Ganora Guest Farm, Nieu Bethesda: Bushman rock art and fossils

By Roxanne Reid
For many of us who live in the city, there’s nothing more exciting than spending time in nature. When I go on a road trip, I’d much rather stay in a nature reserve or on a farm than in any city hotel. Ganora Guest Farm, Nieu Bethesda​, ticks all the boxes by adding historical interest in the form of Bushman rock art and fossils.

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It was no surprise when we went looking for Nieu Bethesda accommodation that I was drawn to Ganora Guest Farm, a working sheep farm at the foot of the Sneeuberg about 7km from the village in South Africa's Eastern Cape. Karoo farm accommodation and Karoo farm stays are among my besties, beaten only by a stopover inside a national park or nature reserve.

​Here, where the Wilge River snuggles up to this Karoo farm, the accommodation is three-star, with old farm buildings renovated and turned into en suite guest rooms. The repurposed sheep kraals and sheds have retained their thick stone walls and character, but gained all the modern conveniences too.

The old workshops have been converted into guest rooms

​Our room was called the Coal Room, testament to its use in the old days. But there was nothing dark or dusty about it. Instead, a king-size bed, a small sitting area with two comfy chairs, and a king-size shower that abandoned the usual tiled floor for natural slate and stones. Outside, we could relax in the shade of a willow tree on the edge of a paddock and listen to the sound of trickling water.

One of the converted sheds, the Coal room, has a writing desk and separate sitting area

The gorgeously different shower in the Coal room

​The converted workshops and sheds also have a rustic appeal, and there’s a self-catering cottage that sleeps six, ideal for families or those who want to do their own thing.

The Old Kraal at the far end of the farm yard has also become guest accommodation

​Co-owner Hester Steynberg told us that parts of the farmhouse date back to 1797, easily identified by the thickness of the stone walls. The shed next to it, which houses a small museum, bar and long dining room, also dates back to that time. 

The main farmhouse

The right half of this shed dates back to 1797 and is now the long dining room and farm museum

​Dinner is a sociable affair, with drinks at the bar and a chance to chat to Hester and husband JP as well as other guests. There’s a deep fireplace for atmosphere, walls full of old agricultural tools and equipment, a long table and good farm-style grub like lamb, pumpkin bake and organically grown veggies from the farm. Desserts include traditional favourites like malva pudding, brownies, milk tart or koeksisters.

The long dining room

​Lots of things to do at Ganora
As far as activities go, the big three at Ganora Guest Farm are Bushman rock art, fossils and hiking.

Go on a walk to see Bushman paintings in one of a few shelters on the farm. When we visited, guide Henry Witbooi explained how three shamans make a fire and call on the ancestors, praying for rain, good hunting and healing. For their paintings, they used various things like plants, berries and ochre, but the most important are animal urine, blood and stomach acid. For white paint, they used the albumin of ostrich eggs, bird droppings and fat they scraped off the inside of hides. The paintings here – estimated to be some 7000 years old – depict animals such as lion, cheetah, eland, gemsbok and tortoise. 

Guide Henry Witbooi talks about the Bushman paintings in a shelter

​The shelter also has some black and white finger paintings by the Khoi around 600 years ago, and etchings by the farmer’s son when he lived in the shelter for three months to avoid capture by the Brits during the Anglo Boer War of 1899-1901. Sadly, he was then captured and sent to a concentration camp. His sister died in the concentration camp near Port Alfred and after the war, jilted by his girlfriend for a British teacher, he committed suicide.

Animals painted 7000 years ago by the Bushmen (left) with 600-year-old Khoi art on the right

​Another exciting activity is to discover Karoo fossils and why the Karoo is ‘the pivotal area for the study of early “reptile” biodiversity and evolution [and] offers great potential for palaeotourism,’ according to palaeontologist Bruce Rubidge. As a boy growing up in the area, JP Steynberg developed a knack for spotting fossils among the rocks in the veld. When he and Hester bought Ganora, they had no idea of the treasures that lay hidden there. Some 20 years later, JP will hold you spellbound with his talk about the fossils he has found on the farm, now displayed in the farm’s museum.

JP Steynberg in his fossil museum on the farm

​He’ll explain that the Karoo rocks are too old for dinosaurs, so there are no dinosaur fossils in his ample collection, but many from the Permian and Triassic eras 200-300 million years ago. He’ll also tell you that the Karoo was once a massive inland freshwater swamp. Call it a ‘sea’ at your peril; he’ll remind you that there were no shells or marine creatures here. ‘About 1.5km of sediment has been washed away since those times, revealing fossils of therapsids, or mammal-like reptiles, from small cow size to mouse size,’ he says.

You can tell by the teeth whether the animal was a predator (canines) or herbivore (tusks). See small insect-eating hunters like modern-day lizards or shrews, with their needle-like teeth preserved in stone, and the skulls and jawbones of dog-sized herbivores. There’s also a collection of fossilised leaves of Glossopteris trees, water ripples preserved in stone and – the pièce de résistance – a complete fossil fish called Compasia de la Harpi. Although there are three pieces of different fish of the same kind at Wits, this is the only complete one in the world. Quite a coup for JP.

The unique and complete Compasia fish (top left)

His enthusiasm is infectious. When he begins to talk, all you’ll see are odd-shaped rocks. By the end of a 45-minute tour de force, you’ll be recognising the skulls and jawbones for yourself. If you’re keen, see if he’ll take you out into the veld to find some ‘stone bones’ still embedded in the rocks. Just be aware that he’s first and foremost a sheep farmer, so this may not always be possible, depending on what’s going on at the farm.

Work off some of the good food at Ganora on one or two of the marked hiking trails, from short and easy to longer and more taxing. Varying from 4-21km, they give broad views over the farm and the surrounding Sneeuberg mountains. On the canyon route you might spot a pair of Verreaux’s eagles (one of 182 bird species recorded on the farm) or swim in rock pools before you reach the end at Nieu Bethesda. You can arrange to have your car dropped off at the end point. 

Go walking on the farm or climb to the top of the Compassberg

​You can also climb Compassberg, the highest point of the Sneeuberg (2502m above sea level), though this isn’t advisable in bitter winter temperatures with snow on the peak.

Join Henry Witbooi on a guided walk around the farm to discover some of the plants that have medicinal uses. Henry has San/Bushman ancestry and learnt about the value of plants from his grandfather.

Or take advantage of the swimming pool in the guest farm’s attractive garden, a great place to relax with a good book or to cool down on hot summer days. But if you want to enjoy something more ‘farmy’, take a dip in the cement reservoir or one of the river pools.

The swimming pool, with the farmhouse to the right and the sheds and workshop rooms behind

Bring your mountain bike to ride some of the trails, or set out on the 35km 4x4 trail on your bike or in your vehicle. Admire the views of the surrounding mountains and valleys, revel in the wide blue skies and drink in the Karoo silence.

Ganora is a Dohne Merino sheep stud farm – a breed that’s used for both its wool and meat – so you (and your kids) might also enjoy watching farm activities like shearing, and sheep and cattle herding.

Early morning sheep herding

The cows are far outnumbered by the farm's sheep

Don’t forget to lift your eyes after dark and appreciate the stars, which sparkle brightly here in the clean, dry Karoo air.

Finally, remember that Nieu Bethesda and Helen Martins' intriguing Owl House and Camel Yard are just a 7km drive away. Have coffee or lunch in the village and make a day of it before returning to the peace of Ganora.

Part of the Camel Yard at Helen Martins' Owl House, Nieu Bethesda

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