Sutherland Accommodation

Sutherland, a tiny town in the Northern Cape of South Africa, is famous for two reasons. It is home to the largest optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere because the view of the starry skies is best here, and it is one of the coldest locations in South Africa. At 4.5 hours drive from Cape Town, it has become a popular  holiday destination amongst Capetonians. Sutherland  now offers a number of hotels and self catering accommodation options for keeping warm on a cold Sutherland night.

Sutherland is surrounded by a wide open, semi-arid Karoo landscape. There are rarely any clouds in the sky which means there aren't many rainy days here, but nor is there a blanket to trap in the earth's heat. It is stark and beautiful, the only vegetation being of the Roggeveld family- a wild rye grass which doesn't grow very high.

Despite the cold winters and the open space, Sutherland is a great place to visit. In fact, if you are going to take a holiday, Sutherland is one of the best places to visit in winter. Picture cosy accommodation, log fires and the odd sprinkling of snow. The number of visible stars is overwhelming and a visit to the astronomical observatory is sure to teach you a few things about outer space.

The town was established when the Dutch East India Company moved into the area after the original pioneers had assessed it to be a good sheep-rearing area. They built churches and bought up the farms, subdividing them and selling them as smaller properties. In 1858, Sutherland was pronounced a town, named after the priest of the time.

Today Sutherland's main economic activities are sheep farming and tourism. Apart from star-gazing and absolute peace and quiet, Sutherland offers visitors a glimpse into geological history with many examples of exposed rocks (dating back millions of years), folded mountains and the youngest volcano south of the equator. There are also gems providing insights into human history such as the graveyard (where Boer War casualties were laid to rest) and architecture.

Sutherland is the perfect choice for a languid weekend of little activity, lots of stars and more than enough fresh air.

Looking for a room? Find it here?

Broadcast your accommodation requirements to our database of hotels and lodges.

Price Range comparison

In order to provide meaningful price comparisons this website compares the Per Person Sharing Rate or, where this is not available, the Average Price Per Person for a unit, based on its maximum occupancy.

When Homes and Villas are selected as the search criteria, the full daily rate for the unit is used for price comparison and display irrespective of the number of people the unit sleeps.

* This accommodation is only available as a unit. It has been included in these search results as the average price per person based on maximum occupancy falls within the selected price range. However, the price displayed is the full unit price.