De Doorns, Karoo
De Doorns lies on the main route to and from Cape Town, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth. With its wide range of service and commercial facilities, De Doorns has become the business and shopping centre for the entire valley and surrounding towns.
De Doorns is a town with a particularly impressive cultural heritage. In 1819 De Doorns was proclaimed a sub-drostdy of Tulbagh. Two farms were bought for the purpose of laying out a town. In 1822 De Doorns was proclaimed a full drostdy.
The little town of De Doorns lies at the centre of the Hex River Valley only one and a half hours' drive from Cape Town, just off the N1 and 35 kilometres north of Worcester, in the midst of South Africa's Table Grape industry.
This is a valley of vineyard upon vineyard, historical Cape Dutch homesteads, and snow-capped mountains during winter that combine to make it one of the most picturesque valleys, particularly during autumn when the different vines give rise to a display of variegated colour so rich that all who see it are inspired and none left untouched by its beauty.
De Doorns literally translated means ‘the thorns' in Dutch and refers to the Acacia thorn trees that dominate the Hex River banks. De Doorns' wine cellar boasts the longest harvest season in the world, from December through until April, and the area exports some 17 million cartons of grapes annually.
Farms here lie nestled between the Hex and Quadou Mountains, which provide much in the way of hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing.
In the vicinity
Hotels & other accommodation options
Aquila Private Game Reserve
Aquila Private Game Reserve, under a two hour scenic drive via the N1 from Cape Town, is named after the rare and endangered Black Eagle that thr...
Klondyke Farm
Situated on a working farm in Ceres, Klondyke Farm offers comfortable accommodation in three cottages. There is poor cellphone reception on the f...
AfriCamps at Karoo 1
AfriCamps at Karoo 1 offers glamping accommodation in De Doorns overlooking the picturesque farm and its unique surrounding rock faces. This dog-...
Ou Winkel Cottage at Au d'Brandy
Ou Winkel Cottage at Au d'Brandy Route provide self catering accommodation on a working farm. Steeped in history, Au d' Brandy Route is located o...
Matroosberg Cottage at Au d'Brandy
Matroosberg Cottage accommodates two adults in an open-plan unit which is furnished with a double bed and has an en-suite bathroom. There is an e...
Things to do in the area
Kopbeenskloof 4x4 Trail
In the starkness of the Karoo, a truly unique beauty is found. It is an unusual, mysterious allure that has had a profound effect on those that v...
Leeuwenboschfontein 4x4 Trail
The Western Cape Province of South Africa is home to a plethora of natural attractions and intriguing terrains. The Karoo is one of these, and sh...
Noteworthy attractions
Anysberg Nature Reserve
In the heart of the Cape Fold Mountains, the natural abundance of the Anysberg Nature Reserve is situated in the Little Karoo of the Western Cape...
Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden
In Roux Road on the outskirts of Worcester, some 120 kilometres from Cape Town, lies a unique gem of a garden - the only truly succulent garden i...
Cango Caves
Almost 30 kilometres outside of Outshoorn in the Klein Karoo, and certainly one of the main reasons for placing this little town on your itinerar...
Karoo National Park
The Karoo National Park is situated close to the N1 highway between Cape Town and the hinterland, approximately 1000 km south of Johannesburg and...
Gamkaberg Nature Reserve
Lying in the Little Karoo is the remote Gamka mountain range, isolated because of the conduit of the Gouritz River that slices between the Gamkab...
Kammanassie Nature Reserve
Lying in the Little Karoo between the Swartberg and Outeniqua Mountains, lies an inselberg or monadnock - an isolated hill or small mountain that...
Sanbona Wildlife Reserve
At the foot of the Warmwaterberg, in the heart of the Little Karoo, between Montagu and Barrydale on the famous Route 62, the vision of the San i...
Swartberg Nature Reserve
The Swartberg Nature Reserve lies in the Oudtshoorn district between the Great Karoo and Little Karoo, bordered by the Gamka River in the west an...
Meiringspoort
The towering sandstone cliff walls and breathtaking rock formations of Meiringspoort lie on the N12 between Beaufort West and Oudtshoorn. The poo...
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