The Little Karoo village of De Rust, lying in the crook of a bend in the road somewhere between the Feather Capital of Oudtshoorn and the fold mountains of Meiringspoort, was once a one-horse town. In recent years, you’re more likely to find donkeys in De Rust, taking tourists for a ride around the village for R20 a throw. De Rust now wins ‘small town’ awards, sells its stately homes at a goodly price and welcomes all sorts of city runaways.

ravellers on weekend breaks from Cape Town like to come as far as De Rust. Others arriving from the hinterland on a trip to the Little Karoo make the village their first or last stop. As a result, all sorts of restaurants and accommodations have sprung up to cater for the flow of visitors and even though it’s so small, De Rust is a surprisingly convenient travel base. From here you can do all manner of day trips to places like Prince Albert, Oudtshoorn, the Cango Caves, Klaarstroom and beyond.