Britstown is a small farming village in the Northern Cape of South Africa. These tiny towns are quite isolated from major cities and a fair amount of driving is required to get between them. This area has an incredibly vast landscape, perfect for hiking, mountain biking and taking a break from the rush of city life.
Places to stay
- Transkaroo Country Lodge +27(053) 672 0027
South Africa's vast Karoo region, covering the majority of its Northern Cape Province, is home to the Transkaroo Country Lodge. This boutique hotel, where only our hospitality exceeds the region’s tranquillity and wide open spaces, has made a name for itself over the course of more than a century of service. The twin oases of its accommodation and its cuisine has earned it a reputation as the preferred stop-over en route between South Africa's north and south. Britstown, the town we call home, is conveniently located at the cross-roads of two national roads, with De Aar as the nearest major centre. Our friendly and professional team would consider it their pleasure to host you and make your stay in our hotel relaxing and unforgettable. Conveniently located along many of South Africa's national roads, Transkaroo Country Lodge lies in an oasis of relaxation and tranquility. The Country Lodge welcomes you to the Karoo and would take immense pleasure in hosting you, whether it be a stop-over en-route to a major city or just a peaceful holiday you require. With just about a hundred years of heritage and history under the lodge's belt, you can be certain that at the Transkaroo Country Lodge, it's remarkably welcoming staff will do everything in their power to make your stay a unforgettable and relaxing one.
Country Cafe
This cafe is actually a restaurant/cafe/Bar/Wine shop all in one! restaurant opens at 7am and closes at 9pm. it offers A la Carte, carver, al fresco, bar services and more. Located at the Transkaroo Country Lodge
Other great places to stay
- Rooidam Cottages
- Kambro Accommodation & farmstall
- Rietpoort Guest House
- The Old Mill Coffee Shop
- Country cafe at Transkaroo Country Lodge
- See the local Dutch Reformed Church built in 1877
- Britstown Museum
- Enjoy some hiking on various trails on surrounding farms
- See Khoisan Rock Art
- Enjoy the stargazing only possible far from city lights
Britstown is a small farming town situated in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Named after Hans Brits, who accompanied David Livingstone on a venture to the interior and then settled on the farm, Gemsbokfontein. In 1877, an association of local men, headed by TP Theron, bought a section of the farm on which they built a community centre and a church.
Soon after the discovery of diamonds at Hopetown and Kimberley, Brits realised that he and his neighbours could earn good money serving the growing traffic along the Diamond Way. So Brits arranged for a town to be laid out on a portion of his farm. As a tribute to him it was named Britstown.
A private irrigation scheme was started by the Smartt Syndicate in 1885 and liquidated in 1954. The concern built two dams, planted lucerne and wheat and grazed karakul sheep and Clydesdale horses. The 1961 floods destroyed the Smartt Irrigation Board Dam, rebuilt by the government in 1964.
The first inhabitants of this area were the /Xam (Bushmen). They were self-sufficient people who depended entirely on the land for their needs. The plains teemed with game, so they neither sowed nor kept livestock. Indigenous plants provided a variety of edible bulbs and bark for further nutritional and medicinal requirements.
With their stamina, tenacity and endurance the /Xam moved widely through the Karoo. At places where they sought shelter and rest from their wanderings, the /Xam left an artistic wealth of rock engravings, telling us what this world was like when it was theirs. The Karoo is renowned for its wealth of Stone Age remains spanning at least half a million years of human history. Rock art makes up a distinctly visible element of this legacy, and predominantly dates from the last 10 000 years. South Africa's heritage of Stone Age Art, among the richest in the world, is found in the form of engravings and paintings. Both forms are found in the Great Karoo. Engravings predominate, but finger paintings are often found in caves, shelters and overhangs.
