Graaff-reinet
The Eastern Cape town of Graaff-Reinet is one of the must-visit destinations in South Africa. Steeped in a historically significant legacy, Graaff-Reinet – known as the gem of the Karoo – is the oldest town in the Eastern Cape Province and the fourth oldest overall in South Africa. With nearly 200 national monuments and an entire street including its slave cottages restored, Graaff-Reinet manages to retain its 19th Century ambience and old-world charm making it a fascinating and interesting destination for many travellers to frequent.
Although the town is situated in the heart of the Karoo, it is enclosed by the majestic Camdeboo National Park as well as a bend in the Sundays River with the supreme mountain peaks of the Sneeuberg towering over it; it is essentially because of the Camdeboo National Park that the landscape around Graaff-Reinet is fertile and green as opposed to sandy and dusty. Furthermore, Graaff-Reinet is a hive of exciting activities to ensure any sojourn in these parts is memorable and fun-filled.
Visitors can enjoy trout fishing, bird watching at the Graaff-Reinet Bird Club, and game viewing at the national park which is a real treat; other favourite pastimes are the tours travellers can enjoy throughout the area. These tours are terrific and diverse; visitors can go on a township tour, a rock art tour, a tour of the Boer War monuments, as well as tours to the hamlets of Nieu-Bethesda and the Owl House. To enjoy the best of nature in these parts, head to the Camdeboo Conservancy which is a natural paradise teeming with undulating wildlife, dazzling flora, and abundant bird life.
