12 things to do in Graaff-Reinet in the Karoo

​By Roxanne Reid
If you love history and old buildings, you’ll love Graaff-Reinet in South Africa's Eastern Cape. The town has more than 200 heritage sites, so there’s lots of history to be explored. If you love nature, you’re in luck too, given that the town is surrounded by 195 square kilometres of national park. Here are 12 things to do in Graaff-Reinet in the Karoo. 

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1. See the church

When you visit Graaff-Reinet, it’s impossible not to notice the extravagant Dutch Reformed church that dominates the northern end of the main street. Given the town’s long history – it was established in 1786 – it’s no surprise that this isn’t the original church, but in fact the fourth. Built from grey sandstone quarried nearby, it opened for services in 1887. The Victorian pseudo-gothic style is reminiscent of Salisbury Cathedral in England, making it perhaps the grandest church in the whole of the Karoo.

2. Visit the museums

Reinet House

There are more than 200 national monuments and memorials in Graaff-Reinet and it’s worth visiting at least some of them. Reinet House, which used to be the Dutch Reformed church parsonage, now houses collections of silver, kitchen equipment, medical equipment, clothes and dolls, among others. I found the dolls from the Laubscher doll factory in Graaff-Reinet between 1914 and 1927 fascinating to compare to what was being produced in Europe at the time.  

The oldest grape vine in South Africa, planted in 1870

​You can also see the oldest vine in South Africa. It was planted in 1870 by Reverend Charles Murray and the single stem grew to a circumference of 3.1m before fungal rot set in. In 1983 the dead wood was removed to preserve the vine and now there’s a circle of separate stems.

The Old Residency

The Old Residency diagonally across the street from Reinet House houses the William Roe photo exhibition, a fascinating collection of late 19th century photographs. There are also collections of old cameras, gramophones, giant music boxes still in working order, and a roomful of historical guns.

If you want a break from colonial history, visit the Old Library Museum in Church Street for some insight into the lives of slaves and the Khoi, as well as transformation history and displays about political activist and Pan African Congress founder, Robert Sobukwe, who was born and buried in Graaff-Reinet (see point 8).

3. Explore the Camdeboo National Park

Explore some of the wonders of nature in the Camdeboo National Park that surrounds the town of Graaff-Reinet. It’s home to 43 mammal species like eland, kudu, buffalo, klipspringer, gemsbok, Cape mountain zebra, bateared fox and meerkat, more than 250 bird species, and some 330 plant species. Take a game drive, walk one of the hiking trails, drive a 4x4 trail, go fishing, knock yourself out with watersports at Nqweba dam (see point 5) or visit the amazing Valley of Desolation (see point 4). How special is it that the town is surrounded by so much nature?
For more about this park, see my post Camdeboo National Park: the ultimate guide.

4. Visit the Valley of Desolation

Don’t miss a visit to the Valley of Desolation, particularly attractive when the rocks turn warm shades of ginger and apricot in the dwindling sunlight of late afternoon. Take the tarred road from the entrance gate on the R63 just 5km from town. Since this is part of the Camdeboo National Park, you may see wildlife like kudu or Cape mountain zebra along the way. Your first stop is the toposcope, where you can walk up a koppie to get a view over the town and the dam. Then continue to the parking area a kilometre or two further on. Leave your car and walk to various viewpoints over the Valley of Desolation to see the result of volcanic activity and erosion over millions of years. Marvel at the steep cliffs and dolerite pillars climbing 120m from the valley floor, look out over the plains of the Camdeboo, or walk the short Crag Lizard Trail.

5. See the Nqweba Dam 

Nqweba Dam, which used to be called the Van Ryneveld Dam, was built in 1924. It’s fed by the Sundays River and covers some 1000 hectares. To make the most of the dam and its environs, go birding (it’s a good place to find water birds, including flamingos), picnicking, fishing in the angling zone (you need a permit from the SANParks office) or canoeing and windsurfing from the spillway at the Graaff-Reinet Boat Club.

6. Visit the Obesa cactus nursery and garden

You ain’t seen nothing like this before. Big, small, squat or long, there are thousands of cacti and succulents in the Obesa cactus nursery and garden. Some of them are more than 50 years old. Retired criminal lawyer Johan Bouwer started planting them from seed around 1960 and it became something of an obsession.

Take an adventurous walk along the marked path around the garden (just avoid the prickles) and you’ll be amazed at the variety and number of them. In some places the cacti are so big they even create shady areas. When we visited, some were on the verge of flowering and it occurred to me how colourful the garden must be when many of them are in bloom.

Ask Johan how many different species there are in his garden and nursery and he’ll tell you that last time he counted was 2012, when it was 7200. Then he realised counting was all about testosterone and ego so he hasn’t counted since then although he has continued to propagate new species. It’s the largest private collection in the world.

Quite a character, Johan is interesting to talk to, with strong opinions on everything from politics to religion and racism to Americans. He has a sign on the entrance gate saying, ‘Where is Lee Harvey Oswald when his country needs him?’ He figures if you don’t get it, you’re too dumb to care. Another sign deeper in the nursery points more strongly to his annoyance with everyone who voted for Donald Trump, so lose that American accent before your visit! And if you’re sensitive about swearing, don’t engage him in conversation because every sentence is peppered with a few f-bombs.

7. Find the monument to the Jewish pedlars

I struggled to find this memorial on College Road near the Police College. To my mind it was an appropriate remembrance of the Jewish smouse, or pedlars, who roamed the remote areas of the Karoo, bringing with them the necessities of daily life – and often welcome news of the surrounding areas too. Their contribution to the economic growth of the interior was enormous.

Eventually I found where it used to be, but the plaque itself was in pieces at the foot of the rock on which it was once mounted. It was sad to see it uncared for, no one noticing or bothering that it was broken. ​[Update October 2020: I'm thrilled to hear that a new monument has now been erected on this site to replace the broken one.] Luckily, I noticed a similar plaque near the old vine at Reinet House (see point 2).


8. Visit Robert Sobukwe’s birthplace
In Umasizakhe township you can see the house where Pan African Congress founder Robert Sobukwe was born. His grave in Kroonvale cemetery was restored in 2014. Talk to Khanya at the Tourism Office in Church Street if you want to visit these two sites, tel 049-8924248. For a three-hour walkabout tour of the township to learn about Xhosa language and culture and visit a local project, David McNaughton of Karoo Connections is your man.

9. Eat Karoo food

Pioneers restaurant in a historical monument

Karoo food is famous and rightly so, so treat your tastebuds at some Graaff-Reinet restaurants. Think Karoo lamb, heartwarming meat dishes and those queens of vegetables, the pumpkin and sweet potato – and, of course, malva pudding. We ordered bobotie and lamb shank at Pioneers in Parsonage Street, and browsed the fascinating old photos of Graaff-Reinet as we waited. 

Muller House

​On another day we had venison schnitzels at Muller House in Muller Street, a lovely place where we sat in the shade in the garden out back.

Polka

​At the pale and pretty Polka in Somerset Street – both restaurant and bakery – my butternut salad was delicious and the venison burger good, but our Belgian waffle dessert was doughy and hard rather than crisp and light; we should have stuck to a Karoo option.

De Camdeboo restaurant at the Drostdy Hotel in Church Street

Don’t miss spending some time on the patio at De Camdeboo restaurant at the Drostdy Hotel, either for a meal or simply to enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. Wander through the reception rooms and gardens of the hotel afterwards – they’re beautiful.

10. Stay over

Stretch's Court at the Drostdy Hotel

There’s so much to see and do in and around the town that you’ll definitely want to look for some Graaff-Reinet accommodation. Whatever your desire, you can find it, from historical self-catering cottages to a five-star hotel with a big heart, even glamping at Lakeview Tented Camp or camping at Nqweba, both in the Camdeboo National Park just 4-5km from the centre of town. Staying over for at least two or three days not only allows you time to do and see all that Graaff-Reinet has to offer, it gives you a chance to walk the streets at dawn or dusk when they’re quiet, to take photos of the beautiful old buildings when the light is right, and visit the Valley of Desolation (see point 4) at the most beautiful time of day. Check Graaff-Reinet Tourism’s website for a host of accommodation listings.
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11. Find fossils

If you know anything about the Karoo, you know that it’s a treasure trove of ancient fossils from even before dinosaurs walked the earth. You can see a bunch of these at the Old Library Museum. Many of the farms in the Graaff-Reinet and Nieu Bethesda area have collections of fossils found in the veld, such as Wellwood Farm and Ganora Guest Farm, where you can take a day’s excursion if you book ahead. Ganora co-owner and sheep farmer JP Steynberg is something of a fossil whisperer and has discovered some amazing specimens in his 20 years on the farm, which he’s enthusiastic about sharing with visitors. If you think fossils are boring, you haven't met JP.

12. Take a day trip to Nieu Bethesda and the Owl House

The Camel Yard at Helen Martins' Owl House

Take a drive to the quaint little village of Nieu Bethesda in a valley 50km from Graaff-Reinet to see Helen Martins’ Owl House, with its brightly painted and glass-encrusted interiors and cement owls, humans, camels and other creatures inspired by the bible, and the poetry of Omar Khayam and William Blake. It’s a journey into another world and a gripping look at the imagination of this ‘outsider artist’ of the Karoo.


Note: Obviously, this isn’t an exhaustive list of everything there is to do in Graaff-Reinet. Apart from the heritage, eco-tourism and culinary routes I’ve touched on here, there’s also an art route, adrenalin sports and walking tours of the town. Pop into the tourism office in Church Street if you want to explore any of these in more detail.

If you're looking for a treat experience, go on an Eastern Cape safari at Samara Game Reserve in the Karoo, about 25km from Graaff-Reinet to see animals like elephant, lion, buffalo, cheetah, mountain zebra, giraffe and aardvark.

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