Pixley Ka Seme: Karoo Landscapes, Starry Skies and History

Pixley Ka Seme showcases the Karoo, with its dry, semi-desert landscapes and scattered flat-topped koppies—small hills. Water, nature areas, starry skies and South African history are also central to the region. You can tailor your trip to whether you are more interested in landscapes and outdoor activities, water activities, culture or insights into astronomy.

Karoo Landscapes, Reservoir and Nature Reserves

The Vanderkloof Reservoir attracts visitors for fishing and water sports. Those interested in nature reserves will find two distinct geographical landmarks in the district: Doornkloof lies on the reservoir’s southeastern shore; Rolfontein also borders the reservoir and is 16 kilometres north of Petrusville. Doornkloof has a walking trail. When planning your trip, you can decide whether to focus more on nature experiences or activities on the water.

At Rolfontein, the Piet Barbet Hiking Trail covers 4 kilometres. Visitors can also picnic there. For overnight stays, the reserve has campsites and two hikers’ huts. Prior arrangements with the park management are required for further exploration. The trail’s specific length and this requirement are useful when planning your stay in the reserve: the hiking trail is a standalone outing, while further exploration requires prior arrangements.

Starry Skies and Technology near Carnarvon

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is located just outside Carnarvon. During site tours, visitors can learn about the technical operations and the processing of data captured by the dishes. They can also see the movable and fixed dishes up close. This makes a visit an opportunity to experience the technology behind the facility at close range. The Carnarvon Astro Guides also offer a stargazing experience that connects the stars with Indigenous groups’ stories about the night sky. Tours with the guides can be booked at the SARAO Visitor Centre, on the corner of Victoria Street and Hanau Street.

Local History and Cultural Discoveries

In Colesberg, the Information Office offers a tour of sites from the Anglo-Boer War. These include Plateau Camp, Suffolk Hill, Grenadier Guard Rock, Memorial Hill and the military cemetery. Colesberg was the southern front of the war from November 1899 to February 1900. A weekend tour also includes a visit to the prisoner-of-war camp and cemetery at Norvalspont. Those interested in this history can explore the sites as different points of engagement with the past.

The Colesberg Kemper Museum offers another glimpse into history: it presents Erasmus Jacobs’s discovery of the “Eureka” diamond in Hopetown as the first documented diamond discovery in South Africa. Vosburg also has a distinctive architectural heritage: more than 22 buildings there are protected as national monuments.

Routes through the District and Regional Orientation

The Karoo Oasis Route includes Colesberg, Norvalspont, Vanderkloof, Oriana, Hopetown, De Aar, Britstown, Strydenburg, Petrusville, Philipstown and Hanover. As a travel route, it brings together themes such as history, adventure, nature, culture and traditional Karoo “slow food”. For regional orientation, the national transport corridors listed for the district are also relevant: the N1 via Colesberg, the N10 via De Aar and Prieska, and the N12. De Aar has long-distance rail connections. Its railway junction has 110 kilometres of railway lines with a total of 29 tracks and was considered South Africa’s second most important railway junction.

Other places in the destination include Constantia, Hanover Road, De Aar, Kleinberg, Douglas, Carnarvon, Victoria West, Griekwastad, Noupoort and Britstown. This selection of places can help you first focus your search for a suitable holiday rental on the part of the district whose landscapes, history or experiences interest you most.

For the broader travel overview: Northern Cape.