De Rust, established in 1900, is a quaint farm village found along the N12 in the Klein Karoo region of the Western Cape. To the north of the town is the Swartberg Mountains and to the south is the Kammanassie Nature Reserve. Oudtshoorn is just 35km away along the N12 (In a south-westerly direction). There is estimated to be just over 3,500 people in this town, speaking mainly Afrikaans but you will find a few English speakers too. There is one church and a primary & high school in the area too.

Places to stay in the area include:
- Voelgesand B&B, Self-catering or Farmstay accommodation
- De Rust View Guesthouse
- Oliver's Rust
- Die Malvahuisie B&B
- Housemartin Guest House
- Meiringspoort Adventures camping/caravan (+27 44 241 2087)
- Gumtree Manor (on the Stompdrift Dam edge)
- Stompdrift Dam Bush Camp (Camping and self-catering chalets)

Things to see and do:
- Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk (Dutch Reformed Church)
- Ray's Coffee Shop on New (Nuwe) Street
- Sanita's Coffee Shop on New (Nuwe) Street
- Klein Karoo Koffie (100% Arabica Coffee, roasted to your liking)
- Village Trading Post (stunning little Restaurant/coffe shop and craft shop)
- Cango Caves just 62km away
- Historical Building Walking Tour
- Visit Red Hills, a Natural Heritage site
- Enjoy plenty adventure activities at the Stompdrift Dam including boating, fishing, skiing, kayaking
- The farm roads are awesome to cycle on
- Houseboat cruises available
- Donkey-cart rides
- Domein-Doornkraal Wines (+27 44 251 6715)

Cango Caves
The Cango Caves is a cultural and natural landmark in South Africa.
The 20 million year-old Cango Caves system consists of a series of hidden chambers cut deep into a thick limestone rock layer.
It is situated in the Swartberg Mountains, 30 kilometres north of Oudtshoorn, in South Africa's Western Cape Province.
Quick Facts:

• Frequently described as one of the great Natural Wonders of The World.


• The biggest show cave system in Africa.


• Inhabited since the Early Stone Age.


• It is South Africa's oldest tourist attraction.


• The formations are unique: they would not have normally formed in this area and are a result of faulting.


• The Cango Caves became a popular attraction during the 1800s. Many visitors broke off stalagmites and stalactites and wrote their names on the walls. In response, the then governor of the Cape, Lord Charles Somerset, published the first Caves Regulation in 1820. It was designed to protect an environmental resource and banned the collection of souvenirs. Entrance to the caves cost the equivalent of six dollars, the modern equivalent of about R500. Many of the significant discoveries of the caves were made by the first full-time guide, Johnnie van Wassenaar, who opened many of the side chambers and introduced thousands of people to Cango 1, which remains the only part of the caves open to the public.

Available cave tours:
Standard Tour
Duration:60 minutes
Departure:every hour from 09:00 to 16:00
Route:Van Zyl & Botha Halls
Fitness Level:Easy
Restrictions:None

Adventure Tour
Duration:90 minutes
Departure:every hour on the half-hour from 09:30 to 15:30
Route:Entire Cango 1
Fitness Level:Moderate
Restrictions:Not suitable for those suffering from claustrophobia or back ailments.
All tours are lead by experienced, knowledgeable and accredited Cave Guides.
Tours are offered in English but Afrikaans, German, French and other language guides may be available (please check guide availability when making reservations).
Cango Caves facilities include:
An Information Bureau
Provides in-depth tourist information.

Cango Caves Auditorium
View a 19 minute movie about Cango 2, which is closed to the public.

Interpretive Centre
Learn more about the Caves history & Geological background in great detail.

Curio shop
The Kraal Gallery sells African gifts, collectables and originally crafted artefacts.

Restaurant
For mouth-watering traditional South African dishes.

More information:
+27 (0)44 272 7410
reservations@cangocaves.co.za
www.cangocaves.co.za New Window Icon
S 33° 23' 33.8" E 22° 12' 53.7"

Meiringspoort
With towering sandstone cliff walls, displaying exquisite rock formations, the 25km long Meiringspoort is indeed a wonder of nature. The tarred road winds along the Great River (Groot Rivier), crossing the gorge floor 25 times, and each ‘drift’ has a signposted name. Indigenous plant species flourish on these rocky surfaces, and birds, baboons and smaller mammals are prolific in the protected kloofs.
Take a slow drive to enjoy the scenery, stop and drink the water, pack a picnic and have a swim after a short hike to the Meiringspoort Waterfall. The well-cared for rest and picnic areas are safe and a pleasant way to enjoy the views. For the more active, enter the Meiringspoort Marathon that takes place in October every year

Red Hills
Red Hills This Declared Nature Heritage site consists of red coloured open caves and is the only spot known in the world where the conglomerate stone enon appears above the earth. Take the 1½hr hiking trail on the farm to explore. Permit available from the Mons Ruber Wine Tasting Centre.
Tel: +27 44 251 6550
E-mail: monsr@lantic.net
Website: www.geocities.com/monsr-za

Stompdrift Dam
Stompdrift Dam Offers fishing (a regular carp derby twice a year), boating, skiing, kayaking, swimming and a bird watching trip on a safari ship. Situated 6km outside of town, it is the largest dam in the Klein Karoo with a coastline of 25km.
Tel: +27 44 241 2087
E-mail: stompdriftdam@telkomsa.net
Website: www.stompdriftdam.co.za

Toorfontein (AKA Magic or Enchanted Fountain)
This privately owned 215 hectare piece of heavan known as Toorfontein (Magic or Enchanted Fountain) lies in a valley surrounded by crimson hills known as Enon Conglomerate Formations. The luxury tented camp lies snuggled against the slopes near a huge, sheer rock face, with views across the valley and the Little Karoo. The entertainment area is above a fully equipped kitchen and sheltered by an Enon Conglomerate overhang. You can sit back and reflect on the mysticism of the mountains, and the natural beauty and tranquillity of the valley, with no sound but birdsong and perhaps the bark of a baboon or forlorn call of a jackal.

Toorfontein has remained largely untouched, its enchanted fountain still flowing past the camp site as it has for millennia, birds and bats frequent the rock overhangs as they have been doing for thousands of years, and small game hide out in the spekboom thickets of the valley. At night the patter of small, padded feet can be heard on the wooden decks as a clan of mongoose scan the camp for food. Spend the day bird watching, hiking or just relaxing and soul searching in the peace and quiet of the mountain slopes.

If you think you have seen it all, treat yourself to Toorfontein, where the natural beauty will stir and elevate your senses in a spiritual way you might never forget.

-->Hiking Pantry and Medicine Chest Smell and taste the plants used by the Khoisan to cure ailments. This 45 minute hiking trail will be quite an experience.
Tel: +27 44 382 7550
E-mail: info@toorfontein.co.za
Website: www.toorfontein.co.za

Excelsior-Vlakteplaas Wines
Approximately 55 km from Oudtshoorn, as you drive along the Willomore road northwards, you will find Excelsior Winery on Vlakteplaas. For 150 years the farm has been in the Schoeman family and grapes are being farmed here since 1930. This proud tradition has been maintained by his son, Jurie and grandson, Danie, who still today, produce a variety of wines, especially Muscadel wines in the original cellar that has been partly modernized.

The good quality of the wines are owing to the calcium-rich soil and the fresh mountain water from the Swartberg mountains, while the warm, dry climate of the Klein Karoo enhances the growth of healthy full-ripe grapes.
Wines are available at the Doornkraal Wine Shop on the R341 near De Rust
+27 44 241 2568