Merweville

Merweville is named after Reverend van der Merwe and was established in the early 1900s. It sits in one of the most arid parts of the Karoo, where annual rainfall seldom exceeds 150 millimetres. The landscape is flat-topped koppies, open scrubland, and an unbroken horizon in most directions. Unlike many Karoo towns that developed along a railway line, Merweville was bypassed by the rail network and remained cut off for decades with only dirt roads in and out.

The two tarred streets are a recent development in historical terms. The architecture is a mix of Cape Dutch influences and flat-roofed Karoo cottages with thick walls that manage the temperature extremes. The town fosters a strong sense of community among its small population — fewer than 2,000 residents — in the way that real isolation tends to do.

The nougat factory has become the most-discussed thing about Merweville. A local operation producing egg-white and sugar confectionery that has found a market well beyond the Karoo. A 2024 Daily Maverick piece called it Karoo Nougat Central. The factory offers tours and tastings. It is the kind of small-scale enterprise that a remote town builds a reputation around, and the reputation is earned.

The night sky is extraordinary. This part of the Central Karoo sees almost no light pollution and is among the best stargazing environments in the country. The Letterkop Sunset Trip, an informal local tour of the surrounding koppies at dusk, captures what the landscape does at its best. The region has been used as a stand-in for the American Southwest in film productions.