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South Africa’s number one travel and outdoor lifestyle magazine. We pay our own way and tell it like it is. We drive back roads and speak to real people, giving you practical information about affordable destinations in southern Africa. Each issue is crammed with excellent photography, honest gear reviews and delicious recipes to make at home or in the bundu. Whether you’re looking to escape for a weekend or a month, your journey starts here.

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Back to the heartland • When life gets too heavy, Sophia van Taak heads to the Karoo, unplugs everything with a screen and rediscovers the things that really matter.

Gravel (time) travel • Roads have stories to tell. On the so-called Forgotten Highway between Tulbagh and Kuruman, you'll have enough time to ponder them all. We joined up with an eccentric expedition tracing the history of the Karoo.

Road trip rapture • The Little Karoo is one of the best self-drive destinations in South Africa. Route 62 connects most of the towns and almost all the main attractions are accessible in any car. These five places to stay are perfect if you want to explore the districts of Barrydale, Vanwyksdorp, Calitzdorp, Oudtshoorn and Uniondale.

Hofmeyr rising • The small town of Hofmeyr in the Eastern Cape is fighting the platteland poverty slump, thanks to the faith and finances of some hardy locals.

Guardian of the ‘nothingness’ • Sue Milton-Dean from Prince Albert runs Renu-Karoo, an indigenous plant nursery in town, and also leads walking tours in the veld to educate locals and visitors about the fragile beauty of the Karoo.

Sleep softly in the Hardemans Karoo • You could have a long debate about how and where the internal borders of the Karoo should be drawn, but it's undeniable that the Hardemans Karoo offers space and silence in abundance. Here are some special places to stay in this region.

In the land of the lion • On the Karoo Experience tour, you'll explore special corners of the Karoo National Park – you might see a lion – and private farms where fossils of ancient dassie-like creatures are waiting to be discovered. The bonus? You can put your 4×4 through its paces…

The storyteller of Montagu • Join Marchelle van Zyl on a two-wheeled tour of her town and you'll learn about history, art and the exploits of more than one kwaai tannie.

Space is the place • On this adventure through the districts of Hanover, Murraysburg, Nieu-Bethesda and Graaff-Reinet, you'll meet people who have stretched their wings in the big, beautiful spaces offered by the Karoo.

101 Karoo Classics • Farm stalls • Back roads Accommodation • Activities

LETTER FROM Cradock • Cradock is called Nxuba these days, but despite changing times, Clinton V. du Plessis still holds fast to this part of the Eastern Cape Karoo.