DeStijl Gariep Hotel and the Region

The name xhariep is derived from the San words for ‘red water’. Gariep Dam is situated in the centre of South Africa, roughly 700km from Johannesburg and Cape Town and 500km from Port Elizabeth and East London. Bloemfontein, capital of the free State is only a 2-hour drive north. The town is on both main roads between these centres, the N1 and R58. The Gariep Dam is the largest inland water mass in South Africa making it a great water sports location.

Lake Gariep is in the upper Karoo Heartland, close to the historical towns of Bethulie, Venterstad, Colesburg, Oviston and Aliwal North. The Karoo is an austere land of flat-topped ironstone koppies, stunted vegetation and whirlwinds. It is a vast land of thorn, succulents, aloes and saltbush. The Hottentots called it ‘the place of great dryness’.

Tourism plays an important role in the area. Gariep is host to a multitude of national and international sporting events as it boasts a fresh water mass of over 360km2. The inland yachting, fly-fishing and angling are second to none, regular anglers catch yellow fish, tilapia and mudfish.