15 things to do in Prince Albert, Karoo

3/9/2014

By Roxanne Reid
If wide open spaces and deafening stillness appeal to you, if small Karoo towns make you happy, then Prince Albert – 390km from Cape Town – is your kind of town. But just because it’s peaceful, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing going on. Here are 15 things to do in Prince Albert, Karoo.

1. Visit the Fransie Pienaar Museum in the main road for displays of glass and porcelain, musical instruments, weapons, Victorian clothing and of course information about the town’s history, the Swartberg Pass, Gamkaskloof (the Hell) and a short-lived gold rush in the area. There’s also an interesting collection of kitchen equipment, from moulds and peelers to scales and mouse traps. A small section documents the original KhoiSan inhabitants of the area, the forced removals of the Apartheid era and various prominent community members such as Outa Lappies who made art out of other people’s junk.

So many interesting gadgets in the kitchen of the Fransie Pienaar Museum

2. Visit the Albert Mill just outside town, built in 1865 and now restored. Flour was milled here for more than a century and it was declared a national monument in 1963.

The mill’s wheel is driven by water furrowed from the mountain, which goes on to feed water to the town

3. Eat out at one of more than a dozen restaurants in Prince Albert. For a casual tea break or light lunch, try the Lazy Lizard, Café Photo Albert (doubles as a photo gallery) or La Di Dah, which is really a fancy farmstall with a lovely setting at the edge of a dam and old-fashioned décor in the form of old tools, boxes and Pepsi bottles. For a more sophisticated dinner, try the Gallery Café above the Prince Albert Art Gallery, the Karoo Kombuis where Karoo lamb is a highlight or African Relish, where you can book for dinner or take in one of their cooking courses as well. Lots of things to do in Prince Albert and restaurants to try.

The Lazy Lizard occupies one of Prince Albert's Victorian-era buildings

4. Walk or cycle around the village with your camera to appreciate some of the many well-preserved buildings in the town, with their Victorian stoeps and Cape Dutch gables, a unique type known as the Prince Albert gable.

Beautifully preserved old buildings in Prince Albert re a large part of its charm

5. See the dust-bin ‘art gallery’ that lines the main road. These individual artworks – which double as dust bins to keep the pretty little town free of litter – were installed in 2012 to celebrate 250 years since the original farm Kweekvallei was established. Local artists, schools and a children’s art group all participated.

Two of the functional dust bin artworks on the main road; note the Prince Albert gable at the top

6. Browse a Saturday morning market. There were two when we were there –a bigger farmer’s market next to the museum that was selling garden-fresh veggies, cheeses and home-made yummies, and another smaller one where locals were selling a few veg, preserves, cakes and vetkoek, but the main activity seemed to be to sit at one of the plastic tables, get a cup of tea and catch up with the gossip of the week.

7. Visit Gay’s Dairy. You can taste before you buy; cheeses include gouda, cheddar and parmesan types as well as mozzarella and Karoo feta. Their fruit yoghurt is also delicious.

Cheese maturing at Gay's Dairy

8. Do the Ghost Walk at dusk to hear about some of the many ghosts of the town. You’re in good hands with local story teller Ailsa Tudhope. For more about the ghost walk, see Meet the ghosts of Prince Albert in the Karoo.

9. Visit the Weltevrede Fig Farm 25km outside Prince Albert. It’s a huge operation with more than 1000 fig trees. Fig season (January to May) is the best time to visit but you need to book ahead. They grow mainly the big purple Adam figs, but also Cape Brown figs and sell them fresh, dry and bottled.

10. Stay a night or three at one of around 50 guesthouses and B&Bs that provide Prince Albert accommodation and soak up the laid-back mood. We stayed two nights at Dorpsplaas Cottage and loved it. We have also enjoyed staying at the Swartberg Hotel, which is a National Monument with a delightful old-world elegance.

Prince Albert offers a huge array of guesthouses and B&Bs to tempt visitors to stay for a few nights

11. Learn all about fossils of the area on an excursion with Dr Judy McGuire. I’ve been told that there ain’t much about palaeontology, archaeology, palaeoanthropology or Karoo history she doesn’t know.

12. Drive the Swartberg Pass built by Thomas Bain in the 1880s and still a marvel of engineering. The gravel road climbs in a series of steep zigzags and sudden sharp bends to 1585m, giving sweeping views out over the Karoo. Stop at some of the viewing spots to really appreciate the journey. For more information, see Drive the Swartberg Pass in the Karoo.

The steep switchbacks of the Swartberg Pass

13. Get active in Swartberg Nature Reserve.
There are a number of hiking trails in the Swartberg Nature Reserve, from one day to three days, and an overnight 4x4 route. You can also mountain bike in the reserve at certain times of year. Tel 021-4830190 or visit the CapeNature website for more information. Alternatively, talk to Dennehof Tours. Lindsay Steyn knows the area well and will take you hiking or cycling without your having to worry about getting lost.

14. Stay over at Gamkaskloof (The Hell) to get a taste of what the kloof must have been like before the road was built in 1962,when the farming community here was isolated. Book ahead with CapeNature to stay in one of the renovated old cottages, or to camp. Note that you shouldn’t even attempt this route without a 4x4 and a strong head for heights on narrow roads. Allow enough time: the 38km winding road to the valley floor will take you two hours.

One of the original Gamkaskloof cottages, now used by CapeNature to accommodate self-catering guests

15. Drive through Meiringspoort 55km east of Prince Albert. The 25km road winds through the gorge, crossing the Groot River more than 20 times and presenting wonderful views of steep cliff walls and red rock formations.

Obviously, this isn’t a complete list of all the things to do in Prince Albert, but it should give you a few ideas to inspire you on your next visit.

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