Rhodes Village and surrounds
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The village
Rhodes is a small Victorian era village in the Eastern Cape Highlands, close to the southern border of Lesotho.
It has fewer than 1 500 inhabitants, most of whom depend on farming or tourism for their living. It is the only declared heritage village in the Eastern Cape, and walking through it in winter, with woodsmoke in the air and the mountains standing over the rooftops, it is not hard to see why.
The surrounding area
The attractions here are mainly the spectacular scenery, the challenging mountain pass drives, the alpine flowers in season, and fly fishing for wild spawned trout in more than 400 kilometres of clear streams. Ben MacDhui, the second highest peak in the Eastern Cape at 3 001 metres, stands above the route. Naude’s Nek, one of the highest passes in South Africa, runs out of the valley.
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In winter it snows. In spring the veld turns. At any time of year it is quiet in a way that is difficult to find anywhere else in the country.
Getting to Rhodes
The roads into Rhodes are gravel and high speed travel is not possible on them. Give yourself proper time, particularly if you are staying outside the village and driving in for the start.
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There is no fuel station in Rhodes. Fill your tank, and your containers if you carry them, before you take the gravel. Barkly East, Khowa (Elliot), Maclear and Mount Fletcher all have fuel.