Table of contents for go! Karoo Guide 2023 in go!

Where does the Karoo begin? Where does it end? These are lekker questions to ponder around a campfire somewhere near Williston in the Upper Karoo. Or is that the Hardemans Karoo? There are pieces of Karoo in the Free State, the Western Cape, the Eastern Cape and the Northern Cape. If you go by vegetation type, the Nama Karoo ecozone includes parts of southern Namibia, and the adjacent Succulent Karoo ecozone includes Namaqualand and the Richtersveld. (Visit onsknk.co.za for a map of all the Karoo regions.) But I've never met a tourist who said they were going to the Karoo and meant Kamieskroon. So, for the purposes of this guide, we're focusing on the Karoo as most of our readers would know it. From the Tankwa in the west to…

LITTLE KAROO BARRYDALE There are a bunch of eateries next to the R62: Diesel & Crème dieselandcreme.co.za), Karoo Daisy karoodaisy.co.za), Camel Horse Café 074 180 7241), The Country Pumpkin ( 028 572 1019), The Farm Deli 060 316 3229), and MUD mud.co.za), where you can buy products from Barrydale Hand Weavers. Mez Karoo Kitchen 082 775 980) is at 24 Van Riebeeck Street – go there for delicious Mediterranean dishes. Barrydale has antique and art shops and you can explore the town's dirt streets on foot and start to dream about your own place in the Karoo… More info: barrydale.org.za Karoo Art Hotel This hotel was renovated in 2021 by Rick and Sue Melvill and their team. “It took four months of restoration work,” says manager Wayne Robinson. “Everything was…

I'm one of the lucky ones. I was born in 1977 in Cradock and the Karoo has always been the most special place in the world to me. I know its landscapes, plants and animals. That dassie over there… I can spot it within seconds. The outline of a shepherd's tree, same story. A donga: I know it's the result of overgrazing decades ago. Those sisal plants? They were plan ted to curb that erosion. On this trip, I revisited some favourite places and had the chance to see completely new ones. Some of the people I've known since I was a student, others I met more recently. On Facebook of all places! Our commonality? A shared love of the Karoo. The Karoo has changed since my childhood. Landowners think…

In winter, the cold creeps into your bones. In summer, the heat can leave you a sweaty mess, like you're about to slip out of your skin. There are the drought years, when you wrestle with your god like a drunken man in a bar; and when it rains you stand with your hat in your hand and be thankful. This is a landscape of extremes – and it is my home. There are other extremes too, like the disparity between the few who have so much, and the many who have so little. There's the uncomfortable past and its ghosts, and the unsure hallucinations of whatever the future may hold. I was born in 1963, in the village of Cookhouse, south of Cradock. I lived in Johannesburg for a…

Early one February morning, I follow a small convoy of cars on a gravel road just outside Prince Albert. We drive past the golf course and the town's landfill and eventually come to a stop at a seemingly empty piece of land. Here, we're met by a petite greyhaired woman. She opens the gate to Wolwekraal Nature Reserve and we drive in and park. The sun has just risen and the morning smells of toothpaste and Karoo bossies as we all gather around and wait for an introduction from Sue Milton-Dean. Sue is a plant ecologist. That's her formal title, but I like to think of her as a female Gandalf. She's wise, humble and giving, and has an encyclopaedic knowledge of all things to do with plants. We're about…

Marchelle van Zyl emerges from the Montagu Country Hotel on a crisp autumn morning, wearing a newsboy cap, a tie and blazer, khaki trousers tucked into yellow socks and a pair of tan velskoens. Not your typical cycling attire, but this is not a typical cycle tour. It's the weekend of the Eroica festival – an Italian-themed celebration of all things to do with vintage bikes – and Marchelle is about to show our group of old-school afficionados around her town. She leads us into Bath Street outside the hotel and we set off towards Montagu's imposing Dutch Reformed church, built in the neogothic style by the trader Joseph Barry in the middle 1800s (nearby Barrydale carries his name) and paid for by the church itself after selling property and…

The Karoo will surprise you around every koppie and prickly pear – it's not just “nothing” out there. We asked some seasoned Karoo travellers for their favourite places to stay, best farm stalls, sneaky back roads and other great things to do while on holiday. Finding these 101 epic – and often quirky! –things will lead you into the very fibre of the Karoo. And while you're somewhere out there between Rietbron and Aberdeen you'll realise there are 101 more we could have added to the list. Let us know what to include next time! Use the map on the following page to check where each numbered item is located. Connect the dots and create a road trip… PLEASE NOTE All details, from food and accommodation prices to road conditions,…