Resorts Of The Month: Kruisrivier Guest Farm

Off the beaten track and ideal for the off-roading camper

Kruisrivier Guest Farm lies in the foothills of the Swartberg Mountains between Calitzdorp and Oudtshoorn and is, without a doubt, one of my favourite campsites in the Klein Karoo.

To get to the guest farm, you need to travel to the town of Calitzdorp on Route 62 in the Western Cape. Here you can either take the Groenfontein gravel road via Wesoewer Road or Calitz Street, the latter is easy to find since it borders the so-called ‘dead centre’ of town, the Calitzdorp cemetery!

Both roads later become one, fairly narrow gravel road that winds its way out past the Calitzdorp Dam, where you can take in wonderful old homesteads and scenery. This sets the stage for what you are about to discover and enjoy during your adventure.

This historic farm dates back to 1759 and belongs to Basie and Mandi Strydom and their three sons, Johannes Hendrik, Sybrand, and Joost Conraad. In the archives, it’s noted in high Dutch that ‘De Kruys Rivier voor aan de Cango, geleegen over de Oliphantsrivier’ was registered in January 1759 in the name of Johannes Strydom. Interestingly, this was the first time the well-known name ‘Cango’ appeared on any document. The current Strydoms are the 7th generation to be living in this piece of paradise, in the shadow of the towering Swartberg Mountains.