Location

Inland, in the Little Karoo at the eastern end of the Western Cape province.

Once a hugely prosperous ostrich-farming centre, and known as the ‘feather capital' of the world, Oudtshoorn is located on the broad, dry plains of the Little Karoo between the Swartberg range to the north and the coastal mountain rampart in the south. It's a substantial town, hub of an industry that was at its peak in the later 19^th and early 20^th centuries, a period when feathers were a prominent, almost overwhelming fashion accessory.

The birds are still bred in the area, but for more mundane purposes - their hides produce good leather, their feathers are made into household dusters, their low-fat meat is becoming increasingly popular in a health-conscious age.

Many of the local farmers made fabulous fortunes during the feather boom (at one point a pound of prime white plumes fetched more than 100 guineas on the London market) and some of them built large, ostentatious homes for themselves, elaborate mansions with marble floors, turrets, gables and masses of cast-iron trimming. A few of these ‘feather palaces' have survived the years.

Oudtshoorn is the venue for the lively Klein Karoo National Arts Festival, held in April each year.

Highlights

C.P. Nel Museum Local history displays (included is re-created chemist's shop and trading store), and, in the period-furnished annexe (one of the ‘feather palaces'), the Ostrich Room.

De Oude Pastorie Historic building with a shop that stocks all manner of intriguing goods - antique furniture, crafts, dried fruit, artworks.

Arbeidsgenot Once the home of celebrated Afrikaans poet and writer C.J. Langenhoven, now a museum full of Langenhoven memorabilia.

Ostrich Farms Several working farms can be visited; the showplaces are Highgate, Safari (the homestead is one of the ‘palaces') and Cango. Conducted tours and ‘ostrich derby' races on offer.

Cango Caves This enormous complex of caverns and passages, adorned with a fantasia of multicoloured stalactites, stalagmites and other dripstone formations, lies about 30 kilometres north of Outdtshoorn and ranks among South Africa's ten most visited tourist venues. There are in fact four sequences, with more to be discovered and charted. On site is a museum, restaurant and gift shop.

Cango wildlife ranch, just outside town, features crocodiles, snakes, a cheetah enclosure, and a variety of tame animals. Farther afield is the Cango Butterfly farm (15 kilometres away, at Schoemanshoek), and Cango Angore, a rabbit breeding centre.

Rust-en-Vrede An exquisite series of falls and cascades (the name means ‘rest-and-peace') that drop 70 metres into a deep pool. The rock faces are curiously coloured; the wild flowers are enchanting, as are some of the pincnic spots in the vicinity. To get there, drive towards the Cango caves and turn off along the Raubenheimer Dam road.

Nearest towns

Mossel Bay, to the south-west; George to the south-east; Calitzdorp to the west.

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