Towns of no more than 3 000 residents rarely have many claims to fame, but Sutherland is a sparkling exception. Situated in the Roggeveld Mountains of the Karoo, this village is a magical place of ink black, star-riddled night skies and thermometers that plunge to more than a few degrees below freezing in winter. Proudly holding the titles of best star-gazing spot and coldest town in South Africa, Sutherland is a place which all South Africans simply have to visit at some point.
In the 18th century, settlers somehow saw promise in this ridiculously remote, rugged and frosty area of the Karoo. Today, the small, nondescript village built for hardy sheep farmers has become a place to quite literally reach for the stars. Cloudless virtually all year round and completely pollution free, the night skies here are more startlingly clear here than anywhere else. The South African Astronomical Observatory unlocks the secrets of the universe here, through the Southern Hemisphere’s largest single optical telescope. Visitors can share in these secrets by booking one of four evening tours that take place at the observatory per week.
Astronomer Jurg Wagner also hosts a fabulous stargazing expedition through his privately-owned establishment, Sterland. The two hour tour starts with an indoor presentation about star constellations, deep space objects and the history of Sutherland. You’ll then head outside, where Jurg points out constellations with a laser, and you get to view twinkling star clusters, gigantic nebulae and even distant galaxies through one of Sterland’s five powerful telescopes.
There’s a sort of strange pride in telling your friends that you’ve experienced colder weather than they have, and Sutherland is as cold as South Africa gets. The temperature has dropped as low as -16oC before, and you can tromp around in the heavy snow which falls in the area every winter, before thawing out in front of a crackling log fire in one of the town’s guest houses, pubs or restaurants.
During your stay, you can mix snow and stars with outdoor pursuits such as 4x4 drives, hiking or nine holes on the unique sand and hardened oil golf course.
*This article was written by a TWNA journalist, Dale Hes for The Traveller magazine.