Bed & Breakfast, Guest House, Game & Safari Lodge & Self-Catering
Accommodation in Central and Great Karoo - South Africa

View Map of Prince Albert

The Karoo is a stark and beautiful area in South Africa with a charm all of its own.  The two national parks, the Karoo National Park near Beaufort West and the Mountain Zebra National Park near Cradock are nothing like the bushveld reserves around the Kruger National Park. The vegetation is much more sparse but, strangely, far more interesting, as it's characterised by low-growing succulents and aromatic shrubs which, upon closer inspection are very beautiful and many of which flower spectacularly for a short season.

View Map of Beaufort West

There are black rhinos in the Karoo National Park and, not surprisingly, many of the beautiful, endangered and rather rare Cape Mountain Zebra in the Mountain Zebra National Park. Although midday can be over-bright and washed out, the quality of light in the Karoo is magnificent. Sunrises and sunsets are awe-inspiring with pastel shades of purple, blue, pink and gold filling the entire horizon. The sky before a storm is particularly dramatic, with shafts of light burning down through indigo clouds and rainbows dancing merrily just behind the thunder and lightning.

And the clear skies and freedom from light pollution makes for wonderful stargazing - the recently built Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) is in the small, rather remote Karoo town of Sutherland.

As well as showcasing some very pretty Victorian houses, the many small towns reflect a sort of sleepiness, which is appropriate to their status as urban centres in a large sheep farming area.

On the edges of these vast plains lie lovely, almost unexplored mountains, with deep gullies, pretty streams and overhangs filled with rock art. And even the older buildings - one-roomed stone cottages, corbelled huts and old stone sheds are coming into their own as they are renovated as tourist or hikers accommodation.

Graaff-Reinet and Cradock offer a wealth of cultural attractions as well as some great accommodation Nieu Bethesda is the site of South Africa's best known outsider art - the Owl House, created by Helen Martins. Nothing happens very fast in the Karoo. It's a place to go to relax, to sit back and watch time move gently over the purple hills. The Great Karoo stretches over part of the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape and the Northern Cape.

Exploring the vibrant Karoo   by Tamara Toti

The name 'Karoo' comes from karusa a Khoi word that means 'dry', 'barren' or 'thirsty land' and this is exactly what you would think as you first enter the Karoo. It is hard to imagine that these vast dry plains were once an inland sea, with lush green vegetation and huge mammals roaming its shores. Its only after the Gondwanaland break-up approximately 200million years ago, that the region turned into the semi-desert area we know today.

The "Oasis of the Karoo", Beaufort West, is the oldest town in the region. With a colourful history his typical platteland town was once inhabited by the Bushman and many of their rock art sites can still be seen on sourrounding farms and nearby Nelspoort.

Many choose Beaufort West as a destination simply to explore the ecology and to walk through the streets and have a good look at the beautiful old buildings that display a mixture of architectural styles dating back to the mid nineteenth century. Most of the little towns of the Karoo have their own unique style of architecture, which deveoped around simple structures with prominent covered verandahs as protection against the harsh sun.

One building that you cannot miss is the Neo-Gothic Reformed Church on the N1; it was built in 1892 and designed by James Bisset. This beautiful church is situated on what is affectionately known as "Amen Corner", with its spire forming the focal point of town. Another landmark on the N1 is the jail house that stands in the middle of the road, and no one to this day really knows why a jail house was built here.

Be sure to explore the isolated but welcoming villages of the region which sit between the flat-topped koppies in desolate valleys. Names like Vosburg, Griquatown, Witput and Three Sisters, speak of fascinating stories that await to be told in vibrant Karoo colour.

To the south of the Karoo is the 75 000ha Karoo National Park where one can see the endangered Riverine Rabbit and the Black Rhinoceros. The Quagga, which until recently was thought to be extinct has also been 'resurrected' and roams freely on the grounds of the park. It is also home to lots of indigenous buck, mountain zebra, wild ostrich and five tortoise species, and for the birders there is an abundant range of species that call the park home.

Go on the fascinating fossil trail and learn more about the fossils that were discovered in this area. Round off your exploration with a scenic drives, take a challenging hiking trails into the koppies, go biking in the mountain trails or take a leisurely stroll through town.

With so much to do and discover, the Karoo is a top-class eco-destination.