Colesberg - place in Northern Cape, South Africa

is a town of 17,000 people (2011) in South Africa's Northern Cape. It is an agricultural centre for horse breeding and merino sheep farming. It is renowned for producing high-quality racehorses and many stud farms, including one owned by renowned golfer, Gary Player, are nearby.

Understand

The town has a thriving tourism industry, in part because it represents a rough halfway point between Johannesburg and Cape Town. Small industries are located in town, including a sheep abattoir, a factory which makes a range of furniture to order and a panel beater.

Get in

The town is located on the N1, roughly halfway between Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Get around

See

The town boasts many buildings that were built in a blend of Cape Dutch and Georgian architecture with ceilings of reed, and yellowwood timbers, and others that display a range of designs reflecting the changes of 19th-century building.

Do

The Doornkloof Nature Reserve is located near Colesberg on the confluence of the Orange and Seekoei Rivers.

Buy

Eat

Drink

Sleep

There is a hotel, a motel, and many guest houses and B&Bs around town, most having restaurants and pubs on-site. Several guest farms operate in the district offering accommodation with 4x4 trails, mountain bike trails, game hunting (mainly springbok, wildebeest and blesbok) and bird watching.

• Colesburg Backpackers, 39 Church St, +27 51 753-0582.
• Crane Cottage Colesberg, 3 Sarel Cilliers St (coming from Bloemfontein turn off to Colesberg; drive straight until you get to the church in middle of town and turn to your right; it's the second house next to the church), +27 72 741-8296. Check-in: 2:30PM, check-out: 10AM. Peaceful and quiet overnight stay, walking distance from restaurants and gift shops. Parking, private entrance to your room. Spacious and clean rooms with DSTV, en suite bathrooms and coffee/tea facilities. Linen and towels replaced daily. Selfcatering unit that can sleep 6. R220
• The Lighthouse Guesthouse ****, 40 Church St, +27 51 753-0043. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 10AM. A 4-star guesthouse. R250pps
• Toverberg Backpackers, 4 Charl Cilliers St, +27 51 753-0422, toverberg@mweb.co.za.

Go next