Eco-Tourism & Heritage in De Rust 

Your "De Rust Bucket  List"

De Rust Heritage: The Village of De Rust is a “Heritage Sensitive Area” with its own long history going back many centuries ago to the San and the Khoi. Further details of this can be found on the De Rust Heritage website www.derustheritage.org.za   The website has many interesting stories about De Rust and its history. Tours of both Meiringspoort, the Village and surrounding district are also available via the website.   

Meiringspoort: The road through Meiringspoort started as a bridal path which was only accessible by horses and mules. The first recorded journey through the “poort” was in 1800 by Johannes Petrus Meiring who was one of the first permanent residents in the De Rust area. It then developed into a “wagon trail” where farmers could transport their wool from the Great Karoo to Mossel Bay as well as goods moving from the coast to the interior.   

The Meiringspoort Marathon: The Marathon route is routed through the “poort” and crosses many of the drifts where the “Grootrivier” crosses the road. It also passes the Waterfall where legend has it the “Mermaid” part human and part fish used to live.  Details on the many “drifts”, each with their own story are available on the website.  

Eco-Tourism Tours:  Those interested in Eco-tourism will be able to book for tours of both the Village and Meiringspoort as well as other local attractions. There are many other opportunities including Rock Paintings, Hiking Trails in the Swartberg Nature Reserve, Horse Trails as well as wonderful farm stays in the area. The Village also has many levels of accommodation available for both local and international tourists.   

Heritage Village Walking Tour: The Village has a wide variety of “Heritage” buildings dating from the early 1900’s. The “Old Mill” at Voelgesang and the Dutch Reformed Church in the Village are Provincial Heritage Sites as well a number of other interesting buildings from the same era. This tour is available via the De Rust Heritage website.   

Strategic Central Location: De Rust is ideally positioned as a base to visit all the key attractions in this portion of the Klein Karoo including Klaarstroom, Prince Albert, the Swartberg Pass, the Kango Caves, the Swartberg Nature Reserve, Meiringspoort and a wide variety of other interesting locations. The Garden Route is also close by with wonderful drives including some of the mountain passes in the area including Prince Alfred’s Pass between Uniondale and Knysna which has outstanding mountain and forest scenery.   

De Rust Heritage & Eco-Tourism: Visit De Rust for a relaxing and interesting stay as part of the wide range of attractions and facilities available. In addition, a full range of accommodation is available at all budget levels from backpackers to luxury and everything in between.  See the De Rust Heritage website for more information on www.derustheritage.org.za    

September, 2018