stood still. In the beginning there was no electricity, there was almost no running water, you had to make a fire for hot water in the evening and we had paraffin lanterns all over the house.
Then I started the very expensive upgrade of solar, gas freezers and fridges – not too effective in 40 degrees, so I’ve upgraded further, and we now have excellent WiFi. The farm is my life’s passion and I protect it. I work hard to undo the damage that 200 years of farming has done – fixing erosion, planting seeds … It doesn’t feel like work. I just love being there.
‘I landed up spending five months on the farm in 2020 – something I’d always wanted to do. But when I got back to Cape Town I just wanted to return … and along came a big building project, almost three years ago. We’re now building two new houses here but I’ve loved meeting my guests over the years – some of them have become good friends. I enjoy popping in, telling stories, taking them for game drives.
Not officially my job description, but I love it. Love being out in the bush with my two dogs without the stress of city life… although the nearest town, Sutherland (known for is Observatory), is 70kms away, which is not without its challenges,’ he admits.
‘The one very special thing about the Tankwa Karoo and Sutherland is the air clarity. There’s very little light pollution, which makes stargazing phenomenal. I love lying on my day bed on the stoep on a clear night when there’s no moon and watch shooting stars and the Milky Way that stretches from one side of the sky to the other. It’s on my 2024 list to learn about the stars, and to fly a helicopter! It’s spectacular flying out here and looking down at the farmers and their sheep.’ Come and experience it for yourself some day…
Tankwa River Lodge is one of Perfect Hideaways’ few dog-friendly farms, and it’s a glorious retreat for a few days, especially when the river is running… and when it isn’t, the pool on the stoep is perfect for dips… not to mention the fact that you’ll spot gemsbok, springbok, duiker, and sometimes kudu or shy klipspringer on a game drive.
Not far away, in the Eastern Highlands on an utterly secluded 18 000 acres of Tankwa Karoo is a newcomer to the portfolio: beautiful De Kruis. The original farmhouse dates back 200 years, but you would never guess as the interiors are so comfortable and sensitively ‘Karoo’ in their architectural and decorating style. The owners fell in love with the Tankwa 25 years ago while on honeymoon… so it’s been a dream to see what was a little tumbledown cottage restored and expanded to create the most beautiful retreat.
Filled with antiques and found treasures, and with everything from a music room to a library, it’s a serene escape, a place where you can literally step off the world for a while. Magnificent vistas beckon through every stable door to the wilderness beyond, a view you’ll never tire of, especially in the golden, late-afternoon light. But it’s the curvaceous deck and pool design, conceptualised by iconic Cape landscaper Franscesca Watson, that sets it apart. De Kruis is the perfect example of how contemporary design and modern-day comforts can be so cleverly combined with Karoo heritage.
GREAT KAROO, LITTLE KAROO AND TANKWA KAROO
Our Karoo hideaways are split into three distinct regions, each one unique. We invite you on a voyage of discovery through this utterly captivating land in South Africa – a relatively untouched, truly wild landscape where generations have lived and survived for years, many in stone houses with gloriously thick walls to keep interiors cool in what feels like an endless summer of hot, clear days … or warm and cosy during the crispest winters … Yet once discovered, this land of harsh contrasts leaves one yearning for its wide-open spaces, the blackness of its star-spangled night skies and the cleanest, driest, freshest air imaginable. The call of the Karoo simply cannot be ignored…
Tankwa Karoo
Expect wide open spaces, endless horizons and star-spangled nights in the Tankwa Karoo, just under four hours’ drive from Cape Town.
Our journey takes you first to the Tankwa Karoo and the little-explored region north of Tankwa in the Northern Cape.
We have three properties here:
Great Karoo
Classic Karoo light after the rains at Samara Private Game Reserve in the heart of the Great Karoo.
To the right of the Tankwa, we discover the Great Karoo farming regions to Nieu-Bethesda and Graaff-Reinet (near the stark and dramatic Valley of Desolation) to the game reserves around the romantic and beautiful Plains of Camdeboo. Here, you’ll find a cluster of heritage manor houses on game farms and reserves, as well as new pods at Samara, all around nine hours’ drive from Cape Town:
Mukti, Nieu-Bethesda
Mount Camdeboo, Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve
Samara Manor House, Samara Private Game Reserve
Kliphuis, The Poplars and Karoo Cottage, Sneeuberg Nature Reserve
Prince Albert
Prince Albert is one of the most charming and well-preserved Karoo towns, loved by artists, foodies and talented creatives who have settled here.
Further south is the charming Karoo town of Prince Albert, at the foot of the rugged Swartberg Mountain Pass and near some of the most beautiful examples of the Cape Fold Mountains. Here you’ll discover both contemporary and historic hideaways:
De Kleine Prince, Prince Albert
22 Degrees East, Klaarstroom, near Prince Albert
Olive Farm, near Prince Albert
Little Karoo
On the other side of the Swartberg Mountain range, the start (or end) of Route 62, also the longest wine route in the world, ushers in the Little Karoo… easy to escape to from Cape Town for a long weekend, with these hideaways mostly within three to four hours’ drive from Cape Town:
Buffelsdrift, Ladismith
Stoney Cottage, Touwsberg Private Game and Nature Reserve
Mountain River House, near Calitzdorp
Danielskraal Farm, near Calitzdorp
De Hoek, near Barrydale
Jonkmanshof, Montagu
Stil, Montagu
Langskuur, near Herbertsdale
TANKWA KAROO AND NORTHERN CAPE in a Nutshell
What to do ?
Made famous by AfrikaBurn, an annual festival inspired by the original Burning Man festival, the Tankwa Karoo now has a reputation around the world. Luckily the Tankwa is vast and our peaceful hideaways are best reached via Matjiesfontein on the N1. Stop for a quick wander around this historic outpost and then head left towards Sutherland. Another left turn takes you onto the dirt road in the direction of the Tankwa National Park, and you’ll cross into the Northern Cape, discovering valleys, kloofs and escarpments so breathtakingly beautiful that you won’t want to leave Tankwa River Lodge or De Kruis. Much further north, where the Karoo’s borders gently ease, the arid landscape gives way to farms lining the life-giving waters of the Orange River on the border with Namibia, where the oasis of Orange River House awaits.
Where to stay?
Tankwa River Lodge
Tankwa River Lodge, a dog-friendly haven and much-loved favourite for families and friends who love its characterful interiors, wide stoeps and access to the seasonal river.
De Kruis
Extraordinarily beautiful light and interiors at the new De Kruis, in the remote Eastern Highlands of the Tankwa Karoo.
Orange River House
Orange River House is the furthest north, overlooking Namibia – the perfect holiday base for anyone wanting to do river rafting or simply enjoy endless swims and explore the river from here.
NIEU-BETHESDA, GRAAFF-REINET, SAMARA AND
THE PLAINS OF CAMDEBOO
What to do and where to stay?
A journey into the Great Karoo offers the classic South African road trip: miles of wide open space, good music and stops at farm stalls (our favourite cheesecake and good coffee on this route is the Karoo Padstal between Richmond and Hanover). You can either choose to safari on game reserves such as Samara Manor House and Mount Camdeboo, near the historic town of Graaff-Reinet, or head a little further to the charming village of Nieu-Bethesda where you’ll find it hard to leave Mukti, the village gem. Visit the artefact and fossil museum at Ganora Farm nearby (one of the few places in the world to spot a Coelacanth), or take a tour with excellent guide and historian David McNaughton of Karoo Connections, particularly if you want to see the Valley of Desolation, do a safari day trip or are a budding palaeontologist.
Mukti
Mukti is our most stylish retreat in Nieu-Bethesda. Read more about it in our new book: Perfect Hideaways Book 3, or better still, make the trip and go and stay for a few days!
Samara Manor House, Samara Private Game Reserve and
Mount Camdeboo
Both Samara Manor House, Samara Private Game Reserve and Mount Camdeboo in Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve, are both well known for magnificent cheetah sightings.
Samara Manor House, an exclusive-use hideaway ideal for multigenerational safaris together.
Kliphuis
Kliphuis, The Poplars and Karoo Cottage at Sneeuberg Nature Reserve, an hour outside Graaff-Reinet.
Plains of Camdeboo
Views over the romantic Plains of Camdeboo and the dramatic rock formations in the aptly named Valley of Desolation near the historic town of Graaff-Reinet, are both extraordinarily beautiful.
PRINCE ALBERT AND THE SWARTBERG
What to do and where to stay?
Sunrise and sunset is one of the most magical times in the Karoo. Here the craggy lines of the Swartberg make a spectacular backdrop for Olive Farm near Prince Albert, one of four of our Karoo hideaways about 5 hours’ drive from Cape Town. Two farms, 22 Degrees East and Olive Farm are fabulous multigenerational hideaways. Nearby, in the heart of the Karoo town of Prince Albert, the gracious Victorian, De Kleine Prince, has been restored with contemporary finishes, and Swartberg House, a fine example of modernism in an area awash with Victoriana, sits proudly on the outskirts. Days are spent lazing in the pools, reading books and relaxing after buying cheese and milk at Gay’s Guernsey Dairy and browsing antique stores. African Relish is a must for food-lovers. Book a cookery course, join the Journey to Jazz festival this year, or do one of their interesting tours.
Swartberg House
Swartberg House is designed by the architect owner to function well in the extremes of hot and cold in Prince Albert.
22 Degrees East
Another surprisingly contemporary and colourful interior for the Karoo at 22 Degrees East, about 20 minutes out of Prince Albert on the road to De Rust. An oasis with a lap pool that’s unrivalled in the area!
De Kleine Prince
Dinners at De Kleine Prince are always memorable in this capacious farmhouse kitchen where wine and conversation flows.
Olive Farm
Olive Farm’s backdrop is of the dramatic Swartberg Mountains near Prince Albert.
ROUTE 62 AND THE LITTLE KAROO
What to do and where to stay?
There are eight extraordinary hideaways along Route 62, one of the most scenic wine routes (and indeed the longest) in the world. Each one is so inviting that you may well decide to stay put, walk, swim, sleep (and repeat!), in between creating delicious meals together and sharing plenty of good wine from the region. In Montagu, don’t miss De Nagmaal, the gorgeous interiors store at Jonkmanshof in Bath Street, treat the family to a milkshake at Diesel and Cream in Barrydale, while you shop at Barrydale Hand Weavers or Helen Vaughan Ceramics. Buy all your wine along the way starting with bubbly at Graham Beck and taking a side trip to Springfield Estate near Robertson. Decide before you go by reading up on the Klein Karoo Wine Route and make sure you try the Cape Port-Style wines and award-winning Muscadels, particularly in Calitzdorp.
Buffelsdrift
Architect Greg Truen renovated Buffelsdrift’s two barns, an original farmhouse and the former wine store, painted an eye-catching pink. His efforts didn’t go unnoticed: he was rewarded with the Domus International Prize for Restoration and Conservation in 2019, and more recently received a South African Institute of Architects Merit Award. But the best news is that Buffelsdrift is the perfect example of a Karoo hideaway, where you can experience a truly authentic lifestyle in an historic home with contemporary interiors, just over four hour’s drive from Cape Town. (Photo Laurence Dougier)
Route 62
No-one understands the Karoo aesthetic better than interior designer Gregory Mellor who commissioned wall murals by Sarah Platt and created welcoming cameos and peaceful nooks all over the farmhouse, making this a wonderfully restful retreat off Route 62.
Danielskraal
Karoo hideaways are all about eating alfresco as the sun rises. This is breakfast on the stoep at beautiful Danielskraal, near Calitzdorp
Karoo escapes are about taking an ice-cold outdoor shower in the heat of the day before a siesta… as one does at Danielskraal.
Jonkmanshof
The two Cape Dutch houses at Jonkmanshof were conceptualised by interior designer and chef-owner Jacques Erasmus. You’ll discover the largest number of citrus species in the southern hemisphere here in these beautiful Karoo gardens in Montagu!
Montagu
A collection of sculpture and contemporary works sets Stil apart in Montagu, a gem of a hideaway just for two.
Mountain River House
Mountain River House, a laid-back, family friendly hideaway close to Calitzdorp.
Stoney Cottage
Stoney Cottage, in the Touwsberg Nature Reserve near the Warmwaterberg hot springs, with its dry-stone walls, is a delightful Karoo hideaway with capacious stoeps to soak up the sun in winter.
Langskuur
Charming Langskuur, a beautifully renovated barn is set on the cusp of the Karoo and Garden Route, with a foot in each, so to speak…
Classic reads on the Karoo
The Plains of Camdeboo: A Classic book of the Karoo by Eve Palmer (Penguin Books)
Return to Camdeboo: A Century’s Karoo Foods and Flavours by Eve Palmer (Penguin Books)
Prickly Pears & Pomegranates: Local, organic and seasonal food from the Plains of Camdeboo, a recipe book by Bernadette le Roux and Marianne Palmer (Quivertree)
The Story of an African Farm by Olive Schreiner (AD Donker)
And numerous books and columns by Tony Jackman, Chris Marais and Julienne du Toit, all of whom live in the Karoo.
If you’re looking for unique Karoo accommodation and beautiful Karoo retreats in South Africa, you’ll find all our hideaways here. Discover a wide variety of places to stay, from luxury accommodation to rustic, historic or simply charming farmhouses, cottages and safari lodges.
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