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Rhodes is one of South Africa’s most beautiful and isolated villages. Originally called Rossville, the tiny hamlet occupies one of South Africa’s most stunning settings near to where the Kraai River starts to cut its valley out of the Drakensberg massif.
Rhodes is one of South Africa’s most beautiful and isolated villages. Originally called Rossville, the tiny hamlet occupies one of South Africa’s most stunning settings near to where the Kraai River starts to cut its valley out of the Drakensberg massif. The isolation of the place meant that it was often the hideout of bandits, cattle rustlers and for people on the wrong side of the law. Later it became the refuge of a gentler type of person and people of a more bohemian frame of mind, settled there to find peace and inspiration.
When Cecil John Rhodes became premier of the Cape the name of the village was changed to Rhodes in the hope that the Premier would part with some of his enormous fortune for the betterment of the village. It is rumoured that Cecil John Rhodes did send some money but that disappeared along with the Town Clerk almost immediately.
Because the village has been so well preserved and has retained its original character, it has been declared a heritage site. Rhodes is at the centre of the biggest and most extensive fly-fishing streams in the country where wild trout have been living for the past eighty years. There are many hikes, pony trekking opportunities, bird shooting, and snow skiing in the winter or simply recuperating in one of the most relaxing environments possible.
Source: Courtesy Eastern Cape Tourism Board - www.ectb.co.za
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