Attractions
Ladismith is known as 'the jewel of the Klein Karoo' and is located at the foot of the Klein Swartberg Mountain range in the Klein Karoo.
Both Ladysmith and Ladismith were named after Lady Juana Smith, the wife of Sir Harry Smith, governor of the Cape at the time. Ladysmith, which was previously Natal, was founded in 1850. Whereas Ladismith, in what was then the Cape, was founded in 1852. Both were spelled the same, so, with Ladysmith having priority, Ladismith changed the spelling of its name to avoid confusion. It has not really helped much, as most people are still confused.
Ladismith offers a variety of architectural styles, which can be seen in the old building of Ladismith, from neo-Gothic to Victorian, to the typical Ladismith style of square with round vents at the front. The town boasts a variety of churches, including the Lutheran Church and the Dutch Reformed Church designed by Otto Hager.
Ladismith is also home to a wide variety of game, including gray reedbuck, klipspringer and occasional kudu, Cape mountain zebra, steenbok, duiker, red hartebeest, eland, springbok and many other smaller species. Baboons are also common, with leopard being an occasional and most welcome visitor. Tortoise, boomslang, puff adders, Cape cobra and various other reptiles are also found in abundance.
One of Ladismith's most popular attractions has got to be Seweweekspoort (Seven Weeks Poort). It is a must for hiking, mountain biking and 4X4 enthusiasts. It is one of the most dramatic and awe-inspiring of all the mountain ravines in the country.
You can get to Laingsburg from Calitzdorp or Ladismith via the Seweweekspoort Pass, which was built because it was one of only a few ways to get a road through the Groot Swartberge. In fact, in spite of the twisted, buckled and scrunched-up mountains, Seweweekspoort itself must have been the easiest pass in the Cape to construct. It seems to go nowhere. However, that is no reason at all not to go there; there are some nice quiet places for a nice quiet stay.