THINGS TO DO
Sutherland
SAAO (South African Astronomical Observatory) the house of SALT (South African Large Telescope)
Visit SAAO Website
Send an email suthbookings@saao.ac.za or phone +27(76) 900 0308.
To make a booking on Quicket for a day tour to SAAO & SALT visit Quicket Here.
Salt’s primary mirror (also called Africa’s Giant Eye) spanning 11 metres can show objects in space which are a billion times too faint to be seen with the naked eye. Salt is the largest single telescope for optical/infrared astronomy in the southern hemisphere, equal to the largest in the world. Gathering more than 25 times as much light as any existing African telescope. Salt can detect objects as faint as any existing African telescope. Salt can detect objects as faint as a candle flame on the moon.
Sutherland Planetarium & Evening Stargazing
Sutherland Planetarium offers a variety of full dome 3D shows all astronomy related.
The Planetarium show is a great way to visualise astronomy in an astonishing manner.
Visit their website for the latest shows and show times.
To make a booking send an email to info@sutherlandplanetarium.co.za or phone +27(78) 603 0058.
Sterland Stargazing
Stargazing sessions with Jurg Wagenaar at Sterland almost every night throughout the year.
To make a booking send an email to info@sutherlandinfo.co.za or phone Jurg on +27(82) 556 9589.
Louwhuis & Museum, Sutherland
The house where two famous Afrikaans poets and writer brothers N.P. van Wyk Louw (11 June 1906) and W.E.G. Louw were born.
To visit Louw House phone Gerhard Scholtz +27(83) 571 1043.
N.G. Church, Sutherland
The NG Church on the main road is an absolute must see. It was designed by architect Charles Freeman and a unique German organ is also housed in the beautiful old church.
Visits are by appointment – phone Darius on +27(83) 837 1234.
Restaurants
The Blue Moon Restaurant
34 Piet Retief Street, Sutherland
Contact: Jannie Degenaar +27 82 962 0416
https://www.bluemoonrestaurant.co.za/
Sutherland Hotel
96 Piet Retief Street, Sutherland
Contact: 023-571 1096
Ou Meule
Cnr Buitekant St &, Piet Retief St, Sutherland
Contact: Chrisna Russouw +27 76 313 5803
Strawberry Moon Gifts & Eats
8 Piet Retief Street, Sutherland
Contact: Roelien +27 82 804 3060
https://strawberrymoon.co.za/
Boorgat Restaurant
21 Jubilee Street, Sutherland
Contact: tbc
https://boorgat.com/about/#find-us
Sutherland on Foot with Amanda du Preez
A Sutherland walking tour about the history of the town and the current situation is a must.
Contact Amanda on +27(64) 657 0693.
Rogge Cloof Natures Reserve
Visit Rogge Cloof Reserve Website
Rogge Cloof is a private game reserve neighbour to Rooikloof Guest Farm. They can be visited to view cheetahs, to go on game drives and to hike up Salpeterkop the old extinct volcano.
To make a booking phone +27(23)0041161 or send an email to info@roggeveld.co.za
Hiking & 4×4
Rooikloof is ideal for hiking and there are several options available. The most popular route is to the beautiful Enchanted Forest approx. 3km from the guest houses. This is an easy walk on the old Sutherland road. Here you can experience the real Roggeveld.
People who enjoy walks can follow the Silhouette route on the farm Ezeljaht about 20km outside the town. Four wheel drive routes and look-out points Skurweberg, Verlatenkloof and Banksgate has various 4×4 routes for outdoor adventurers who want to explore the Karoo landscape behind the steering wheel of a 4X4. Verlatenkloofpass was designed by Thomas Bain, son of the famous Bain who designed the Bainskloof pass close to Wellington among other spectacular mountain passes in South Africa.
For Nature Lovers visit Ouberg Pass, Tankwa Karoo (4×4)
Visit the Ouberg pass, approximately 45km west of the town, where on clear days you can see the Ceres-Karoo Mountains (about 200km’s away). The Ouberg Pass is a much revered gravel road pass by adventure travellers and is questionably the most impressive gravel pass in the Northern Cape. Various unique fauna and flora can be found in this extreme landscape. Sutherland is in the so-called Succulent Karoo which is seen as one of the world’s main bio-diversity hot spots. It is an area that has an abundance of endemic hardy plant species which are found nowhere else on earth. This includes unique flora such as the Cliffortia Aborea. Sutherland and surrounds offer bird watchers many unique opportunities. Remember to ask your hosts which dam farms in the area are worth inspecting for our feathered friends.
Be on the look out for the scarce riverine rabbit, Bonulagus monticularis, which can be found grazing in the Carnarvon area. It is one of the twelve most endangered species of rabbit in the world and has the same conservation status as the black rhino and the African wild dog. All indications are that there are no more than 250 adults of this species left.
The riverine rabbit is a timid loner with a grazing area of ten to twenty hectares per animal and can be found in the alluvial soil of intermittent streams. Its ears are approximately 12 cm long, and it has a reddish spot on the back of the neck, white circles around the eyes, a black-brown stripe along its lower jaw and has broad woolly hind legs.
Spring flowering starts from August in the Tankwa area and in September in Roggeveld. Perfect time for Autumn is between March and April.
Our new Picnic Spot
Nestled close to the heart of the Karoo farm operations is our new braai/picnic spot. Walking down towards the Kosnaatjies you’ll pass between Renosterbos cottage and Barn (this was actually where the old “highway” use to go towards Sutherland) after crossing the dry riverbed you’ll find the gate to the picnic spot on your left.
Whilst you braai one can sit down on some log seats under a canopy of leaves in the summer and one of the stars in the winter. A nice stone prep table keeping your food from the ground also gives you a good view of the picnic activities that could include playing boules or melting marshmellows.
The Enchanted Forest
One of our most popular walks backtracks below the tar road towards Matjiesfontein. Here you can follow the old highway fortified by Bain-esque rock walls bringing you close to the Roggeveld plants and the red boulders which gave Rooikloof its name.
At the end of the road (approx 1.7km, round trip 3.4km) you will be greeted by a family of Dassies and a view of our special little forest. Born from a single tree, planted by the current owners Great Grandfather, struck by lightning resulted in this little gem hidden away in this semi-arid corner of our farm. Here we have hosted weddings, picnics, and even guests who have slept in their hammocks high up in the ….. but that would be giving it away! You’ll have to come and see it to believe it ……
