Situated on the edge of the Nama Karoo in the Western Cape, Vanrhynsdorp has a distinct Victorian character it owes to the early European settlers, who arrived in 1661. The town’s surrounds are semi-desert.

Three botanical kingdoms converge here, namely the Nama-Karoo vegetation, succulents in the Knersvlakte and Cape Fynbos in the mountains. Industry in Vanrhynsdorp consists mainly of farming. Cattle and Rooibos farmers use the town for buying necessities and to visit the church on Sundays.

The town has a busy central business district, considering its location, with small shops lining its quaint streets. Accommodation and tourism bring in much-needed revenue for the town’s municipality and residents.

The mountains around the town were the land of the San people, who lived in harmony with nature as hunter-gatherers from as early as the late Stone Age. The rocks and caves in the mountain contain rock art dated to the period when the San called it their home.