The Darkest Sky in the World

If you have the slightest interest in Astronomy, I am pretty sure you have heard of a town called Sutherland. It is located in the Karoo, South Africa and is 347 kms north of Cape Town.

During the last two hours of the drive, you won’t see any vehicles, people, or animals. You may question your own existence since it gets really quiet and lonely but then you are welcomed to one of the most weirdly unique towns in the world. Sutherland is home to approximately 2900 people and looks like it was taken from a set of a Clint Eastwood movie.

Sutherland is the home to SALT. The South African Large Telescope is the largest single scope telescope in the southern hemisphere. Sutherland is also known to have the cleanest air and the darkest skies in the world. You can spot all the stars and planets with your naked eye and marvel at the vividly defined view of the Milky Way. For a brief moment, your brain fails to accept what you’re looking at. The entire universe appears to be at arm’s reach, and I could literally sit there for hours looking at the celestial art show occurring on the ceiling of the world.

Sutherland is a small town so there are not a lot of options when it comes to hotels/motels. The two best options are Sutherland Hotel (serviced) and Writer’s Cottage (self-catered). For food, you should definitely try out Cluster D’Hote. It’s housed in an old Victorian building decorated with collectables and antiques. There are a couple of shops around that are well stocked with your day to day needs. However, it’s better to pack some food with you if you have any special dietary requirements so that you don’t have to stress about food and can fully enjoy your trip.

You should definitely plan on visiting the observatory during your trip. They do day tours for tourists and show you all the different telescopes that live in Sutherland. You should also venture around town and pay a visit to the Sutherland NG Church. The Church was occupied by the British soldiers during the Anglo Boer War. It still has graffiti on the walls and a door made by the British troops.

Everything aside, Sutherland is one of the most peaceful towns that I have visited. People there are friendly and welcoming, and the environment is just… happy. Every breath that you take makes you want to live a little more, and every star that you spot makes you want to reach for more in life!