Eastern Cape Inland and the Karoo - Graaff-Reinet
Eastern Cape Inland and the Karoo - Graaff-Reinet
The fourth oldest town in South Africa was founded in 1786. More than 200 of the buildings here are national monuments and a walk through the streets offers an insight into the architectural heritage of South Africa.
The world’s largest grapevine grows in the museum garden. It was planted in 1870, has a girth of over 2.5m and still bears fruit.
The Karoo Nature reserve surrounds the town and incorporates the Valley of Desolation, a game viewing area and two hiking trails.
Old buildings and relics of the past
The Victorian Chemist still has original interior shop fittings, show windows, front door and pharmaceutical equipment.
The Drostdy (Town Hall) was restored in 1977 and is now a hotel. The garden is a great place to relax with tea and yummy cake and there are some interesting old domestic utensils displayed inside the building. Try working out what they were used for if you can...
Reinet House was declared a historical monument in 1952. In 1956 it was opened to the public as an historical museum in the form of a period home.
The Old Residency opposite Reinet House is a well-preserved model of the early 19th Century H-shaped house. For those interested in guns, it houses the extensive Jan Felix Lategan Memorial gun collection.
The Old Library Museum has an excellent collection of the Karoo fossils and a period dress collection.
The Valley of Desolation
The nearby Valley of Desolation is one of South Africa’s most remarkable phenomena. These dolerite capped shale mountains have been eroded into all sorts of bizarre shapes. A short climb takes you up to the top where there are walks to different view points. Birds spin dizzily around the heights, while down below the town sits snug in the bend of the river. The sheer cliff faces echo bird calls, dassies scurry and leap on the boulders and tenacious plants spring from every crevice. As the sun goes down the rocks glow red - hang your legs over the edge of a cliff and watch the colours change.
Places to Stay
Le Jardin Backpackin’
A cosy Karoo stop over.
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