As I swirl the golden liquid in my glass, I catch an aroma of freshly cut grass, the scent of extra virgin olive oil at its finest. I swallow, tasting the peppery notes of the polyphenols that have earned a small farm in South Africa’s Klein Karoo the title of the world’s best oil. As I look beyond the olive groves to the mountain ranges stretching into the distance, I feel the pull of a South African region often overlooked in favor of its neighbors, one that offers towering mountains, game drives, lush vineyards, and some of the friendliest people I’ve ever encountered.
Two hours outside Cape Town, the pretty town of Montagu is the western gateway to the Klein Karoo. I stroll down Long Street, admiring the ornate white Cape Dutch facades against a dazzling blue sky. It’s T-shirt and sunglasses weather, and I can see why some savvy Capetonians choose this region as a winter destination. Everyone greets me with a cheery “Goeiemôre” and I feel as though I’ve been transported back to a slower, more polite time. A fitting toast to a journey that includes driving along sections of Route 62, the world’s longest wine route, where the fresh berry flavour of Montagu Wines’ famous red muscadel (“the best wine for the price in the world”, according to the Nederburg auction) leaves a lasting impression.
To complete my quest for the world’s best olive oil, I drive five hours from Cape Town to De Rustica Olive Estate, where I’m delayed on arrival by a herd of sheep. It’s harvest time, and workers are holding small, brightly colored plastic rakes. De Rustica’s olives are picked by hand, providing much-needed employment to the local community. In addition to the social benefits, owner Rob Sill says, “There’s no question that hand-picking is a quality-enhancing trait—it doesn’t damage the fruit as much as some of the more robust picking methods.”
“It all starts in your nose,” showroom manager Megan Stuurman tells me as she lines up three glasses of the estate’s single-variety extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), ranging in flavor from mild to intense. By the end of an informative tasting, I discover why the wall behind the tasting table is covered in awards and why 26 expert blind tasters awarded the medium-intensity Coratina EVOO 97 out of 100 points, making it the best in the world. The supermarket oils I’ve slathered on my salads are stale by comparison. I leave De Rustica impressed, well-informed, and with a boot full of liquid gold.
But I discover that there’s more to the Klein Karoo than just oil. In the nearby town of Oudtshoorn, ostriches are the main attraction, but the meerkats that leap from their burrows and stand guard are equally endearing. In the Cango cave system, I marvel at melted candle-wax-like geological formations, and that afternoon I join A2 Zebra Adventures for a drive along the dizzying 17-mile Swartberg Pass. My guide deftly navigates hairpin bends and distracts me from steep climbs by pointing out large pink proteas and long-tailed sugarbirds, all, I suspect, to keep me from screaming.
After the dizzying vastness of the Swartberg Pass, the town of Prince Albert greets me like a comforting hug. Its remoteness gives it an amber-like allure, with Victorian architecture and a honey-coloured light that has long attracted writers and artists, as evidenced by the town’s many galleries. In season, citrus fruits, apricots and figs are grown here and sold at the local farmers’ market. I’m staying at 81 on Church, a sanctuary in an oasis that offers much-needed relaxation. On Sunday mornings, the silence is broken only by the ringing of a bell that calls the village to church.
The Klein Karoo has two game lodges – Mont Eco and Sanbona – where, if you’re lucky, you might spot the big five. As I bounce along bone-rattling gravel roads in the wrong hire car, a whiff of dust in my throat, I understand why the ubiquitous white 4x4s, known locally as “bakkies”, are the vehicle of choice in these parts.
On arrival in Sanbona, I breathe in the zesty lemon-mint scent of the bush and scan the landscape – miles of rust-brown wilderness in every direction. On a drive through seemingly portrait-silent countryside, our expert guides point out a disturbance in the bush and, sure enough, an animal appears. Sometimes they come exhilaratingly close: cheetahs pose like catwalk models and time stands still as an elephant silently brushes past our vehicle, gazing at us with what seems like gentle curiosity. Nights are spent huddled around roaring fires, watching the stars light up the uncontaminated sky. Being on safari is like living in the land of the lotus eaters – I ate, drank, was driven around, losing all sense of time and obligation.
On the way back to Cape Town, I am swallowed up by towering sandstone formations at every turn as I drive through Meiringspoort. At the end of the pass, I stop for a coffee in the pretty village of De Rust. An older gentleman politely asks where I am from. Another couple joins in our conversation. Everyone hugs me as I leave and tells me to “come back soon.”
I spend my last night in Barrydale, at the Karoo Art hotel. It is a sultry evening and I eat a delicious lamb curry outside, under a full moon. That night the silence is baritone and the village seems to sleep as one. I wake to the sound of cheerful conversation and the smell of freshly baked bread. Sitting on the spacious veranda I watch the dusty village slowly unfold, wondering what makes the Klein Karoo so special. It is a place that teaches you that space is not emptiness, but freedom. The vast landscapes stimulate imagination and ambition. I suspect that it is not only the Mediterranean climate that ensures that the best olive oil in the world is produced here.
Alongside the characteristic pursuit of excellence is a consistent courtesy, a “Goeiemôre” wherever you go, which gives the Klein Karoo its inimitable charm and creates memories as vivid as the stars that shine so brightly here.
Dawn Kennedy was a guest at A 2 Zebra Adventures (082 926 9648) offers the Swartberg tour for £150; Mountain Eco (0027 071 410 9716); double rooms from £370 per night, per person, all-inclusive.
Sanbona Wildlife Reserve (021 010 0028); £350 per night, all inclusive.
Surval Boutique Olive Estate (0027 087 350 1950); double rooms from £130 per night, including breakfast.
81 on Church (023 541 1188); £60 per night, self-catering. Karoo Art Hotel (0027 066 189 7457); £130 per double room, including breakfast.