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SALT and Sutherland share their secrets 

Chances are when you think about Sutherland your first thought is that there must be a whole lot of nothing. You couldn’t be more wrong. 

Sutherland is a tiny little town established in 1855 and forms part of the Karoo Hoogland Municipality in the Northern Cape. This charming town is your gateway to the heavens, the past and a kaleidoscope of natural beauty. 

A Quick Sutherland Stop 

If you’re simply in the mood for a meandering road trip through the Gannaga and Ouberg passes with a quick stop at one of Sutherland’s fantastic restaurants, you would be perfectly satisfied. 

Stop over at Blue Moon or Ou Meule restaurants for delicious Northern Cape fare after admiring the singular beauty of the Karoo. Or, you could embrace the deliciously dizzy experience of visiting Die Boorgat. 

You enter the sprawling plot greeted by two Land Rovers cemented into the gate posts. Yes, you read that right. The decor incorporates equipment such as tractors, balers, harvesters, and even half an old bathtub as part of the very foundation of this quirky but cosy location. 

No number of words will paint the picture more effectively than taking a quick squiz on their website. It looks like some mad, Karoo farm version of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. 

The menu ranges from the simple Pap&Sous breakfast to the exquisite Lamb Shank main served with indulgent pumpkin fritters. Most of us don’t often get to enjoy the unique herby flavour that is Karoo lamb, but you might take the trip to Sutherland just for their cooking.  

Stay in Sutherland a little longer 

Why drive all that way just to pass through? There are many gorgeous guest houses and B&Bs in the area where you can stop over in style. 

Our top pick, however, is the luxury camping experience of:

Sterland Caravan Park 

Sterland is just one kilometre outside of Sutherland, in the direction of Matjiesfontein and has eighteen stands, two communal lapas and a firepit that will make your evenings even more special. 

Sterland offers unique experiences. Our favourite is the stargazing sessions that they host almost every night of the year. The experience is one hour long where you will be able to gaze through one of their six telescopes. Their informed hosts help you identify the constellations and teach you how to navigate with the aid of the Southern Cross and Magellan clouds. 

More Stars Please! 

Now, the whole point of camping in Sutherland is to take advantage of SALT. Nope, not the table kind. 

The Southern African Large Telescope – SALT 

If you’re setting up a bucket list of South African must-see locations, SAAO’s Sutherland facility in the Karoo should be right at the top. 

SALT sits proudly on a hilltop in a nature reserve. Its installation began in March 2004 and the last of the mirrored hexagon segments were placed in May 2005. 

Korea, Japan, Poland and Google have telescopes at the site and the University of Birmingham has a solar telescope to help monitor the Sun. 

Sutherland was chosen for its year-round clear skies, semi-arid setting, and absence of light and other pollution. 

Day Tour 

During the day, you can walk through the visitor centre as well as see the selected research telescopes including SALT. This tour is fully guided and costs about R120 per person or R60 for kids aged 6-11. The little ones under 6 get in for free. 

At night SALT shines.  

Night Tour 

These night tours are offered on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. 

Here you will be allowed to view interesting objects in the night sky, through two dedicated visitor telescopes. Visitors can obviously not visit any of the research telescopes at night – they’re busy doing their jobs! 

Night fees are the same as during the day. Tour fees go towards the SAAO’s education, public outreach, and socio-economic development programs.  

Remember that bookings are essential for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.