Sutherland destination of choice: Game Viewing Drives (guided and self-drive); Game Walks (guided and self-walk); Fat Bikes; Hikes; Mountain Bike Trails & Cycling; Volcano Hikes & Picnics; Historical Walks/Drives; Stargazing; Fossil Hunting' Wine Tasting; Restaurant; Self-catering Accommodation; Events Venue.
The origins of the farm and dark sky reserve Rogge Cloof (meaning rye ravine) date back to 1756 when Joachim Scholtz, the son of German and Nordic immigrants to Africa, acquired the property. Since then over more than 250 years, various owners have loved, nurtured and developed these hostile lands enduring lions, droughts, snow and freezing winds. Located at an altitude of between 1400 to 1700 metres, with magnificent clear skies and expansive plains, Rogge Cloof is truly home to the greatest heavens on earth!
Rogge Cloof is a Biosphere Reserve; a Reserve Shuttle Service is available; Rogge Cloof is a very secure environment with electric perimeter fencing all around; Intercom and electric gate access system; Lounge & Licensed Restaurant; Unlimited Wi-Fi in public areas; Rogge Cloof is an excellent Karoo Events Venue.
Fully equipped self-catering units; spacious living areas, rooms and bathrooms, with open-plan kitchenette areas; showers only; gas stoves & fridges in all units; fireplaces and 'stoep' for relaxation and armchair game viewing. Spacious surrounding area for vehicle parking next to units. Unlimited Wi-Fi available in all units and public areas. Pets only allowed with prior notification and agreement.
About the area in which Rogge Cloof is situated: The Karoo (from a Khoikhoi word, possibly garo "desert") is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. There is no exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo, and therefore its extent is also not precisely defined. The Karoo is partly defined by its topography, geology, and climate — above all, its low rainfall, arid air, cloudless skies, and extremes of heat and cold. The Karoo also hosted a well-preserved ecosystem hundreds of million years ago, which is now represented by many fossils.
The Karoo formed an almost impenetrable barrier to the interior from Cape Town, and the early adventurers, explorers, hunters and travellers on the way to the Highveld unanimously denounced it as a frightening place of great heat, great frosts, great floods and great droughts. Today it is still a place of great heat and frosts, and an annual rainfall of between 50–250 mm, though on some of the mountains it can be 250–500 mm higher than on the plains. However, underground water is found throughout the Karoo, which can be tapped by boreholes, making permanent settlements and sheep farming possible.
The xerophytic vegetation consists of aloes, mesembryanthemums, crassulas, euphorbias, stapelias, and desert ephemerals, spaced 50 cm or more apart, and becoming very sparse going northwards into Bushmanland and, from there, into the Kalahari Desert. The driest region of the Karoo, however, is its southwestern corner, between the Great Escarpment and the Cederberg-Skurweberg mountain ranges, called the Tankwa Karoo, which receives only 75 mm of rain annually. The eastern and north-eastern Karoo are often covered by large patches of grassland. The typical Karoo vegetation used to support large game, sometimes in vast herds.
Today sheep thrive on the xerophytes, though each sheep requires about 4 hectares of grazing to sustain itself.
