About Nieuwoudtville

Nieuwoudtville, Upper Karoo

The incredibly pretty town of Nieuwoudtville, its streets lined with historical sandstone buildings, lies just inside the Northern Cape border between Vanrhynsdorp and Calvinia, just off the R27.

Nieuwoudtville is extremely popular during the wild flower season, and indeed, because of its unique placement in the Karoo plain known as the Bokkeveld, where the Hantam Karoo meets Cape Fynbos, it has a reputation as the bulb capital of the world. During spring bulbs, known as geophytes, of every description bloom in the area around town, rain dependent.

In town the gorgeous Neo-Gothic sandstone church forms the heart of the place. Its garden too is usually filled with flowering bulbs. Aside from the church, there is so much to do when in Nieuwoudtville that a stay for fewer than three days is unthinkable. You can visit many of the outlying farms during flower season, where people make their living from sheep, wheat and rooibos tea farming. Some of them offer accommodation too.

Just outside of town you will find the Nieuwoudtville waterfall, decidedly underrated despite its being one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the country. Which makes it more of a wonder for the impact it has. Outside of town on the other side is the farm Glenlyon, now the Hantam Botanical Garden, well worth a visit both in season and out. And just outside of town in yet another direction you will find the community bulb nursery, where you can pick up your own bulbs to plant back at home.

Other than that, there is the quiver tree forest, local sandstone ruins, glacial pavement, the Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve and a myriad activities that include bird watching, hiking and a lot of star gazing (light pollution in Nieuwoudtville is minimal). Also visit the small towns of Loeriesfontein, for the windmill museum, and Calvinia.