A police car saunters past at approximately 4 miles per hour.

The officer gives us a friendly wave and then disappears around the corner, leaving us alone again on the dust road, wondering if he was a phantom.

This is the Karoo, South Africa’s semi-arid heartland. Time moves differently here and the silence is like a warm hug.

If your South African itinerary only includes Cape Town, Kruger and the Garden Route then you’re missing a big part of the country’s soul.

The Karoo is an utterly unique place.

It’s a place where South Africa reveals itself in subtle, spectacular ways. A land of vast skies, quirky towns and the kind of hospitality that makes you want to sell your worldly belongings and move here.

Here are 7 Karoo towns that we absolutely fell in love with.

1. Prince Albert – Art, Mountains, Culture and Mod Cons

It’s almost unfair that one small town should have so much going for it.

Prince Albert sits at the foot of the Swartberg Pass, a mountain road of such engineering marvel it’s now a national monument.

It’s a gateway Karoo town for many visitors and has enough creature comforts that you won’t feel you’ve dived into the deep end too quickly.

We made it our home for nearly 3 months and we’re glad we did. It’s beautiful, safe, has everything you could possibly need and is a fantastic base for exploring other parts of the Karoo.

The main street is lined with immaculately restored Cape Dutch, Karoo and Victorian buildings. Many now house restaurants, cafes and boutique shops. There’s also a superb art gallery.

Then there’s the Showroom Theatre, a lovingly restored Art Deco gem that hosts films and performances. It was donated to the town by a German couple who moved here, bought the theatre, then promptly gave it back to the community as a gift.

At the time of writing, Wednesday’s are film night at the Showroom, where you can watch their curent showing and grab a pizza from across the street. They also have comedy and theatre, which you’ll find listed on their Facebook group.

Saturday mornings there is a market or ‘Markie’. You’ll find it just off the high street (there’s a big sign) and locals gather to sell homemade cheeses, preserves, baked goods. You’ll also find some secondhand items for sale, clothes and good coffee.

If you’re a confident-ish driver – and have a car with decent clearance (doesn’t need to be 4X4) then you have to drive the Swartberg Pass.

It’s 27km of gravel road that twists and climbs through ancient rock formations with jaw dropping views.

On the other side are the Cango Caves, which are definitely worth a visit. It’s also a route to the nearest large town, Oudtshoorn which has all the usual supermarkets and convenience stores.

What surprised me most was the food scene in Prince Albert. For such a small place you’re spoiled for choice. Karoo Charcoal does insanely good Karoo lamb. You also have the Prince Albert Cafe, The Yellow House and Jeremy’s which are well worth checking out.

2. Graaff-Reinet – One of the Most Beautifully Located Towns on the Planet

Founded in 1786, Graaff-Reinet is the fourth oldest town in South Africa.

It sits in the horseshoe bend of the Sundays River and has to be one of the most beautifully situated towns we’ve ever come across. Surrounded by giant green peaks on almost all sides.

The town itself has over 220 heritage sites and the architecture is stunning. The impressive Dutch Reformed Church dominates the skyline.

Kat loved it so much that within a few hours she said she could imagine living there. The only glitch in this paradise were the bugs. With the green came the mozzies.

Just outside town lies the Valley of Desolation in the Camdeboo National Park. These are massive dolerite columns that rise 120 meters from the valley floor, sculpted by erosion over 100 million years.

If you’re doing a road trip the good news is that just a short hop away is the next town on our list, Nieu-Bethesda, one of the absolute highlights of our trip.

Many visitors, like us, use Graaff-Reinet as a base for exploring both places.

3. Nieu-Bethesda – A Sleepy Psychedelic Place Built By Pixies

Nieu-Bethesda is like stepping into a magical realist novel.

It’s a tiny village (around 1,500 inhabitants) and sits in a green valley that seems impossibly lush against the Karoo’s typically arid landscape.

The town’s unpaved streets are lined with whitewashed cottages and like so many Karoo towns there’s a beautiful church in the centre of town.

What brings most people to Nieu-Bethesda is the Owl House, the former home of outsider artist Helen Martins. She transformed her humble abode into a visionary environment of concrete sculptures and crushed glass mosaics.

It’s a sad story. After her suicide in 1976, her home became one of South Africa’s strangest museums. It’s haunting, beautiful and utterly unique. We thought it might be a bit underwhelming (given the amazing write ups it gets) but found it anything but. It made us both feel quite emotional.

There’s also the Kitching Fossil Exploration Centre which showcases fossils from the Karoo that date back 253 million years and 10km or so down the road you have Ganora Guest Farm which is nestled in beautiful countryside. Here you can do fossil tours, bushman tours and endless trails.

If you are staying overnight, definitely get yourself booked in at the Ibis restaurant and choose the ‘Karoo Dining Experience’ which is a tasting menu. Unbelievable food.

Make sure you book well in advance. You can see my article on that here.

One the absolute highlights for me was the Brewery & Two Goats Deli. You can sample delicious craft beers brewed on site in the one of the coolest buildings we came across in the Karoo. The Honey Pale Ale was the one for me and the cider was also delicious. Didn’t spend nearly enough time here.

Stay a few nights if you can. I can definitely see why so many interesting people have moved to this little town.

4. Merweville – Bursting With Character and Quiet Brilliance

Merweville is the definition of ‘middle of nowhere’ in the best possible way.

It feels like it exists in its own time zone.

When we drove in within a few seconds this massive sense of calm washed over us.

There’s the grand Dutch Reformed Church, completed in 1907, which is improbably large for such a tiny town.

Die Boeklub café serves exceptional coffee and food. It was so good and so friendly that we kept coming back – arguably the best lunch we had in our time in South Africa.

You can see how I fell in love with Merweville in approximately 143 minutes here.

What Merweville lacks in conventional tourist attractions, it makes up for in authenticity.

It felt like perhaps one of the most unfiltered and beautiful examples of Karoo life.

There are stories of hidden Boer War treasure supposedly buried in the surrounding hills. There is also the Englishman’s grave, just outside of town which is a whole story in of itself (he’s not altogether that English).

The architecture is a delicious mix of Karoo styles and quirky personal touches. There are mannequins draped on giant chairs, creative garden ornaments and houses painted in unexpected colors.

Just looking at the houses I wanted to know and make friends with everyone who lived there.

5. Sutherland – Star Gazing, Fossils and Rusted Car Paradise

Sutherland is one of the world’s ‘dark sky’ capitals.

The high altitude, extreme temperature variations and clean, unpolluted air make it ideal for stargazing and you won’t be dissapointed (unless of course it’s cloudy, which is unlikely).

Looking up at the sky at night in Sutherland was like turning up the cosmic light show by 200%. Galaxies and planets are seriously bright.

It’s home to the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), the largest optical telescope in the southern hemisphere where you can book a tour. If you’re keen to do this you’ll need to book online on their website in advance.

You can also do stargazing tours in town or just outside at Sterland where you learn a bit about the night skies and gawp at some planets and constellations through a telescope.

Every guide book told us that Sutherland is officially one of the coldest places in South Africa. Winter temperatures regularly drop below freezing apparently and there are pictures of snow capped peaks. Other Karoo locals, who lived at high altitude, told us their spot was colder.

We tried to look shocked but coming from the UK, where a mild day in winter would probably match these extremes, we found it quite funny.

Beyond astronomy, Sutherland is filled with historical buildings – some of the most amazing architecture we saw in the Karoo – and lovely hospitality.

There’s a pub, which looks a bit like a canteen, and serves excellent beer with friendly service and a number of different food options in town.

At the Sutherland Guesthouses (in Sterland, just outside town) you can go to a fossil talk with Jaco. He’s a lovely guy who has dedicated his life to uncovering fossils in the Karoo and has a seriously impressive collection. His passion is infectious and the tour is like having access to your own personal paleontologist.

6. Fraserburg – Unbelievable Sunsets, Ancient Footprints and Beautiful Buildings

Before we get to the town itself…

The drive up to Fraserburg, particularly the last 30 minutes or so, is unbelievable.

It’s arguably one of the most beautiful drives we took in South Africa and it’s all on tarmac. Imagine driving through mountains and then when you’ve got past those landing on the moon.

It’s almost worth visiting for the drive alone.

When we visited (2025), Fraserburg felt like a diamond in the rough. There are genuinely stunning buildings and architecture in this old town founded in 1851.

We both felt, with a bit of investment and love, that this could have the potential to be one of the most beautiful towns in the Karoo.

Of all the places we visited in South Africa – and this could be just dumb luck on the nights we were there – Fraserburg had the most incredible sunsets.

Bright, deep alien purples that make you shudder.

There are some amazing things to do in the vicinty.

The Petrified Forest just outside town contains 200-million-year-old tree fossils, perfectly preserved specimens from a time when the Karoo was a lush wetland.

Even more remarkable are the paleosurfaces with prehistoric animal footprints embedded in the rock – tangible evidence of life that existed before dinosaurs.

Wander the quiet streets and you’ll notice the corbelled houses. These are unique dome-shaped stone structures built by early trekboers (nomadic farmers) who had to make do without timber.

7. Matjiesfontein

If Wes Anderson designed a Karoo town, it would look like Matjiesfontein.

It’s a perfectly preserved Victorian railway village and is honestly like a mirage.

So far this description probably sounds terrible and boring (and maybe it would be for some people) but it’s the strangest, most wonderful place.

The entire village is centered around the magnificent Lord Milner Hotel pictured above and everything is done in the Victorian style.

In England, something as well preserved and untouched as this would be an eye opener. Out here, in the middle of the semi arid landscape surrounded by alien like mounds and peaks it is something else.

Matjiesfontein was founded in 1884 by Scottish railwayman James Douglas Logan. He was convinced of the Karoo’s healing air and transformed it into a fashionable spa resort for the Victorian elite.

The town is proud to host the shortest bus tour in South Africa – a 10-minute London bus tour conducted by John who also works at the restaurant and bar. This tour is free for guests staying at the hotel.

The Transport Museum is well worth visiting and houses an impressive collection of vintage cars.

The Marie Rawdon Museum is like lurching into a hoarders dungeon and contains a fascinating array of Victoriana. I could have spent about 3 hours in here.

Then there’s Lord Milner’s Pub which is so beautiful I insisted we go back after another road trip. You don’t get UK or Irish pubs outside of our strange islands but this was spot on, circa 1898.

An incredible place and one of the most memorable stops on our trip.

There’s more (lot’s more) Karoo magic

This list barely scratches the Karoo’s dusty surface.

Bear in mind these are just some the towns we visited, stayed in and fell in love with during our 3 months here.

There is SO much more to the Karoo and we look forward to coming back and discovering more.

We’re told that towns like Williston with its spectacular annual Vleisfees (meat festival), Richmond with its remarkable BookBedonnerd literary festival and Calvinia with its wild flower displays in spring are all worth checking out.

Victoria West offers the magnificent Apollo Theatre, a perfectly preserved Art Deco cinema from 1925. Willowmore is a pretty, safe, peaceful town too.

Get off the guide books and see what you can find. The best Karoo town might be the one you discover by accident – a dot on the map where you stop at on the way somewhere and stay longer than you’d planned. That’s exactly what we found.

The Karoo rewards those willing to venture beyond the usual tourist trail.

For us it was (and is) a magical, indescribale part of South Africa that will stay with us long after we return home.