Beaufort West is not the kind of place that travellers tend to linger. It’s a true stopover town, with a wealth of cut-price, here-today, gone-tomorrow accommodation lining the main street. But if you do find yourself hereabouts – a distinct possibility if you’re road tripping around South Africa – do yourself a favour and leave the guest house-littered town behind in favour of Olive Grove Guest Farm, 20km southwest.

Nestled, unsurprisingly, among olive groves, the farm has self-catering chalets and simple en-suite guest rooms. Pleasantly decorated and equipped with fridges, TVs, air conditioning and free Wi-Fi the rooms are far from fancy, but much, much more than adequate, while the two-bedroom chalets come with a fully equipped kitchen as well as all the usual guest room mod-cons. There’s a shared terrace fronting the accommodation where you can sip a cold beer (sold at very reasonable rates in reception) while enjoying the magical evening light that comes with dusk in the Karoo.

The on-site restaurant serves hearty Karoo fare (hopefully you love lamb) or you can braai your own dinner under the stars. If you haven’t come prepared, braai packs are on sale and you can stock up on local produce in the shop – sauces, biltong, sweets, and just about anything you can think of made with olives…

Most who stay are likely only spending a night before continuing their long trek through the semi-desert, but if you can spare a second night there are rewards to be had. The Karoo National Park is just 20 minutes from Olive Grove – a blissfully under-visited reserve where zebra, lion and black rhino amble and doze in the dusty daytime heat. Back at Olive Grove there are short hikes on the property, donkey cart rides to take, excellent bird watching to be had, and an outdoor pool that’s insanely welcoming on a summer’s day in the Karoo.