Dordrecht was founded in 1856 by Baron Smiddolff (later changed to Smithdorff), a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church.

Dordrecht lies nestled in the Stormberg Mountains, just north of Queenstown between Middelburg and Mthatha.

Dordrecht has a number of historical sites including a unique 1873 colonial country bed-and-breakfast.

[citation needed] The town is also situated near the Western Drakensberg Mountains where South Africa's only snow skiing resort is found.

The village of Buffelsfontein, located between the towns of Dordrecht and Molteno, has the lowest recorded temperature in South Africa, of −20.1 °C (−4 °F), on 23 August 2013.