Richmond

Located in the heart of the central Karoo in the Northern Cape, Richmond is touted by its residents as being halfway between Cape Town and Johannesburg, and, although it there are other towns competing for this title, Richmond is arguably the most picturesque of them. This interesting village is famously South Africa’s only book town: the streets are overflowing with bookstores of all variety, and the annual book festival is ever more popular and now includes a film section. The Horse Museum presents another curious attraction, one of the only two in the world and home to fascinating exhibits. The historic town’s unusual layout (not in grid form) with its market square, rather than the usual church, as the focal point, creates a special atmosphere.