Reflections in a farm dam, enhancing the formations. (Photo: Chris Marais) The Red Stone Hills outside Calitzdorp in the Klein Karoo should be on the bucket list of any person wanting to see definitive landscapes of South Africa and the Swartberg Ranges.
Glimpsed from the R62, the Red Stone Hills live up to their name – low crimson peaks in the foreground of the distant Swartberg Ranges, sometimes streaked yellow or grey with lichen.
Drive closer and you’ll see they are studded with small round boulders, like nuts and currants set in a red velvet cake. The formations, known as the Enon or Buffelskloof Conglomerate, were formed in the Cretaceous period about 120 million years ago. They were created by broad rivers carrying coarse gravel and stones into a land-locked valley. The bright colour comes from oxidised iron in the soil.
/file/attachments/orphans/RietfonteinOstrichPalacewiththeRedStoneHillsimmediatelybehindandthegreatSwartbergRangesinbackground_ChrisMarais_469019.jpg "Rietfontein Ostrich Palace, with the Red Stone Hills immediately behind, and the great Swartberg Ranges in the background. (Photo: Chris Marais)")
/file/attachments/orphans/LushgreenvalleyslyingintheembraceoftheRedStoneHills_ChrisMarais_848965.jpg "Lush green valleys lying in the embrace of the Red Stone Hills. (Photo: Chris Marais)")
/file/attachments/orphans/AcouplewalkinghomefromCalitzdorptotheirhomeintheRedStoneHills_ChrisMarais_341696.jpg "A couple walking from Calitzdorp to their home in the Red Stone Hills. (Photo: Chris Marais)")
For Karoo geologists, used to far older rock formations, this is young and callow stuff. But for amateurs like us, and for photographers, it is irresistibly beautiful.
The hills sport odd shapes and holes, sculpted by the wind.
This is a land of permanent sunrise and sunset. The Red Stone Hills look as other mountains would at the bookends of the day, ruby and rust coloured, even at noon.
Edward, Prince of Wales, saw them in 1925 and exclaimed: “I have travelled the whole wide world, but these Red Hills are the most beautiful I have ever come across.”
/file/attachments/orphans/NaturalbasreliefshapesintheRedStoneHills_ChrisMarais_603175.jpg "Natural bas relief shapes in the Red Stone Hills. (Photo: Chris Marais)")
/file/attachments/orphans/ThegeologicalChristmasPuddingappearanceofEnonConglomerate_ChrisMarais_864824.jpg "The geological ‘Christmas Pudding’ appearance of Enon Conglomerate. (Photo: Chris Marais)")
/file/attachments/orphans/VensterkopWindowHillintheRedStoneHills_ChrisMarais_431366.jpg "Vensterkop (Window Hill) in the Red Stone Hills. (Photo: Chris Marais)")
The best way to experience these landscapes is by taking the Kruisrivier turnoff from the R62 on the Calitzdorp side, through the valleys and right up to the Kruisrivier Gallery – approximately 50km long and easily accessed. The Oudtshoorn-side turnoff to Kruisrivier also has magical views.
Stop for a meal and a look at the incredible images at the Kruisrivier Gallery. And then, if you’re hungry for more scenic views, carry on via the Groenfontein Road. Here you’ll find old ruins that make you dream, art galleries and wine estates in the middle of nowhere, and former schools that have been transformed into overnight cottages. DM
Klein Karoo Magic (390 pages, full colour) by Chris Marais and Julienne du Toit was released in May, 2026. To order your author-signed first-edition copy (R400 including SA courier service), email Julie at julie@karoospace.co.za
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