Sutherland: Clear Starry Sky in the Coldest Place in South Africa

The coldest place in South Africa is located in the Northern Cape region, about four hours from Cape Town, and it's called Sutherland. The absolute highlight of this place? The starry sky at night. The Karoo town of Sutherland, situated at 1,450 meters above sea level, is considered one of the coldest spots in South Africa and the place with the clearest and darkest night sky, thanks to the dry climate where 80 percent of the days in the year are cloud-free. There are no disturbing light sources.

Therefore, 18 km outside the town and nearly 400 meters higher, there's an observatory where astronomers observe stars through the largest optical single telescope in the southern hemisphere. Be sure to visit the observatory with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) - an absolute highlight and essentially a hidden gem.

From Cape Town to Sutherland, take the N1 and R354 over 360 km. The turnoff for the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in Sutherland is halfway in the town on the right side (Fraserburg Road). About 14 km from Sutherland is the main gate.

Follow the road to the visitor center and park your car. If you have booked a tour like we did, this is the meeting point.

The shortest way to reach Sutherland is via the Wine Route in Paarl (always worth it) taking the N1 towards Matjesfontein. Via the Karoo Highlands Route and the Verlatekloof Pass ("Desolate Pass", road trip fans will love this route) you will need about 3.5 hours for the 300 km to Sutherland.

See more information on the official website

In winter it gets really cold here - we experienced -4° C at night - and in summer it gets very hot. Spring and autumn have pleasant temperatures. Since the nights in winter are extremely cold, you have better chances for a clear and cloudless view of the Milky Way and the southern hemisphere. As we also wanted to see the wildflower bloom in Namaqualand, we visited in August.

The large telescopes of the SAAO operate here under the best conditions worldwide for astronomy. Located on a mountain peak 1,800 meters above sea level and outside the small town of Sutherland - where the lowest temperatures in South Africa have officially been recorded - the conditions could not be better.

The site was chosen due to the year-round clear skies, the semi-arid environment of the Karoo, and the low light and environmental pollution levels.

During daytime and (of course much more exciting) night tours, you will learn about the work being done here and can explore the sky through specially set up telescopes yourself.

Visits and tours must be arranged via phone in advance. Please note that you can only enter the interior of the SALT telescope during daytime tours. At night, the telescope is in use.

You must book your tour in advance on the website.

We signed up for an extraordinary stargazing tour with Jurg (who is as well-known in Sutherland as a local celebrity). He operates his business privately and has eleven large telescopes set up in his front yard!

For the night tour, you should prepare (if you're visiting in August like we did, it's winter in South Africa).

We put on as many jackets, sweaters, and socks as we had. The temperatures drop to -4 degrees. Not much fun when coming from the hot German summer and nearly 40 degrees.

We literally 'freeze our behinds off' in the South African winter (August), but it's worth it. We get to see the Moon, Saturn (our favorite planet which is beautifully visible), Venus, Mars, and Jupiter.

We can see the Milky Way with the naked eye. It's so clear and cloud-free that after a two-hour stargazing tour, we spend another hour outside photographing the starry sky.

Book stargazing with Jurg

Jurg's tours are very popular. It's important to book early! The best way is to send an email ([email protected])

Since Sutherland is all about the night skies and stargazing tours around the SALT telescope and private providers, there's not much else to do here. Take a walk through the small town with a few remaining historic buildings. Besides the old church and the planetarium view opening times here, while you can book stargazing tours ), there isn't much else to see.

I preferred the private tours with Jurg. If those are fully booked, the evening stargazing through their 11" and 14" telescopes (14" is the largest telescope in the town) is certainly also very worthwhile.

Note that there are not many accommodations available in Sutherland. If you are not traveling in winter like we were, then you should expect that the starry sky may not be as clear as it was for us. Therefore, it is better to possibly plan for 2 nights here. In winter - everything was perfect - one night was enough.

We stayed at the Kambro Kind Guest House in Sutherland. The rooms are quite old-fashioned and rustic. Everything was very clean and safe. We received heated blankets since the "heaters" didn't really warm the rooms (this is standard in winter). The hostess was super nice and gave us tips. Since we were only here for one night, the accommodation was perfectly fine. All restaurants are within walking distance.

There aren't many places to eat in Sutherland. We arrived at the restaurant late after the stargazing with Jurg. We recommend the Ou Meule restaurant in the town's old grain mill. They have delicious pizza and homemade Boerekos.

Alternatively, there is the Blue Moon restaurant where you can have breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Check the opening hours on their website.

You can find more information on the Sutherland tourist office website.

Please note that there is only one gas station in Sutherland. Fill up before your arrival and check the opening hours.

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