Little Karoo South Africa Tourism, Hotels, Weather, Fees, Map, Animals, Vegetation, Lodges, Safari

 

Little Karoo

The Little Karoo’s fascinating landscape is fashioned almost entirely by water. Its vegetation ranges from lush greenery in the fertile river valleys to short, rugged Karoo plants in the veld. Gorges feature rivers that cut through towering mountains, while breathtakingly steep passes cross imposing terrain. The region is also home to the world’s largest bird – the ostrich.

Key attractions

• Excellent wines and port are produced in the Calitzdorp and De Rust areas.
• The Swartberg Nature Reserve and Pass with their gravel roads are also worth a visit.
• The Little Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (National Arts Festival) is held in Oudtshoorn annually.
• The Cango Caves, a series of 30 subterranean limestone caves, bear evidence of early San habitation and features magnificent dripstone formations.
• Amalienstein and Zoar are historic mission stations midway between Ladismith and Calitzdorp. Visitors can go on donkey-cart and hiking trails through orchards and vineyards. The Seweweekspoort is ideal for mountain-biking, hiking, and protea and fynbos admirers.

Tourist Attractions

Access to the Klein Karoo from the Winelands of the Western Cape, the southern coastal strip and the Great Karoo to the north and north-east is almost exclusively by means of mountain passes.

These mountain passes were mostly constructed during the nineteenth century by renowned road-builders Thomas Bain and his father Andrew Geddes Bain and either pick their way through steep ravines following the course of rivers that have cut their way through the mountains, or up and over the precipitous heights of the surrounding mountains.

Despite the size of the Klein Karoo wine region, production is focused more on quality than quantity with seven co-operatives and five private cellars, which offer a veritable feast of wines, including the world-famous port-wines of Calitzdorp.

Rooiberg Pass between Calitzdorp and Van Wyksdorp

Rooiberg Pass between Calitzdorp and Van Wyksdorp

The Klein Karoo is the most accessible region within the Karoo and attracts the greatest number of visitors. As a destination the region is probably the most varied of the seven regions in the Karoo and this can largely be ascribed to its topography and the relatively higher rainfall.

The Klein Karoo is rich in culture with well-established communities that can trace their ancestry back across the centuries. The towns and villages are on the whole beautifully maintained, with a rich variety of historic buildings,