Also, in this Karoo Roads extract, how a town's 'hot' name was born in a glass of Cape Smoke brandy, how another charms like a single-malt whisky, and where to find a secret seasonal hideaway with a bloody past.

Listen to this article 8 min Listen to this article 8 min The most remarkable feature of Kenhardt on the Karoo-Bushmanland border is the magnificent quiver tree forest just outside the little town.

Out on the Kenhardt-Cape Town road are hundreds - perhaps thousands - of these shallow-rooted, photogenic plants. In the late afternoon and early morning, they are golden sculptures on dark dolerite ridges.

In eras gone by, these quiver trees would have seen the passage of millions of trekbokke, never-ending waves of migrating springbok, passing by. It seemed that the trekbok population was endless, but they were hunted so relentlessly that by the arrival of the 20th century, South Africa's greatest wildlife phenomenon had dwindled to pitiful numbers.

The farm where most of the quiver trees are found used to be open to visitors. But perhaps inevitably, there were drunken vandals, and it is now fenced off. Still, there are some spectacular views of them, and on the road to Verneuk Pan, you'll see even more.

Kenhardt remains an area with rich history, conveniently situated on the route north to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The Kenhardt Hotel has the longest stoep you'll ever see. There...