Calitzdorp is a town on the Western side of the Little or Klein Karoo in the

Western Cape Province The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabi ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

and lies on South Africa's Route 62.

History

The farm Buffelsvallei, on which Calitzdorp stands, was granted to Jacobus Johannes and Matthys Christiaan Calitz in 1831. The brothers donated part of their farm for the establishment of a church in 1853 and in 1858 the church started the sale of plots to church members. In 1924 a railway line was opened, in 1937 electrification and a new cement road to Oudtshoorn was completed.

Geography

The Swartberg (in the North), Rooiberge (to the South) and the Mountains of the Huisrivier Pass (to the West) surrounds Calitzdorp's challenging landscape with floods, droughts and

extreme weather Extreme weather includes unexpected, unusual, severe weather, severe, or unseasonal weather; weather at the extremes of the historical distribution—the range that has been seen in the past. Extreme events are based on a location's recorded weat ...

, from very hot to snow clad mountaintops in the winter.

Climate

Summers are very hot during the day, mainly a dry heat, up to 40 °C. Wind from the sea every afternoon allows for moderate, cool evenings. Winters have sunny days, very cold nights with occasional frost and snow often falling on the surrounding Swartberg Mountain Range. Rainfall is approximately 200 mm per year, often with the changing of seasons. Prevailing winds are mainly from the south in summer and hot wind from the North in August.

Tourism

Calitzdorp is a haven for enthusiasts of fishing, bird-watching, 4×4 and other scenic routes, horse-riding and

wine tasting Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...

. Calitzdorp is renowned as a centre of the port wine industry in South Africa with several major wine estates famous for their award-winning products. A Port festival takes place in the town in mid-June each year.

References

External links

Calitzdorp Info

Calitzdorp Tourism Bureau

Route 62
{{Authority control Populated places in the Kannaland Local Municipality Hot springs of South Africa